Chinhoyi Caves

You wouldn't peg me as the crazy overprotective parent, having just opted to move my child from the comforts of the US to the unknowns of Africa.   But yes, I still fall into that category. When I found out that we would be doing some hiking and cave exploring at the Chinhoyi Caves during our recent road trip to Chirundu, Zim, I immediately started having bad dreams about losing my child in the pool known as "The Sleeping Pool" or "Pool of the Fallen."  Could it be because I read about the startling history of the caves and knew that if my child fell in he would sink the 135 meters to the bottom to stay with the hundreds of warriors and prisoners of war that had found their resting place over the course of thousands of years?

Yes. Yes, it could be. Hence you will see my child ridiculously dressed in a life jacket in these pictures as the purchase of my peace of mind. Go with it...

Though the Chinhoyi Caves are surrounded by oodles of dark folklore, we arrived on a sunny morning and took in gorgeous views of the paths, tunnels, stalactites, flora, and pools.  The paths proved to be relatively easy, the pool proved to be an unbelievably bright cobalt blue, and the sinkholes proved to be stable- for a few hours at least. Check out our little tour, though the scale and beauty really must be seen in person...

 The best map in existence.

The entry to the Sleeping Pool is surrounded by viney tropical flora.

 A long dark underground tunnel leads visitors to the pool, which sits in an enclave open to the sky.

 The scale is hard to interpret, but the tunnel is large and creates a dome over hiker's heads. Giant trees at the bottom catch the sunlight that lightens the path around boulders.

Small steps have been carved out of the rocks in places.

  

At the bottom sits the miraculously constant Sleeping Pool.

Scuba diving is common in the caves.

Here friends Jon and Nisse, avid scuba divers, wish they had their gear and a team to explore the waters, which lead to countless more passages and rooms.

 

 View from the pool to the surrounding land above. Legend has it that the famous Cheif Chinhoyi, for which the caves are named, chased many enemies over the cliffs and into the pool.

The hike up is not quite as fun.

 Jonas convinces Kurt to carry him.

 On the ground, the trails are surrounded by graffitied plants.  Though it made me sad to see at first, it is nice to realize that all of these people chose to put their names here rather than on the walls of the caves for posterity.

 Next we moved onto th Dark Cave, which provides a view of the Sleeping Pool from the other side.

The hike down to the cave entrance is steep.  Here Jon and Nisse lead the way through what will become a giant mass of school children on a field trip.

Here we enter The Dark Cave.

 There are hundreds of light bulbs in the caverns. I think two worked. 

 

Here the last of the school children squeeze by us.

 Another view of the Sleeping Pool proves that no matter the angle or shade, the water is a potent blue.

No cave exploration would be complete without a reminder that stalactites "hold on tight" and stalagmites "make little mountains." Elementary lessons all over again.