Cango Caves, Oudtshoorn

There’s something decisively inaccessible and elusive about caves. They evoke an image of stalagmites and stalactites – nope, we don’t know the difference either – echoing caverns, claustrophobia inducing spaces and a whole lot of eerie darkness. But the beauty of the underground world isn’t limited to the crazy cavers who deem navigating excruciatingly tight spaces to be a thrilling sport. Just a short drive from the town of Oudtshoorn, the otherworldly pull of Cango Caves has drawn savvy travellers for longer than any other attraction in South Africa. Here you can take a journey into the secrets that lie within nature’s very own hidden world – an experience that is nothing short of magical. 

Located beneath the Karoo plateau, at the foothills of the towering Swartberg Mountains, the vast halls and intricate limestone formations of Cango Caves are an example of Southern Africa’s best natural cave series. In fact, they are amongst some of the best limestone caverns in the world.

Sculpted by Mother Nature herself, it’s thought that these caves are over 20 millions years old – probably housing communities in their vast entrance caverns during the Later Stone and Middle Ages. But it wasn’t until a local farmer, Jacobus Van Zyl, stumbled across them back in 1780 that this incredible natural landmark was put back on the map. Since their re-discovery, the ethereal wonder of the caves have been a source of fascination for tourists and locals alike.