Specialty Tours are arranged throughout the season to reflect the varied interests of our visitors.

School Tours | Group Tours | Specialty Tours

School Tours
School tours are offered at Cody Caves Provincial Park in September and June each year. This unique Kootenay region Provincial Park is a natural limestone cave system carved out by water over the last 65 million years.
Tours for school groups are informative and fit in with curricula related to earth science, ecology, conservation, local history and team building. Cody Caves is also part of the setting for the popular children's novel, The Kootenay Kidnapper, by Eric Wilson.

Caves are fascinating and delicate environments featuring ancient calcite deposits unique to the underground. Cody Caves Provincial Park is a carefully preserved and well decorated example of a limestone cave that is accessible and easily explored. Opportunities for this kind of genuine, safe, introductory caving experience are extremely rare.

Know before you go...
Guides meet school groups at the Cody Caves access road, 2km north of Ainsworth Hot Springs (a possible fun addition to your educational field trip). The 10 km gravel road to the parking area is steep and rough in places. A late model school bus with standard transmission, or a group of volunteer parent drivers, is the best choice for driving the road. Allow 20-30 minutes from the highway to the parking area. An 800m trail from the parking area goes up to the cave mouth. Cavers need sturdy footwear, warm clothes, and should be reasonably fit. The cave temperature is about 6 C, and the humidity is upwards of 90%.

Tours and Prices
One hour guided tours show students, teachers and parents about 150-200 metres of cave system. Two guides are usually available to show students the cave. About 10 visitors can safely accompany each guide at a time, meaning up to twenty visitors can be in the cave at one time. Visitors learn about cave and calcite formations and caving ethics.

Fee: $16.20/person

A three hour Adventure Tour is offered for ages fourteen and up in groups of six maximum, per guide. This tour is especially useful for classes engaged in team-building exercises, as it is more challenging. Cavers must be confident about holding their own weight with their arms while climbing on damp rock. Hiking boots or rubber boots are required, and visitors must be prepared to get muddy and damp. The rewards of seeing spectacular calcite deposits are worth it! Participants must sign a waiver as part of insurance regulations.
Fee is $75.00/person.

Other tours can be arranged around themes to suit the needs of students and teachers, including geology, art, photography or other special interests. Call for information and price quotes. All tours provide helmet, lamp, batteries and gloves for caving. A waiver must be signed ahead of time by parents.

Kevin Stanway, senior guide, has several years of experience in various school settings in BC and over 10 years of guiding experience in Cody Caves Provincial Park. Every cave tour is operated under the principles of safety, education and entertainment. All our guides are specifically trained to help visitors safely through the Cody Cave system and are familiar with its hazards, its beauties and its geological history. A current Standard First Aid Ticket is mandatory for each guide, and guides take part in seminars offered by BC Cave Rescue.

References
Students and teachers from other schools have found tours at Cody Caves Provincial Park to be extremely worthwhile. Please contact Hiad Venture regarding references.

Group Tours
One hour tours at Cody Caves can be arranged for groups of ten or more.
Two guides are usually available to guide through the cave. About 10 visitors can safely accompany each guide at a time, meaning up to twenty visitors can be in the cave at one time.
Groups receive a 10% discount from the regular $18 admission: $16.20

Group tours are not always available during the busy summer months - contact us to make reservations or to discuss details.

Specialty Tours
Different people are fascinated by caves for different reasons, or may be interested in something other than the standard one hour or three hour tours. Caves are challenging places to practice photographic techniques. Sketch artists are presented with unusual forms and shapes not found above ground. Others may wish to explore the spiritual, symbolic, mythical or psychological dimensions of caves. In 2006, a choir sang inside the cave. In 2007, we offered cave meditation sessions after hours.
Whatever your special interest, we can try to suit a cave tour for your group. Contact us using the info below.

Make tour arrangements by using the contact form on the website, or:

Hiad Venture Corp.
Box 1134 Kaslo BC
V0G 1M0
250 505 2592
caves@netidea.com