Chinhoyi Caves
Zimbabwe · Mashonaland West · 1160 m
Description
Chinhoyi Caves sit beside the main road north from Harare towards Kariba and are the standard first stop out of the capital. The system is a collapsed dolomite sinkhole and at the bottom of it lies the Sleeping Pool, a body of water of a cobalt blue so saturated it looks artificial, holding that colour to a depth divers have followed past ninety metres without finding the bottom. The Shona name for it is Chirorodziva, the pool of the fallen, after a raid in the 1830s in which people were thrown into it. A short path circles the rim.
Length of stay
Recommended length of stay: 1 day
Travel season
Best time to visit: April – September
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
Highlights
- Sleeping Pool at Chirorodziva
- Dark Cave passage
- Cave diving in the blue water
- Rim path & the sinkhole viewpoints
- Chinhoyi Caves Recreational Park
- Bat colony of the upper chamber
- The Great Dyke road north
- Chinhoyi town market
- Nyamakate hot spring(Day trip)