Iyakei & Oboke Tour

Iyakei Oboke Tour

Iyakei & Oboke Tour

A stunning tour through a gorge-ous area

This Iyakei & Oboke Tour is designed to either be done on its own, or to be part of a Multi-day Tour paired together with any of our other Full Day 7 hour tours (taken on a different day) since those tours all go to sights not visited with this tour.

Exploring the gorges

Panoramic views await with this leisurely tour which loops its way through the gorges of the area, and since this tour follows a circular loop route, it is possible to start and end from a variety of local hotels and/or via Oboke Station with only limited or even no back-tracking.

Most commonly, the tour route will first go through Oboke Gorge, and aside from enjoying the views from above, you will also take the 30-minute boat cruise upon the river within the gorge to see the rock formations up close. Further along is neighboring Koboke Gorge, where you'll be taken up to a scenic hillside viewpoint, as well as to a daring wire suspension foot bridge spanning high above the river.

Afterwards, the route takes you through the entirety of the 10km long Iyakei Gorge upon the century-old original road that is nowadays rarely used, but offers breathtaking natural scenery from its position high up on the steep mountainside cliffs. Along the way in Iyakei Gorge as you learn the history the "Old Iya Highway" you will stop at a few different viewpoints, including the famed Peeing Boy Statue. And once fully into the main part of the Iya Valley you will then visit the renowned Kazurabashi Vine Bridge, and after crossing you can also see the lovely Biwa Waterfall, and if time permits, also be able to go down to the rocky riverside to see the vine bridge from below.

You will stop for lunch along the way, and there are several options possible including Iya soba noodles, Tokushima-style ramen, local set meals, and even burgers made with locally hunted wild game. Please read below the section explaining "Lunch Options".

The Hashikura-ji Extension Option

The Iyakei & Oboke Tour can be nicely extended into a unique 7.5 hour Full Day Tour by adding a visit to the ancient Hashikura-ji Temple, which sits high upon a mountain and is accessed via a panoramic gondola ride (or by a not-too-strenuous hike). Acclaimed for its detailed and ornate architecture, this serene temple sits within tranquil forest and offers a rare combination of both Shinto and Buddhist elements. This sacred site is said to have been founded 1300 years ago by the revered monk Kobodaishi, who established Shikoku's 88 Temple Pilgrimage (though this temple is not part of the pilgrimage set). If interested in including Hashikura-ji in the tour, please see further details below under "Hashikura-ji Extension".

Base Time:

5 hours (via most locations)

Total time may change based on certain start & end locations*

Not available most Wednesdays.
Fixed Route Itinerary.
Lunch stop included (see below).
Includes pick-up and drop-off possible from any Iya Valley or Oboke Area accommodation, or via JR Oboke Station.
This tour takes about 5 hours when going via most hotels in the Iya Valley and/or JR Oboke Station
Add On sights possible, see below.

* If starting and/or ending via accommodations deeper in the valley then 30 to 60 minutes of additional time may be needed and the fee will be calculated based on the total time.

Prices:

Standard Taxi (1-3* people)

- 5 hrs: ¥ 45,800

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Jumbo Taxi (3-8 people)

- 5 hrs: ¥ 59,600

This is total price per private group (not per person)
All prices include tax.
Includes vehicle, driver, and English speaking local guide.
3 people in Standard Taxi is only recommended if 3rd person is a child or if you are all 3 small adults
Meal fees not included (see below about options).
Please pay your guide's lunch fee (about ¥800-1200)
Entrance fees not included (¥1500/person for Oboke Boat Cruise, ¥550/ person Kazurabashi Vine Bridge, children are discounted)
Please pay for your guide's Boat Cruise ticket.

Itinerary (fixed route) :

(route order may change based on starting time)

Start anytime between 8:00am and 1:00pm
Pick-up from any Iya Valley or Oboke area accommodation*, or JR Oboke Station
Oboke Gorge Boat Cruise
Local Lunch (see below about options)
Koboke Gorge Suspension Footbridge
Koboke Gorge Viewpoint
Panoramic drive via the "Old Iya Highway"
Iyakei Gorge Viewpoints
Iya-no-Kazurabashi Vine Bridge
Biwa Waterfall
Drop-off at any Iya Valley or Oboke area accommodation*, or JR Oboke Station

*If starting at JR Oboke Station and ending at Hotel Iya Onsen (or vice versa) there will be a need to back-track a bit during the route. But if both starting and ending via Hotel Iya Onsen, then back-tracking is not necessary.

Details About this Tour
- This is a Fixed Route Tour. If you would like to change the locations for this itinerary, please see one of our Custom Tours.
- This tour can start anytime between 8:00am and 1:00pm.
- We are generally not available for this tour on any Wednesday.
- Pick-up and drop-off can be from any Iya Valley or Oboke area accommodation, or JR Oboke Station. Other locations that are not in the Iya Valley or Oboke areas can also be arranged but may include an additional fee and require extra time.
- On heavy rain days and/or for up to 2 or 3 days after a big storm, it may not be possible to take the Oboke Boat Cruise due to the river level being too high. If so, we can extend time at other points and possibly include visiting a couple other nice locations not listed here instead. The guide and driver will do their best to accommodate any change in plans based on the weather and will discuss this with you if necessary when you arrive.
Lunch Options
- There are several lunch restaurants possible on this tour, but pl;ease understand that exactly which restaurants and meals are possible will depend on where and when you start the tour, as well as which day of the week you have the tour, since not all locations are open every day of the week. When contacting us we will explain what would be possible based on the details of your conditions.
- The meal fee is separate, and usually cost about 800 to 1200 yen per person, but could be more if seeking something extra. We ask that you please also pay for the guide's lunch as well.
- Usless the restaurant is particularly busy (or if you prefer eating at a slower pace) the total time we stop for lunch is usually about 30 - 40 minutes.
Hashikura-ji Extension
- It usually takes about 2.5 hours to include the visit to Hashikura-ji (so about 7.5 hours total), but it may also depend on where you start and end the tour. We will try to determine a more accurate total time when we know your start/end locations.
- The fee for the 7.5 hour tour would be 65,250 yen with a Standard Taxi, or 85,500 for a Jumbo Taxi.
- The tour fee does not include the ticket for the gondola, which is 1,700 yen per person (round-trip). Please pay for the guide's ticket as well.
- It is also possible to hike up and/or down to/from the temple instead of taking the gondola (or just using the gondola one-way).
- More Information is given in the Add-On section below.

For Groups of More than 4 People

We always aim for you to have the most enjoyable time possible, and with groups of more than 4 people, we often tend to move through the sights and have lunch a bit slower than usual, so it may be better to add an additional 30 minutes to the tour time. With the Jumbo Taxi for such groups, the extended 30 minutes would be 5,700 yen extra, so the total fee for the 5.5 hour tour would be 65,300 yen. We will explain more after contacting via email.

+ Add On options for this tour:

This 5 hour Iyakei & Oboke Tour is great for exploring the lower areas of the Iya Valley, but we can Add On some additional points to this tour if you are looking to do a little more!

Rates for every 30 minutes of extension:

Standard Taxi with guide + ¥4350

Jumbo Taxi with guide + ¥5700

*these extension fees are per group, not per person.