Cango Caves

Jim and I are hard customers to please when it comes to a cave.  Nothing will ever compare to the caves that John and Sarah Maaske recommended we explore while in Belize.  So, the “world famous” Cango Caves near Oudtshoorn were the "only OK” Cango Caves as far as we were concerned.  I think the others enjoyed them though.

Mark, Beth, and all 30 students went on the adventure tour version of the caves.  They had to squeeze through tight spots, elbow themselves through some tunnels, and even squirm up a short vertical chimney crawl.  Here is Sarah Osberg showing how skinny you needed to be to get through the "tunnel of love".

Doing my bit to hold up
this complete column.

Jim and I went on the more tame, but guided tour.  We learned that these caves were "discovered" about 400 years ago, but date back 800,000 years.  They contain the smallest spider in the southern hemisphere - the cango spider.  We didn't see one of those, but we did see bats.

The tiny white growths are 400 years old

The stalactites and -mites grow VERY slowly here.  This area is extremely arid, with rain on average only 21 days a year.  No rain; few drips inside the cave.  These "baby" stalactites growing on the ceiling in this picture have been dated as over 400 years old.   Can you imagine how long it took to grow the complete column I'm standing beside?