Cango Caves, South Africa

Almost 30 kilometres outside of Outshoorn in the Klein Karoo, and certainly one of the main reasons for placing this little town on your itinerary, other than the prospect of riding an ostrich, lie the Cango Caves, some of the biggest stalagmite formations in the world set in Precambrian (a time about 4500 million years ago) limestone.

The Cango Caves are a series of dripstone caverns that open into vast halls of towering stalagmite formations with names like ‘the bridal couple’, ‘glass flower fantasy’, ‘weird cango candle’ and ‘the hanging shawl’. Not all of the caves are open to the public - there is more than one section to the caves that took millions of years to form one of the world’s great natural wonders - but the main sections are available for amazing exploratory subterranean walks that include fumbling around on all fours in an effort to see all that is viewable.

In totality, the extensive system of tunnels and chambers in the Cango Caves stretch for over 4 kilometres, but the section open to visitors, about a quarter of this, takes place as part of supervised tours, including an 'adventure tour', which takes about an hour and a half.

The main chambers in the Cango Caves, called Cango 1, contain countless dripstone formations, and Van Zyl’s hall - named after its discoverer - is simply breathtaking it is so huge.

Cleopatra’s Needle, which stands 9 metres high and is at least 150 000 years old, is one of the main attractions at the Cango Caves, but the beautiful dark grey roof, with its smoothly sculptured hollows and pendants, comes a close second.

Should you want a real experience at 'caving', there is an interesting assault course at the end of the route that includes a steep ladder, a small hole and some crawling, if the little chambers beyond others' reach are important to you.



Opening Hours:
The Cango Caves are open 364 days of the year, closed only on Christmas Day (25 December).
Standard tours (60 minutes) are available from 09h00 to 16h00 (tours depart on the hour).
Adventure tours (90 minutes) are available from 09h30 to 15h30 (tours depart on the half hour).

Ticket Prices:
Standard tours cost R55 per adult and R30 per child.
Adventure tours cost R70 per adult and R45 per child.
Prices are subject to change. Please confirm when booking.

Languages:
All tours are offered in English but an Afrikaans, German, French or other language guide may be available (please check availability when booking if you have a preference).

Contact:
Cango Caves on telephone: +27 (0)44 272-7410.