Namibia has over a hundred caves, most of which are found in the northeastern territories. Caves are certainly mysteries and in Namibia, they are prominent in local folklore. Depending on the Namibia tour you take part in, you could well visit one of these exciting places.
Arnhem Cave
In 1995 the Namibian Ministry of Environment and Tourism declared the Arnhem Cave a Tourist Attraction. The cave was discovered in 1930 by the owner, Daniel Bekker, of the farm it was situated on. In 1994 the cave was opened to the public. Today the cave is still in its same natural state as it was found. At the entrance of the cave, there are two thick rock columns. These literally divide the entrance to the cave. Once you pass these rock columns, you will find yourself in a huge cavern, big enough to park 90 school busses. The cave is large enough that there are no areas that you will need to crawl into and guided tours of the cave are available. This is the longest cave in Namibia reaching over 4.5km in length and a depth of 110 meters with its network of tunnels and caverns. It was formed by a gradual dissolution of dolomite and limestone from underground layers of quartzite and shales. This explains the reason for only a few stalactites and stalagmites. At the start of the 230th century there were huge deposits of bat guano, but because of large scale mining of the guano that is not present today.
In the Arnhem cave, five species of bats have been identified. Visits inside the caves are made with the use of torches and headlamps as this causes minimal disturbance to the bat population. Due to the ecological importance of bats, they try to cause as little as possible disturbance especially during the mating season, November to April.
Ghaub Cave
The Ghaub Cave is situated on the historical Farm Ghaub. The cave was discovered in 1914 by Dr Henry Fedder. This cave is the third largest cave in Namibia and is 2.5 km long and has a depth of 38m. It has many different channels and starts as literally a hole in the ground. Although there are many interesting geological features in the cave, there are not many stalactites or stalagmites. When hiking into this cave you will need proper footwear as crawling and climbing will be necessary. Headlamps and helmets are supplied. Inside the cave is a large lake. Although professional divers have tried to find out how deep it was they got to a depth of 17 meters and that was not where it ended or its depth is still unknown.
Dragon’s Breath Cave
The Dragons Breath Cave is named because of the humid air that rises out from its 200 feet shaft opening. This cave is only open for professional cavers. In order to dive there, permission is required. Access is difficult and climbing ropes are required. Once you reach the inside of the cave it’s like diving into the black abyss. The Dragons Breath Cave is the largest underground lake in the world.