Far Beyond Borders: The Magical Cango Caves

Sunday, August 24, 2014

The Magical Cango Caves

The Cango Caves are located in the Swartberg Mountains, 30 kilometers north of Oudtshoorn, in South Africa's Western Cape Province.

The caves were discovered in 1780 by a local farmer named Jacobus Van Zyl. The chamber he first was lowered down into (Van Zyl Hall, which is as long as a football field), is named in his honor. Further exploration was done and a second chamber discovered in 1792.

The Cango caves contain dripstone formations , some resembling real-life objects and even historical figures. Little wonder the caves have been a major attraction for more than 200 years. Cango Caves system consists of a series of hidden chambers cut deep into a thick limestone rock layer.

They are a cultural and natural landmark in South Africa and from the very unique Natural Wonders of The World.

Photo Credit Andy Jou

Many of the significant discoveries of the caves were made by the first full-time guide, Johnnie van Wassenaar, who opened many of the side chambers and introduced thousands of people to Cango 1, which remains the only part of the caves open to the public.

The main chambers in the Cango Caves, called Cango 1, contain countless dripstone formations, and Van Zyl’s hall - named after its discoverer - is simply breathtaking it is so huge.

Cleopatra’s Needle, which stands 9 meters high and is at least 150 000 years old, is one of the main attractions at the Cango Caves.

Cleopatra’s Needle - Dranujkiran on Flicker.com

Although the extensive system of tunnels and chambers go on for over four kilometers, only about a quarter of this is open to visitors, who may proceed into the cave only in groups supervised by a guide.

There is an interesting assault course at the end of the tunnel that includes a steep ladder which you can climb as well as crawl through a narrow hole.