Explore to Journey the centre of the earth By A.B. Gondwe Cave exploration - mihtiander
Going underground, we discover South Africa’s fascinating subterranean wonderworld of spectacular caves, archaeological excavations, deep abandoned mines, sea caves, and more… Most of us imagine our travels and adventures to be somewhere above the ground, on the water or in the air. However, few of us realise what a wondrous world of exploration and amazing experiences are to be found underground, in the bowels of our planet. While we cannot literally travel to the centre of the earth, going underground may at times feel just like that. And it opens up an entirely new world of sights, sounds and creatures that many have never experienced before, as well as lots of fascinating history of humankind. South Africa is blessed with many access points and routes to this subterranean wonder world, such as the world-famous Cango Caves of the Southern Cape, or the equally famous Sudwala Caves in Mpumalanga. Of course, there’s also the Cradle of Humankind and the Sterkfontein Caves where some of the most fascinating fossil discoveries have been made. But there’s so much more to be explored, like cave systems off the beaten tourist track, sea caves along our coast, diving down old water-filled mine shafts, or guided explorations of lesser-known caves where the remains of ancient human habitats have been unearthed. There are in excess of 30 well-documented, accessible cave systems in South Africa, mostly open to the public, but some only by special arrangement. Cave Exploration For the more adventurous who don’t mind physical and mental challenges, there is a world of exploring caves on offer in South Africa. Caving or cave exploring involves moving through caves that have been formed as acidic groundwater or underwater rivers dissolve away the limestone and leave cavities that range from a few metres to many kilometres in length and depth. Some of these limestone caves can takes millions of years to form. Exploring many of these caves may involve lowering yourself by rope, crawling through narrow spaces with a headlamp to find your way in complete darkness, wading through water and more. Many of these caves are inhabited by bats and other shy creatures, while even monkeys, dassies, birds and the odd snake are frequent visitors. Caving operators are active across the country, from the Cango Caves of the Southern Cape, to the mysterious Sabie Caves of Mpumalanga, Sudwala Caves also in Mpumalanga, and the Bat Cave in Gauteng, as well as in lesser-known caves. Of course, this is not for the fainthearted or novices, and requires special equipment and the services of experienced guides. There are a number of cave exploration operators across South Africa, whose details can all be found through a simple Google search online. Caves of the Cradle of Humankind South Africa’s renowned Cradle of Humankind region, a World Heritage Site, is located approximately 90 minutes’ drive from Johannesburg, and includes two magnificent subterranean attractions, the Maropeng and Sterkfontein caves. Here you can learn all about prehistoric stone tools, fossils and the bones of our ancient ancestors. Or you can engage in some adrenaline-pumping adventures. Situated just an hour’s drive from Johannesburg and Tshwane, the Sterkfontein Caves are best known for the world-famous fossil discoveries made there, most notably those of Mrs Ples and Little Foot. In 2005 the site underwent an extensive facelift, and visitors are now offered easy access along modern walkways. Above ground there are restaurant and conference facilities. Daily guided educational tours take place, starting above ground with guides taking visitors deep into the caves. Maropeng is a world-class attraction where you will get to see incredible interactive attractions about the history of the earth, its human inhabitants, stone-age tools, complete with lifelike replicas of hominids. More fascinating fossils can be seen at another visitor centre some 10km away. Makapansgat The series of caves at Makapansgat in the Makapan Valley World Heritage Site is another archaeological wonderworld, northeast of Mokopane in Limpopo Province. It is an important palaeontological site, with the local lime works of numerous caves in the Makapansgat valley holding fossils that date back 3.3 million years. It is linked directly to the history at the Cradle of Humankind. The whole Makapan Valley has been declared a South African Heritage Site, and Makapansgat belongs to the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site. This series of caves are also the playground of baboons and vervet monkeys. The hills surrounding the Makapansgat valley are literally dotted with caves. The rich history of these caves was discovered during mining operations in the 1920s, but it was not fully investigated until 1947, when it was confirmed that there were remains of Australopithecus africanus or early man. Cango Caves Some 29km outside the town of Oudtshoorn in the Klein Karoo (Little Karoo), just off the R328 as you travel towards the Swartberg Pass, are the world-famous Cango Caves. Situated in a limestone ridge alongside the Swartberg Mountains, it offers a series of the finest dripstone caverns, with their vast chambers and towering stalagmite and stalactite formations. Many of these are lit up in a spectacular colourful display as visitors pass from chamber to chamber. <strong>MZANZITRAVEL</strong>| www.mzanzitravel.co.za|<strong>ISSUE</strong> <strong>12</strong> | 17
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