In Part 1 we had spent two nights in Schoemanskloof at the secluded Falls Fish Farm. Our plan was originally to go back home on Sunday morning. As we sipped our coffee on the veranda it dawned upon on us to be in truth an exceptionally silly plan. Maybe a walk to the edge of darkness could light up our day.

Since moving to the Lowveld more than two years ago I hadn’t had the chance to visit Sudwala Caves. It was just around the corner from where we were so we packed up and made our way there. From the N4 it is situated about eight kilometers in on the R539.

I may or may not have been to Sudwala Caves before. No, substance abuse is not to blame for my failed memory. If I had been there I was simply too young to remember. Deja vu did occur once or twice during this visit but I can’t be sure. In any case, the steep walk up the stairs to the cave’s entrance did raise my heartbeat considerably.

Cards are accepted but due to weak signal the card machine is apparently often offline. It’s thus a good idea to arrive with cash. We didn’t. We were in luck though with the signal. Entrance fee is R90 per adult. Our tour started shortly thereafter.

The tours seems to operate at fixed times instead of full groups so we set off with only one other couple on our forty five minute tour. I wish I could recount the impressive facts and figures our guide mentioned but it is just too much to remember and besides, I was there to take photos. All the info is on the Sudwala Caves Wiki page.

Four personal highlights of the tour included the super impressive P.R. Owen Hall which is seventy metres in diameter and thirty seven metres high. It beggars belief the crushing weight that span of rock arch is able to carry.

Secondly, the amount of time it takes for a stalactite to form… one hundred years for one measly centimeter! Thirdly was the mind bending Fairy Room.  It is accessed by walking hunched through a one metre diameter tunnel. Inside is a natural small pond with water. Lighting has been installed in the pond to showcase the perfect reflection. This is due to there not being a breath of wind in the cave. It’s so perfect that I had a hard time figuring out what I was looking at.

You see three levels. The bottom of the pond. A thin line that seems suspended in air and the upper surface. What you’re actually looking at is the reflection of the rock, suspended above the pond, at the bottom and the water’s surface in the middle. It’s truly magical.

Last but not least. In the P.R. Owen Hall our guide switched off the lights. You don’t understand darkness until you’ve experienced this. I wondered afterwards if human eyes could adjust to the pitch blackness if it kept staring long enough? Probably not as no plants grow in the cave apart from the few spots where artificial light is projected. I have newfound respect for all those bats not smashing constantly into rock. For the record, I do know about echolocation…

There is a curio shop and restaurant adjacent to the cave’s entrance and also a dinosaur park charging R70 per adult. Maybe management could look into doing a cave/dinosaur park combo with a reduced price? I can’t see many parents doing both at the current price structure. Either way, it deterred me from entering.

All in all it was a wonderful activity. This makes the Cango Caves a must do when I’m again in the vicinity of Oudtshoorn.

EJ