Chinhoyi Caves
Template:Short description Template:Infobox protected area The Chinhoyi Caves (previously the Sinoia Caves) are a group of limestone and dolomite caves in north central Zimbabwe.<ref name="readersnatural" /> Designated a National Park in 1955, and managed by the Zimbabwe Parks & Wildlife Management Authority.
Location
The caves are located in Makonde District, Mashonaland West Province, in north central Zimbabwe. They lie approximately Template:Convert, by road, northwest of Chinhoyi (formerly Sinoia), the nearest large town, and the location of the district and provincial headquarters.<ref>Map Showing Chinhoyi And Chinhoyi Caves With Distance Marker</ref> This location lies about Template:Convert, northwest of Harare, the capital.<ref>Road Distance Between Harare And Chinhoyi Caves With Map</ref> The caves lie on the main road, Highway A-1, between Harare and Chirundu, at the International border with the Republic of Zambia, about Template:Convert, further northwest of the caves.<ref>Map Showing Chinhoyi Caves And Chirundu With Distance Marker</ref>
Overview
The cave system is composed of limestone and dolomite. The main cave contains a pool of cobalt blue water, which is popularly called Sleeping Pool or Chirorodziva ("Pool of the Fallen").<ref name="readersnatural">Template:Cite book</ref> Divers have discovered a submarine passage leading from the Bat Cave, a subchamber of the Dark Cave to another room known as the Blind Cave. Diving is possible in the caves all year round, with temperatures never beyond the Template:Convert range with zero thermocline. Visibility is high, and Template:Convert and above is not unusual. This site is often visited by diving expedition teams of technical divers that perform ultra deep diving. It is not uncommon for dives in excess of Template:Convert to be made here by experienced technical divers. A campsite, run by the National Parks Authority, and a motel are located on-site.
History
The local name for the cave's pool, Chirorodziva ("Pool of the Fallen") comes from an incident that occurred in 1830, where members of the Angonni tribe attacked the local people and threw their victims into the cave to dispose of them.<ref name="readersnatural" />
The limestone caves were first described by Frederick Courtney Selous in 1888. These caves are the most extensive cave system in Zimbabwe that the public can access.
Religion
The caves have an important place in African Traditional Religion, with the caves themselves as a site for rainmaking, surrounded by a sacred forest, from which trees could not be felled.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>