# Deep Seek Africa > An independent English-language guide to caves and karst in Africa: ten sites from the Cango Caves and Sterkfontein in South Africa to Sof Omar in Ethiopia and the Tsingy of Madagascar, with pages on human origins, rock art, cave wildlife and practical advice. Not affiliated with any site operator, tourist board or technology company. Facts are rounded and reflect published figures as of 2026-10-06. Opening times and prices are not listed; check the official operator. ## Caves - [Caves in Africa: ten sites compared](https://www.deepseek.africa/caves/): Compare ten caves and karst sites in Africa by country, highlights and season, from the Cango Caves and Sterkfontein to Sof Omar and the Tsingy of Madagascar. - [Amboni Caves near Tanga, Tanzania](https://www.deepseek.africa/caves/amboni-caves/): Guide to the Amboni Caves near Tanga, Tanzania: the most extensive limestone caves in East Africa, with guided visits and local shrines. - [Cango Caves: tours, history and tips](https://www.deepseek.africa/caves/cango-caves/): Guide to the Cango Caves near Oudtshoorn, South Africa: Van Zyl's Hall, the heritage and adventure tours, history since 1780 and practical advice. - [Chinhoyi Caves and the Sleeping Pool](https://www.deepseek.africa/caves/chinhoyi-caves/): Guide to the Chinhoyi Caves in Zimbabwe: the cobalt-blue Sleeping Pool, the Dark Cave and one of Africa's best-known cave diving sites. - [Echo Caves: dolomite caves near Ohrigstad](https://www.deepseek.africa/caves/echo-caves/): Guide to the Echo Caves near Ohrigstad, South Africa: dripstone chambers in ancient dolomite, found in 1923, close to the Panorama Route. - [Caves of Hercules near Tangier](https://www.deepseek.africa/caves/hercules-caves/): Guide to the Caves of Hercules at Cape Spartel near Tangier, Morocco: a sea cave enlarged by quarrying, with an opening shaped like Africa. - [Kitum Cave: the elephant cave of Mount Elgon](https://www.deepseek.africa/caves/kitum-cave/): Guide to Kitum Cave in Mount Elgon National Park, Kenya: a cave in volcanic rock where elephants dig for salt, with health precautions for visitors. - [Otjikoto Lake: Namibia's sinkhole lake](https://www.deepseek.africa/caves/otjikoto-lake/): Guide to Otjikoto Lake near Tsumeb, Namibia: a deep sinkhole lake formed by a collapsed cave, where German troops dumped weapons in 1915. - [Sof Omar Caves: Ethiopia's river cave](https://www.deepseek.africa/caves/sof-omar-caves/): Guide to the Sof Omar Caves in the Bale region of Ethiopia: a 15 km limestone cave system on the Weyib river and a Muslim pilgrimage site. - [Sterkfontein Caves and the Cradle of Humankind](https://www.deepseek.africa/caves/sterkfontein-caves/): Guide to the Sterkfontein Caves near Johannesburg: the fossil site of Mrs Ples and Little Foot in the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site, and how to visit. - [Tsingy de Bemaraha: Madagascar's stone forest](https://www.deepseek.africa/caves/tsingy-de-bemaraha/): Guide to Tsingy de Bemaraha in Madagascar: a World Heritage limestone landscape of pinnacles, canyons and caves, with access and season. ## The karst - [Karst landscapes of Africa](https://www.deepseek.africa/karst/): Where Africa's caves are found and how they formed: the main limestone and dolomite regions, sinkhole lakes and caves in volcanic rock. - [Cave regions of Africa: where the caves are](https://www.deepseek.africa/karst/cave-regions/): An overview of the main cave regions of Africa: the Atlas, the Ethiopian highlands, the East African coast, southern African dolomite and Madagascar. - [How caves form: karst geology explained simply](https://www.deepseek.africa/karst/how-caves-form/): A plain-language explanation of how limestone caves, stalactites and sinkholes form, with examples from Africa. - [Sinkhole lakes and volcanic caves of Africa](https://www.deepseek.africa/karst/sinkholes-and-lava-caves/): How Africa's sinkhole lakes and volcanic caves formed: Otjikoto, Guinas, Chinhoyi and Boesmansgat, and the caves of Mount Elgon and the Chyulu Hills. ## Discover - [Human origins, rock art and cave wildlife in Africa](https://www.deepseek.africa/discover/): Stories from Africa's caves: the hominin fossils of South Africa, early art and rock paintings, and the animals that live in caves. - [Cave wildlife in Africa: bats, elephants and fish](https://www.deepseek.africa/discover/cave-wildlife/): Animals of African caves: fruit bats and insect-eating bats, the salt-mining elephants of Mount Elgon, cave crocodiles in Madagascar and a rare cave catfish. - [Human origins: the fossil caves of South Africa](https://www.deepseek.africa/discover/human-origins/): The hominin fossils found in South African caves: the Taung Child, Mrs Ples, Little Foot, Australopithecus sediba and Homo naledi from the Rising Star cave. - [Rock art and early culture in African caves](https://www.deepseek.africa/discover/rock-art/): Early human culture in African caves and rock shelters: Blombos Cave, Border Cave, Wonderwerk and the San rock paintings of the Drakensberg. ## Plan - [Visiting caves in Africa: a practical guide](https://www.deepseek.africa/plan/): Practical advice for visiting caves in Africa: seasons, guides, health precautions, what to bring and how to combine sites with a wider trip. - [Caving safely in Africa: risks and rules](https://www.deepseek.africa/plan/caving-safely/): How to approach wild caves and underground sites in Africa safely: main risks, essential rules, local regulations and conservation. - [Caves in Africa FAQ](https://www.deepseek.africa/plan/faq/): Answers to common questions about visiting caves in Africa: which caves are easiest, health precautions, guides, seasons and children. ## Reference - [About Deep Seek Africa](https://www.deepseek.africa/about/): Deep Seek Africa is an independent guide to the caves and karst of Africa: who publishes it, how it is written and where the images come from. - [Cave and karst glossary](https://www.deepseek.africa/glossary/): A plain-English glossary of cave and karst terms used on Deep Seek Africa, from doline and ponor to speleothem and sump. - [Photo credits](https://www.deepseek.africa/photo-credits/): Authors, licences and sources for every photograph used on Deep Seek Africa. All media are from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. - [Privacy and cookies](https://www.deepseek.africa/privacy/): How Deep Seek Africa handles privacy: no accounts or ads, Google Analytics, Google Fonts and server logs. ## Optional - [Full text of all pages](https://www.deepseek.africa/llms-full.txt) - [Sitemap](https://www.deepseek.africa/sitemap.xml)