Africaunderground
Africa's caves range from dripstone halls in South Africa to river caves in Ethiopia and flooded sinkholes in Namibia. This independent guide covers ten sites that visitors can reach.
Explore the cavesThe best-known caves
Ten caves and karst sites in eight countries. These are the ones most visitors ask about.
Cango Caves
Dripstone halls near Oudtshoorn
Sterkfontein Caves
Fossil caves of the Cradle of Humankind
Echo Caves
Dolomite caves on the Panorama Route
Sof Omar Caves
A river cave and a place of pilgrimage
Chinhoyi Caves
A deep blue pool in dolomite
Amboni Caves
Limestone caves near the Indian Ocean
Caves of Hercules
A sea cave near Tangier
Kitum Cave
A cave where elephants dig for salt
of passages in Sof Omar, the river cave of the Weyib in Ethiopia
the year the fossil caves of the Cradle of Humankind became a World Heritage Site
explored depth of the Sleeping Pool at Chinhoyi in Zimbabwe
Much of what is known about early humans comes from African caves. The dolomite caves near Johannesburg have produced more hominin fossils than any other area.
The Cango Caves of the Klein Karoo
The Cango Caves lie in the foothills of the Swartberg near Oudtshoorn. They have been shown to visitors since the early 19th century, which makes them the oldest tourist attraction in South Africa.
The standard tour passes through Van Zyl's Hall, a chamber about 98 metres long.
A river cave and a shrine
At Sof Omar the Weyib river flows underground for about 1.5 kilometres through a maze of passages some 15 kilometres long. The cave is named after a Muslim holy man and is still a place of pilgrimage.
Limestone pinnacles
In western Madagascar, rain has cut a limestone plateau into a field of blades and towers up to 100 metres high. The Malagasy call this landscape tsingy. Canyons, caves and forest lie between the pinnacles.
Elephants in a cave
Kitum Cave on Mount Elgon in Kenya is visited at night by elephants, which scrape the walls with their tusks to get at the salt in the rock. Buffalo and antelope use the cave for the same reason.
African caves in figures
Planning a visit
The sites are spread across a continent, so most visitors combine one or two with a wider trip.
Common questions
The FAQ covers health precautions, the best season and which caves need a guide.