Natural Wonders in Co. Kerry
7 places
1.Gap of Dunloe
an 11 km glacial ravine with 5 lakes
An 11 km glacial ravine slicing between the MacGillycuddy Reeks and Purple Mountain — walk, cycle, or ride a jaunting car through one of Kerry's most dramatic mountain passes, then boat back across the Lakes of Killarney.
- Highlights
- Wishing Bridge — the old stone bridge 1 km from Kate Kearney's
- Head of the Gap — highest point with panoramic mountain views
- Five glacial lakes along the valley floor
2.Kerry Cliffs (Aillte Chiarraí)
Higher than the Cliffs of Moher
Standing over 1,000 feet above the Atlantic on the Skellig Ring, Kerry Cliffs delivers the closest land-based views of the UNESCO-listed Skellig Islands — with a fraction of the crowds of better-known Irish cliffs.
- Highlights
- Over 1,000 ft (300 m) above the Atlantic — higher than the Cliffs of Moher
- Closest mainland viewpoint for Skellig Michael, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
- Far fewer visitors than Ireland's more famous cliffs
- Facilities
- Good for kids · Restrooms · Wheelchair access
3.Gleninchaquin Park
140-metre waterfall on a working sheep farm
A spectacular glaciated valley on the Beara Peninsula where a 140-metre waterfall plunges into a chain of lakes, with well-marked trails for every ability across a privately owned working farm.
- Highlights
- 140-metre waterfall feeding a chain of glaciated lakes
- Four well-marked trails from 40 mins to 4 hours
- Restored 18th-century Famine Cottage
- Facilities
- Wheelchair access
4.Torc Waterfall
a 5-minute stroll from the car park
A 20-metre cascade tucked into mossy woodland at the base of Torc Mountain — one of Killarney National Park's most accessible and photographed spots, just a 5-minute stroll from the car park.
- Highlights
- 20-metre (66 ft) cascade in mossy woodland
- Just 200 metres from the car park — one of Ireland's most accessible waterfalls
- Colour-coded loop trails for all fitness levels
- Facilities
- Wheelchair access
5.Tralee Bay Wetlands
a 20-metre viewing tower overlooking coastal wetlands
A tranquil urban nature reserve on the Wild Atlantic Way, blending eco-tourism with family-friendly water activities — guided nature walks, pedal boats, a 20-metre observation tower, and a lakeside café, all set against the Slieve Mish mountains.
- Highlights
- 20-metre viewing & observation tower
- Guided nature tours with resident ecologists
- Pedalo boats on the activity lake
- Facilities
- Wheelchair access
6.Crag Cave
Tolkien-named chambers inside a million-year-old cave
Discovered in 1983, this million-year-old limestone cave system near Castleisland is Ireland's longest show cave — where underground chambers bear names from Tolkien's Middle Earth and thousands of calcite straws shimmer in the Crystal Gallery.
- Highlights
- Over 1 million years old, discovered in 1983
- Almost 4km of surveyed passage — 350m open to visitors
- Chambers named after Tolkien's Middle Earth
- Facilities
- Wheelchair access
7.The Valentia Island Tetrapod Footprints
One of only four such trackways worldwide
Walk in the footsteps of one of the earliest creatures to ever crawl onto land — these 385-million-year-old fossilised tracks on a wild Valentia Island shoreline are among the oldest evidence of vertebrate life on Earth.
- Highlights
- 385-million-year-old fossilised footprints of an early tetrapod
- One of only four Devonian tetrapod trackways in the world
- Longest known early tetrapod trackway at ~15 metres
- Facilities
- Good for kids