Cango Caves

The Cango Caves are situated in the foothills of the Swartberg Range, approximately 18 miles from Oudtshoorn, in the magisterial district of Oudtshoorn. The Cango Caves are one of South Africa’s natural wonders. In 1762, the old loan farm on which the caves are situated was known as “De Combuys aan de Cango “(The Kitchen on the Cango) and was owned by Hermanus Steyn senior of Swellendam. Cango (the name of the river flowing through the Cango valley) is probably a corruption of the Hottentot words !a-! kanub, meaning “valley amidst the hills”. It is generally accepted that the caves were discovered in 1780 by the cattle herder of a farmer named Van Zyl of Doornrivier (now Herold). The herd went in search of cattle. On the second journey to the Cango, he was accompanied by a schoolmaster, B. Appel, and on the third journey by Van Zyl himself, who took a rope and eight slaves with him to inspect the ‘hole’ which the herd had seen. The largest chamber in the caves is still called Van Zyl’s Hall. In 1828, the farm came into the possession of Pieter van der Westhuizen, but the caves were reserved by the Government, and the field-cornet of the Cango was permitted to demand an entrance fee and to impose fines on trespassers. The proceeds were used for educational purposes. In 1891, a gate was erected at the entrance, and Herman van der Veen became the first caretaker, with Johnnie van Wassenaar, who had been exploring the caves since 1880, as the first guide.

The caves have been formed along an old fault line, which has formed a zone of fractured rock up to 200 yards wide in places. Slowly percolating groundwater filled this fractured zone and slowly dissolved the limestone to form the main caves. At this time (middle to late Tertiary) the general ground-level was well above the level of the caves. Rejuvenation of the river system caused by uplift of the land resulted in one of the tributaries of the Cango River cutting down and exposing the cave entrance, thus draining the caves. The date of this was probably early Pleistocene. The main period of stalactite formation now followed, due to percolating rainwater entering through the roofs of the caves. (It is possible that the climate was then wetter than at present.)
Bushman paintings and stone implements recovered near the main entrance indicate that the caves were inhabited by men of the Stone Age.
The Cango Caves were declared a natural monument in 1938, and are in the custody of the Oudtshoorn municipality. A path has been made through the main chambers and electricity laid on, and guided parties are conducted through the caves at intervals throughout the day,  extending, more or less on the same level, for a distance of 2,500 ft are 1 ½ miles of passages and 28 chambers in the caves. The chambers are of varying sizes, the longest being the Fairy Hall (350 ft), which is not on the tourist route and is not as spectacular as Van Zyl’s Hall (320 ft long, 160 ft wide, 50 ft high), nor as rich in calcite formations. Not so much the size of the caves as the wealth of formations renders the caves remarkable, as well as the abundance of natural colour. Almost every known type is found here: flowstone walls and curtains, stalactites (pointing down), stalagmites (pointing up); helictites (which grow in all directions); rimstone pools, tiny calcite flowers, and straws.
The temperature in the caves remains remarkably constant in the region of 18°C, which is rather high for caves; the air in the interior is almost saturated, the relative humidity being 97 % in parts. Though few bats are to be found there today, there is evidence that they were once very numerous. Near the back of the caves is a ‘bats’ graveyard’, where bones of numerous Cape horseshoe bats (Rhinolophus capensis) are sheathed in transparent calcite. It is possible that the caves continue beyond the known area, for in at least one place air currents enter through a small passage, and further chambers are visible. But the entrance is far too small for a man to pass through and will require considerable excavation.
The completion of several highways converging on Oudtshoorn from all directions and the building of a new tarred road to the caves have brought them within easy reach. In 1921, when the municipality of Oudtshoorn obtained control of the caves, there were only 129 visitors, whose admission fees amounted to £13.6.0. Since then, more than 2 million people have visited the caves. In 1968, the admission fees amounted to 185,000. The constantly increasing number of visitors enabled the municipality to launch a big development scheme, which started in 1963 and was completed in May 1967 at a cost of nearly half a million rands. A new power line from Oudtshoorn was built at a cost of R160,000 to replace the small power station that served the caves for 30 years, and a further R18,000 was spent on improved lighting inside. Almost 10,000 ft of cable were laid and 90 flood-lights installed, 40 of which are coloured. In 1964, the construction of a new building at the entrance was commenced to provide more amenities, including self-service restaurants, changing rooms, quarters for the staff, an infants’ room, a repository for pet animals, a museum of animal and plant life and rock formations found in the caves, and a hall for Bushman paintings. The cost of this building as a large amount. A new parking area has been constructed and tarred at a huge cost and the programme also includes a Karoo garden, a swimming bath, a caravan camp and a camping site. The caves are world-famous and have always been a great tourist attraction. Distinguished early visitors include George Thompson (1822), Sir Henry Barkly (1874) and Lord Milner (1904).
During 1969, large limestone caves similar to the Cango Caves were discovered about 2 miles due west of the latter, in the same geological formation and at almost exactly the same altitude. During preliminary investigations spelaeologists penetrated the caves – consisting of lofty chambers connected by passages – for a distance of at least 3,300 ft without reaching the end, thus proving them to be larger than the Cango Caves. There is an abundance of stalactites and other drip-stone formations, although apparently not of the same density nor as spectacular as those at the Cango.