Chinhoyi Caves

About this place

The Chinhoyi Caves are a group of limestone and dolomite caves in north central Zimbabwe, the most extensive cave system open to the public in the country. Their highlight is a deep pool of cobalt blue called the Sleeping Pool, seen from a rock opening, and it makes an easy stop on the road north of Harare. It was designated a national park in 1955 and is run by the parks authority. Frederick Selous first described it in 1888. The pool's local name, Chirorodziva, means Pool of the Fallen, linked by sources to an attack in 1830. It also holds a place in African traditional religion as a rainmaking site, surrounded by a sacred forest whose trees could not be felled. You go down a sloping path between grey rocks into the cave, and clear blue water opens beneath you, in a colour hard to believe when the light enters. From above you look into the great opening among the trees. Other passages run from the Dark Cave, and experienced divers come for visibility of 50 metres and a steady 22 to 24 °C. The caves are 7.5 km in a straight line west of Chinhoyi and 111 km north-west of Harare, on the main road to Zambia. There is a campsite and a motel. Steps are slippery, so wear suitable shoes. Swimming and diving are not for ordinary visitors, so do not enter the water without permission. The site has spiritual meaning, so keep quiet.