This place was AWESOME. We brought our two kids (8 and 14 at the time) and we went to the Riverbend cave. The guide was excellent, although I cannot remember his name now. Super chill, relaxed, and so knowledgeable of the local topography. It was great to nerd out with someone about geography and caves. After a brief hike, we got to the cave. It was my first time in this environment. The actual cave itself is marvelous. We got to check out stalactites, some interesting formations in the rock that have developed over centuries, and got to do some tight squeeze crawls and one pull-up style climb, which resulted in me getting stuck for a very terrifying 10 seconds, until I realized a rock had snagged my pants lol. We saw some creepy cave bugs, and got a chance to sit for a moment in total darkness and silence. My kids loved it. Cannot wait to go back for the maximum adventure tour! read more

After doing a little research into "must do" activities in the area, my husband and I signed up for a two cave tour at Horne Lake Caves. The website was easy to navigate, and I appreciated the ability to sign and submit our waivers ahead of time. The drive up to the check-in place involved a pristine logging road, according to my husband and I would have to agree it was good as far as logging roads go. We went on the two cave tour with our guide, Oscar. I had been a little apprehensive about going on the cave tour the night before (because we were willingly going into pitch-black, cold, tight spaces), but Oscar's passion, humour, and knowledge of the area eased my fears. Thanks to the information on the website, we were well dressed and prepared for the temperatures (they provided sturdy helmets and head lamps). Oscar took us on the hike up to the cave and gave us plenty of opportunities to rest. He guided us through every step of the two caves, so I never felt anxious or afraid, and I was able to go through the physicality of the cave tours (some climbing, crouching, etc), without much trouble. I emerged from the two cave tour smiling and exuberant, having done something completely new to me. I felt the prices were reasonable, and I would recommend the tours for sure! read more

Horne Lake Cave Tours - Visitor's Centre - Tours Near Me - Courtenay, British Columbia

I do not recommend this visit to the Horne Lake Caves if: -you have kids and want them to have a good time -have little experience climbing inside tight spaces -are on a budget -don't have long sleeve clothing - you do not mind getting dirty and wet Here is what you can expect: There are three caves total: the Riverbend, the Main and the Lower Main. -Office/trailer - you can do a self tour, rent a hard hat with flashlight attached for about $9 each person. They recommend that you have at least two sources of light as the caves are pitch dark and you will not see a thing if you don't have light! Also you should have a long clothing as it is very chilly in there and the clothing will protect you against possible cuts as the rocks can be sharp! -Cost of tours - if you opt to take their tours, a one cave tour that only goes partly (33% into the Riverbend cave) costs $24 a person. A three cave tour will cost $54 a head. You are only allowed to see the Riverbend cave if you buy their tour. Self tours you can do the two smaller caves (Main and lower Main). They don't even give you a flashlight but they want you to have two sources of light? Hmmm... Due to the cost and time limitations, we opted for the self tour and rented the helmets. We were glad we did as we found the caves to be dangerous if not careful. The rocks and ground in the cave can be wet and there were many areas that we had to squeeze through and we are lucky we had our helmets! No helmets would have meant heads cut open on the sharp jagged rock formations above. The most we could do was about 60% into the Main and lower Main caves as it became to difficult with our shoes and the unwillingness to injury ourselves climbing an awkward wet rock formation. A few families who were there with us agreed that the caves were not very kid friendly and turned back about half way. I have been to other cave attractions before and this one was not fun due to the above experience. I can see more experienced climbers and cave dwellers enjoying this one. read more

See all

We really enjoyed the caves. Have never been spelunking before and it was an amazing experience. You have about a 20 min hike to the first cave. We went on a guided tour, and our guide stopped along the way to tell us about the vegetation and old growth trees and history of the area. Inside the cave is awesome. You get to a point where there is NO light (of course we're all wearing helmets with lights on). We all found a spot to sit down and turn off the lights. There is no light and your eyes will never adjust. It was an amazing experience. The area is gorgeous and great for photos. As for not having the proper clothing, check out their website and it tells you everything you need to know before you decide this is a trip for you. We will definitely go again. http://hornelake.com/caving/cave-park/ read more

Awesome time! Highly recommend the 2hr tour its less cramped, really fun and decorative caves, but you have to up for an experience similar to rock climbing, it is active and you may sweat. Bring water! read more

See all

Likes: the experience, the tour guide, the thrill Dislikes: how not many people know about this yet! Background: Went here in June 2013 to take a weekday tour. There were about 6-8 people with us, plus the tour guide. We took the Ice Age Tour. Experience: WOW. This was such an amazing experience!!! Definitely not for the fainthearted, the claustrophobic folks nor the couch potatoes. The drive itself was such a cool experience---a total dirt road, up in the mountains (way up!) that we say 3 deer gallivanting as we drove along. Your car would be filthy (well, unless you come up when it's dry of course). The Horne Lake itself was such a serene sight, perfect for a day kayaking. Anyway, the Ice Age Tour was about 3-4 hours long, including the hikes and the factoids that were fed to us. There's quite a lot of hiking going on and up, so please make sure you are prepared with your clothes and make sure you are hydrated. The first cave was already so creepy, so deep and so dark (this is included in the family tour for 90 minutes). You do a lot of rock climbing, and you are equipped with head lamps--that's it. There were 3 caves in total. 2 were open to the public, but if you are not an experience caver, I don't recommend going by yourself. The tour guide knew when and where to stop and what to watch out for. It could be easily freaky if you went by yourself, as there are a lot of tricks to keep in mind as you navigate the cave. There's a lot of physical work being put into every step, as a missed step could result to injury. Yes, it's that intense. I liked how the guide allowed us to find our way through climbing up and stepping down from the rocks, so he did not micromanage us. But this way, my survival instincts were up, trying to make sure that I was mindful of every movement I made. There was a lot of trying to fit into really, really tight spaces. I'm quite a small girl but I still tried to stay calm that I would get out of the tight spaces (there is no choice most of the times). At one point, you get to experience being in total darkness. The type of darkness that could not be experienced anywhere else other than a cave. The tour guide was amazing (Ronnie). He was very friendly and knowledgeable about the caves, although he had only been touring for 2 months. He also taught us a lot about geology. Stalagmites, calcites...the works! The rock formations are beyond words can explain. It really allows you to appreciate what happens underworld. Haha. I don't recommend bringing anything else with you besides your camera and your sense of adventure. Make your bathroom break (in the outhouse!) ahead of time. Verdict: A definite YES! This place is soooo underrated but the experience was amazing. Totally a must-try if you are adventurous and like having fun. But please make sure that you are somewhat physically fit, so you don't have a hard time with the rock climbing, hiking and fitting through really tight spaces. GO!!! read more

Tours are definitely for those in shape! Hike up to the caves is steep and left me winded. The guide stopped every few minutes to give us a chance to catch our breath and learn about caves. Great idea. Went on the Wet & Wild Tour. Thankfully it was not very wet since it had not rained for a few days. First cave was great! It was challenging for me since I have a knee injury. Lots of squatting and uneven terrain. I loved the adventure of it. But I must admit I was done after cave 1. Cave 2 involved fitting between cave walls and much more water. Husband reported back that it was hard for larger people - both tall people and heavier people. He is tall and had a hard time maneuvering around. He climbed the waterfall but said it required a lot of upper body strength. Thank goodness I skipped it. We passed on cave 3 since we were both done. Guide was very accommodating. If you felt uncomfortable she was willing to give you other options or you could wait for the group to come back. All tours entered and exited each cave using the same route. Very interesting to go into an uncommercialized cave! read more

Awesome! Did the Ice Age Adventure. 5 hrs in the caves went fast. A lot of fun.