8 Self-Guided Tours to Build a Day Around

1.Self-Guided Geothermal Tour in Orakei Korako

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 178 reviews · from $35Our pick

Take a short ferry from Orakei Korako’s visitor center to a geothermal park with up to 23 active geysers, boiling pools, colorful silica terraces, and Ruatapu Cave. Follow the clearly marked 2.5-kilometer boardwalk at your own pace, then return by ferry on demand.

“A really exotic experience. It wasn't as crowded as other tourist attractions, so it felt more wild. The boardwalk was so well-made that it was easy and a decent workout. It was so nice to go over to another island by boat. The boiling mud pool and cave were so mysterious.”

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2.Hellisheiði Geothermal Exhibition: Entry and Audio Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 88 reviews · 1 day · from $21

Visit the Hellisheiði Power Plant, about 20 minutes from Reykjavík, for a self-guided audio tour of Iceland’s geothermal system. Interactive exhibits explain production, sustainability, and Carbfix. You can move at your own pace, ask staff questions, and use indoor viewing platforms.

“The Hellishedi Geothermal Exhibition was well worth the trip to get there and the entry fee. For those ignorant of the process (the vast majority, I expect) to extract thermal power and hot water from the earth, go straight to Exhibit Stop 9, Production Process, and spend sufficient time there to learn how the industrial process works and to fully appreciate the research, engineering, and money needed to succeed. Stop 9 will also better inform you of what you see at other stops. My only disappointment of the Exhibition is that we did not have a guided tour by an employee. I had thought we would have been provided a…”

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3.Whaka Geothermal Trails Self-Guided Tour

★★★★★★★★★★3.5 · 44 reviews · from $25

At Whakarewarewa, follow marked trails through native bush and geothermal ground at your own pace. Allow 30 to 60 minutes for steaming lakes, thermal pools, ferns, edible plants, and possible geyser views. This is a quiet, flexible add-on rather than a guided Maori cultural tour.

“Wear good shoes not open toes. Makes sure you have sunscreen and hat. Look in the shops before you go. For further Maori experience get guided tour.”

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4.Whakarewarewa: Self-Guided Geothermal Trails

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 41 reviews · 1 day · from $23

Start at the Geyser Café and exchange your voucher at the admissions office before walking through Whakarewarewa’s geothermal trails. Expect about an hour of easy self-guided walking, with information boards, viewpoints, steaming lakes, mud pools, native plants, and access to the village’s guiding legacy.

“Lots of information boards and go at your own pace”

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5.Hot Springs NP Self Guided Driving and Walking Audio Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 14 reviews · 2 to 3 hours (approx.)

You drive and walk through Hot Springs National Park with the Action Tour Guide app as your narrator. Follow a 10-plus-mile route with more than 40 audio stops, from historic bathhouses and thermal fountains to Goat Rock, Gulpha Gorge, and Hot Springs Mountain Tower. One purchase covers up to four people.

“Navigation very easy, automatically advanced with perfect timing, just download app before you go when you have WiFi”

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6.Banff Cave & Hot Springs Audio Walking Tour (Not a Ticket)

★★★★★★★★★★3.0 · 6 reviews · 1 to 2 hours (approx.) · from $9Best value

Explore Banff’s Cave and Basin National Historic Site with a self-guided audio app covering hot springs, First Nations history, the Castle Mountain Internment Camp, Bow River wetlands, and Sulphur Mountain. The tour lasts about 1 to 2 hours, works offline, and does not include site admission.

“These tickets did not work at the cave and basin. Was told this has been a problem all year and that these tickets are not real and I had to purchase new ones”

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7.Pamukkale and Hierapolis Skip-the-Line Tickets + Audio Guide

★★★★★★★★★★4.1 · 3 reviews · 1 day · from $51

Visit Hierapolis, the ancient city above Pamukkale’s white travertine terraces, with a QR ticket and optional offline audio tour. Walk through the theater, museum, Roman baths, Plutonium, necropolis, and Saint Philip’s Martyrium at your own pace. Transportation, food, and headphones are not included.

“La audioguía se descargaba sin complicaciones, funcionaba muy bien y el recorrido, aunque requiere algo de trekking, es perfecto. Ninguna dificultad en hacer el recorrido mientras escuchas cómodamente el audio.”

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8.Hot Springs National Park Self Guided Audio Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 2 reviews · 4 to 5 hours (approx.)

Use the Shaka Guide app to explore Hot Springs National Park at your own pace. GPS-triggered narration leads you from downtown bathhouses and thermal fountains to mountain overlooks, scenic drives, and historic sites. The tour costs $12.79 per vehicle group of up to 15 and works offline after download.

“I especially liked the way it was tide to the GPS and would always know where we were and comment accordingly . It was hard to get started but once we figured it out it worked really well. We had a great day exploring all the places listed. IT really did help that it always new where we were at. That's more than I can say about my navigation. Thank you for a memorable tour.”

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