Sudwala Caves — Attraction in Mbombela

What a wonderful experience. Visit the Sudwala caves if you can. These are the oldest caves in the world. Approximately 240 million years old. The tour guide was fantastic. Friendly, knowledgeable and engaging. The team is so eager to serve. So excited and energetic. Very refreshing because so many places have assists who are disinterested. Thank you team.

What a humbling experience when you think of the evolutionary chain each and everyone of us are. That our ancestors walked the same ground you walk on.

The caves are so cool inside with a temperature of 17 degrees. The caves are in a mountain so to enter you have to drive up to the entrance. The cave has different sections and 6km of passages that are yet to be fully explored. The end of those caves is yet to be reached.

When there Swati people were contesting the kingship, one of the groups used the cave to hide. Somcuba hid in the mountain. He got to find out about it from the pedi people living in the area. The attacking group thought it could smoke out the other group inside the cave so the soot is e ride to on the top of the cave.

There is a lot to learn about different rock formations like stalagmites and stalactite. There are also Flow stone formation which are formed from slow forming water. The people who have occupied the caves used them as Alarm system by hitting in it because of its hollow sound.

Some of the rock formation attraction are: Lowveld rocket -150million years. And still growing. chert formations which are hardened algae. Roots of a fig tree. Three praying nuns Screaming monster Weeping Madonna Evidence of the first oxygen producing plants which are 250 million years

The cave has an Amphitheater that is 37m in height and seats 330 people. In fact a wedding was taking place in the amphitheater the day we went on tour. Our tour guide said the dolomite has great acoustics because it has no echo because the dolomite absorbs sound. Miriam Makeba, Elvis Blue and choirs have...

Exceptional Service at Sudwala Caves – A Heartfelt Thank You

Dear Smangaliso and Manager. I am writing to express my profound gratitude for the remarkable service my family and I received during our recent visit to the Sudwala Caves.

On our journey from Pretoria to Crystal Springs Mountain Lodge, we decided to make a spontaneous stop at the Sudwala Caves. Despite our late arrival at around 16:30, after our delightful visit to the Dinosaur Park, we were eager to catch a glimpse of the cave's entrance, even though we were aware that we had missed the scheduled tours.

Upon our hurried arrival, we were greeted with unparalleled kindness and professionalism by the manager, who noticed our rush and inquired about it. After explaining our situation and our simple wish to take a photograph at the cave's entrance, the manager went above and beyond by coordinating with a young man, resulting in a tour guide named Smangaliso graciously offering to reopen the cave for us.

Smangaliso not only illuminated the caves but also provided us with an enlightening mini-tour, sharing insights into the cave's formation and other fascinating details. This unexpected and generous gesture allowed us to experience a memorable part of our nation's natural heritage, making our trip immensely more special.

I cannot commend enough the kindness, friendliness, and professionalism demonstrated by Smangaliso and his manager. Their actions made us exceedingly proud to be fellow South Africans and have left a lasting impression on my family and me.

Please convey our heartfelt thanks to both of them for their exceptional service and for making our visit to the Sudwala Caves an unforgettable experience. Their kindness and dedication to guests are truly commendable and reflect wonderfully on your establishment.

Thank you once again for such a memorable experience.

Warm regards,

Genéne...

I remember visiting the caves as a little girl with my family and being in absolute awe of what I saw and heard from the guides. This long weekend I had the opportunity to finally return once again, unfortunately in a very busy period.

Entrance costs @R100 per adult. The setup has changed a bit and no active tours are taking place, but rather a selfwalk with guides stationed at various marks along the way. The whole setup is neat and the guides are approachable and informative. The cave walk isn't difficult to navigate, only the steep stairs leading to the entrance from the parking lot.

I, along with others who saw it too, however plead with management to fine or kick people who break the rules. At the "Devils Workshop" there were various people leaning on and touching the thousands of year old "chicken" stalactites and stalagmites to take photos and selfies. Please station someone there as this is extremely disrespectful. Also, being in a closed space the sounds and echos of many people yelling and laughing can be overbearing, especially in deeper parts of the caves. Never the less it was a lovely experience and we learned a lot and even bought a nice souvenir at the adjacent curio shop.

How amazing is God's creation!!! Thank you for turning this into an amazing tourist attraction. I will bring my own...