Cango Caves in Oudtshoorn, South Africa

Описание: The Cango Caves are Africa's largest show caves and one of the Seven Wonders of Southern Africa, which makes the Cango Caves the archaeological and historical highlight of the Klein Karoo.

It lies 29km from Oudtshoorn in the picturesque Cango Valley and is situated in a limestone ridge that runs parallel to the well-known Swartberg Mountains and here you’ll find the finest dripstone caves, with their massive halls and towering limestone formations in a variety of colours.

It was originally thought to be only about 1km long, but the caves have been discovered to extend naturally for well over 5km - however it could be even longer, larger and more mysterious than current estimates. You can visit approximately one-quarter of the entire 5km system of interlinking tunnels. The rest is closed for conservation purposes.
It’s South Africa’s oldest tourist attraction. The first tour was conducted in 1891 and it’s been a favourite tourist attraction ever since.
It was the first to be protected by environmental legislation. In 1820 Lord Charles Somerset published the first Caves Regulation. It was the first law designed to protect an environmental resource in South Africa. It banned the collection of souvenirs and fined anyone caught damaging the cave’s formations.