The Cango Caves are located in the limestone at the foothills of the Swartberg range near the town of Oudtshoorn. The principal cave is one of the country's finest, best known, and most popular tourist caves and attracts many visitors from overseas. Although the extensive system of tunnels and chambers go on for over 4km, only about a quarter of this is open to visitors, who may proceed into the cave only in groups supervised by a guide.
Cave paintings and artifacts indicate that the caves were in use throughout prehistory over a long period during the Middle and Later Stone Ages.
The caves were rediscovered in modern times in 1780 by a local farmer named Jacobus Van Zyl. The chamber he first was lowered down into was found to be as long as a football field, and is named Van Zyl Hall in his honor. Further exploration was done and a second chamber discovered in 1792. The caves soon became a popular place to visit.
Mr. Johnny van Wassenaer, the cave’s first official guide is purported to have walked 29 hours to find the end of the caves in 1898. When there, he is said to have calculated that he was 25km from the entrance, and 275m underground; his route apparently followed an underground river. More and more caves have been discovered to support this story.
For more information about the Cango Caves follow this link - www.cango-caves.co.za
All my works are available as high quality prints on non-archival paper or on stretched canvas.
Visit the online gallery here to view my available work.
Place your order
by phone on +27 79 247 7532
by email to [email protected]
or inbox me on facebook: Solly Gutman Scratchboard Art
Cave paintings and artifacts indicate that the caves were in use throughout prehistory over a long period during the Middle and Later Stone Ages.
The caves were rediscovered in modern times in 1780 by a local farmer named Jacobus Van Zyl. The chamber he first was lowered down into was found to be as long as a football field, and is named Van Zyl Hall in his honor. Further exploration was done and a second chamber discovered in 1792. The caves soon became a popular place to visit.
Mr. Johnny van Wassenaer, the cave’s first official guide is purported to have walked 29 hours to find the end of the caves in 1898. When there, he is said to have calculated that he was 25km from the entrance, and 275m underground; his route apparently followed an underground river. More and more caves have been discovered to support this story.
For more information about the Cango Caves follow this link - www.cango-caves.co.za
All my works are available as high quality prints on non-archival paper or on stretched canvas.
Visit the online gallery here to view my available work.
Place your order
by phone on +27 79 247 7532
by email to [email protected]
or inbox me on facebook: Solly Gutman Scratchboard Art
