Aillwee Caves

On leaving the Cliffs of Moher, head north toward, but not into, Lisdoonvarna. Follow the coastal road around Black Head, where the rocky Burren spills into Galway Bay—to Ballyvaughan, where you turn right following signs for the Aillwee Caves on the bluff above. The visitors’ center is so cleverly designed that it is hard to distinguish it from the surrounding gray landscape. Beneath the eerie “moonscape” of the Burren lie vast caves, streams, and lakes. You can take a tour through a small section of these underground caverns. The first is called Bear Haven because the bones of a brown bear that died long ago were found here. In other chambers, you see limestone cascades, stalactites, and stalagmites before the tour ends at the edge of an underground river. Remember to dress warmly, for it’s cool in the caves. (Open all year, www.aillweecave.ie, tel: 065 7077036.)