Why Ireland's The Burren Is So Worth Seeing

Are you planning a trip to Ireland and wondering "What's so special about The Burren?" or "Is The Burren worth the trip?"? I'm here to tell you that it most certainly is worth a visit! Once I convince you why, I'll also tell you how to add The Burren to your trip around the Emerald Isle and all the awesome things to see while you're there.

What is The Burren in Ireland?

Ireland's west coast, particularly in County Clare, is filled with an otherworldly landscape known as a karst landscape. (The word karst comes from Slavic roots for stone.) Karst landscapes are formed by slightly acidic water eating through soluble rock - in County Clare, it's primarily limestone.

The water and winds erode the soft rock into these amazingly odd formations, including - you may have guessed by now - caves. Karst landscapes are characterized by cave systems and sinkholes and natural springs. They can be so much fun to explore, and they are home to so much biodiversity.

Why Visit The Burren?

The Burren is conveniently located right next to the Cliffs of Moher, making it so easy to add a quick stop to your trip to see the cliffs. Unlike a visit to the cliffs, where you can only gaze from a distance, you can walk around on top of the rocks that make up The Burren. You can explore the cave systems and get up close and personal with some of the wildlife.

I really enjoyed walking around on these rocks. The rocks are smooth on top from being battered by wind and rain, and then rough and broken in the oddest places. So many of these rocks look like they must have been shaped and placed in a specific way, and in some cases, this could be true: The Burren has been continuously populated for thousands of years and is home to many religious sites, including holy wells and prehistoric tombs featuring large monolithic rocks.

What Is There to See at The Burren?

In addition to driving around and walking The Burren, I highly recommend a trip to the Aillwee Burren Experience. This is a paid tourist attraction (tickets are around $30 per adult) that includes a guided tour of Aillwee Cave and a flying display at The Birds of Prey Center.

Aillwee Burren Experience

The cave tour takes about 45 minutes, and I recommend you bring a jacket. If you've never done one before, it stays quite chilly down there regardless of the outdoor temperature. The cave is quite spacious and has a nice walking path (albeit maybe a touch slippery), making this tour very accessible for people of all abilities.

The Birds of Prey Center was also a great experience. The flying display is 45 minutes long, and you may want another ten or so to walk around and see the rest of the birds. It was fun to see owls, and falcons, and hawks fly around and learn more about them. They did tricks, ate some treats, and even flew right over our heads. I would say, even if you're not a huge fan of birds, it was cool to see all this in such a beautiful and scenic location.

If you are looking to add this to your day trip around County Clare, do be sure to check out the times for everything. While the facilities are open until 5 pm daily, they only do a few flying displays per day (cave tours happen more frequently), so you will want to arrange your driving schedule accordingly to make sure you get to see everything. Also, note that because the flying displays are outdoors, they may be cancelled due to bad weather. But the cave tours should be fine!

Doolin Cave

If the Aillwee Cave doesn't quench your thirst for cave exploration, you can also consider the Doolin Cave. It's about a 30-minute drive southwest of the Aillwee Burren Experience and right in the heart of The Burren landscape.

Between the two, Doolin Cave is widely considered more impressive, since it's deeper and has some more impressive rock formations. On the other hand, Aillwee Cave is a better option for families with kids, since it is more accessible and has other attractions such as the Birds of Prey Center.

Final Thoughts on County Clare's The Burren

If you're headed down the coast to see the Cliffs of Moher, I highly recommend planning a stopover in The Burren. This landscape is really interesting and has so much history. The cave tour gives a great sense of the geology happening underground, in order to add to the experience of seeing the rock and cliff formations above ground. This was such a unique day in my visit to Ireland, and I hope you get to see it, too!