Lake Cave, Central Transdanubia, Hungary

4Ria Ismail 5:00 PM Aug 25, 2022

Definitely worth a visit if in the area!
Before going down into the caves, you will have a guided tour through a little museum, which is very quaint. Unfortunately, English speakers were not catered for, so I had to translate for my partner. That is the least important part of the tour for me - the highlight is of course getting to go down into the cave. We loved our ride, it’s very interactive but not without risk. Be careful down there, especially with other people bumping into you. We got stuck behind a really slow old man which was a bit annoying, but we could have queued for another go. In the summer there were a number of little shops outside, including fresh traditional lángos, so you don’t have to worry about planning ahead for food! Parking is a bit complicated if you don’t have coins. Took me about 15 minutes to register for the parking system (app or text) and all the instructions are in Hungarian. I suggest downloading and setting up the app beforehand as it will work across Hungary for parking. There are a tonne of apps to be found online, which can be confusing. Make sure you buy tickets in advance online as they sell out!

4KemikOjstra 5:00 PM Oct 26, 2018

Exciting boat ride and educational exhibition
Boat ride in this lake cave is surely something that will never be forgotten, it is such a nice experience. Even people with not much or even no experience in rowing, kayaking or canoeing can do this and learn how to row. But be prepared, sometimes one must bend in low-roof sections and there are some narrow sections. 180 metres of ride on water is not that short as it looks on paper and in people's minds. Make sure to read some statements and rules about this boat ride on the official internet homepage of this attraction if you bring kids along. Guides are talking Hungarian but all importat things from the exhibition (at the beginning of the tour) are also written on boards in English and German. You can pay extra for the audio guide in English or German (1000 HUF per person, additional to 2000 HUF for an adult ticket) but there are said exactly the same things which are written on the exhibition boards. I see this exhibition very educational because it explains geology and biology of the cave very well and there are also many photos from other natural sights in the world which are similar (my favourite sections are surely non-karstic and karstic caves but there is also an interesting and picturesque review of geologic periods, with looks of Pannonian basin-sea in each of them). Each visitor is given 3D-glasses at the beginning and therefore see some pictures on videos in very magnificent way. The only weakness is that there are not many part of caves that are accessible to tourists. A great proportion of cave is under water and can be researched only by divers. Dry part of cave visit is only 70 metres long. You don't have to wait for groups with guides all along and can go immediately to boat ride when you read important things from the exhibition boards because there are only 8 boats overall and carrying capacity of each is 220 kilograms (therefore it can be waiting time in case of crush). Lockers are big enough for rucksacks and it is a key for each of them but you must give a 100 HUF coin in there to be fully closed (therefore be sure that you also have HUF coins with you in Hungary, at least because nearly all parking automatons in the Balaton region also accept only coins to pay in the parking zones). The best time of the day for visit is maybe the earliest possible because after that many groups with buses can come. After your visit, you can buy a photo or magnet with you between the boat ride.