Last Updated on May 6, 2021
The Cango Caves are one of the finest and most popular tourist cave attractions. Located near Oudtshoorn in the Western Cape, at the foothills of the Swartberg range. The entrance to the caves was originally rich in bushman paintings, but with time these have been damaged.
The caves were used for concerts years ago, but this had to be discontinued because of the vandalism. It is sad that a few had to ruin what would be a phenomenal concert experience for everyone else.
The tunnels and chambers go on for over four kilometers, with many “tight spots” you have to climb and wiggle through during the Adventure Tour. Our tour lasted about an hour and a half, but would have been a better experience had the tour group not been so large as a lot of time was spent standing around, waiting.
The smallest passage you must wiggle through is just under 30cm high. Only about a quarter of the four kilometers is open for visitors who must see the caves with a guide.
The adventure tour is a caving experience, but headlights and caving equipment are not needed. There is adequate lighting installed throughout.
Here is what you can expect:
- Jacob’s Ladder has over 200 steps.
- Lumbago Alley has a very low ceiling, for 28m the roof is only about 1.20m high.
- The Tunnel Of Love is 74cm high at the beginning, but only 3Ocm at the end.
- The Devil’s Chimney is 45cm and 3.50m long.
- The Devil’s Post Box is only 27cm high.
Some important points…
- Make sure you wear clothes that you do not mind getting dirty. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. We were very dirty at the end of this. Plus, you will find puddles of water throughout.
- The tours can sell out fast, so it really is best to pre-book your tickets before arriving at the caves.
- If you’re taking the adventure tour, you won’t want to bring a large camera as it could get banged up pretty well in the tight spaces.
Have you had a cool caving experience? Where and what?