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Photo of the Week: Bats Nesting in Swaziland’s Gobholo Caves

  • Darron Raw (image & text)
  • 14 February 2010

Swaziland’s Gobholo Caves are unusual. They remain 95% unexplored and undocumented. What is known is that it is very rare to find caves of this age and magnitude in granite rock. Granite does not erode like most cave-forming rocks. Instead these caves were formed from an ancient boulder choke that has since being buried entirely underground. The cave is kept open by the periodic flooding of the Gobholo River that flows through the system for approximately two kilometres.

Photo of the Week (2010-02-14) - Bats in the Gobholo Caves in Swaziland

The complex’s extreme age is evidenced by the existence of a translucent spider in its depths, a species which appears to be only found in this cave and appears to have adapted to life here over a very long period of time. Local tour company, Swazi Trails, have tried without success to have the spider properly identified, with the only feeback being that possibly it is not a true spider at all but another closely related order.

More successful was the collection and identification of a species of bat, TEMMNICK’S HAIRY BAT (Myotis tricolor), which was the first physical record of the species in Swaziland. Visitors to the cave are able to view three species of bat, also including the NATAL CLINGING BAT (Miniopterus schreibersii) and GEOFFROY’S HORSESHOE BAT (Rhinolophus clivosus), as pictured in this image. Such viewings are made pleasant by the cleansing waters that regularly sweep through the cave, allowing these interesting mammals to be closely observed without the need to stand knee-deep in bat guano.

Daily guided expeditions are offered by local guides from Swazi Trails, both in the morning and evening. The trip is adventurous, involving a considerable hike to the cave and some spelunking techniques to move around once inside.

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Swazi Trails

Swazi Trails is a tour and adventure operating business and the whl.travel local connection in Swaziland. Operating since 1987, the company prides itself in its pursuit of responsible tourism ideals and the impact that its pioneering activities have had on both local communities and overall tourism development. Based in the Ezulwini Valley and employing only local Swazi guides, they like to refer to themselves as 'Your contact in Swaziland'.
Read more here
Swazi Trails
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Tags:

adventure sport, Africa, animal conservation, bats, cave, Darron Raw, ecotourism, photo of the week, Southern Africa, spelunking, Swaziland, Swaziland tours,

This entry was posted on Sunday, February 14th, 2010 at 9:00 pm and is filed under the following categories:

adventure travel, Africa, animal conservation, caves, photo of the week, Southern Africa, Swaziland, whl.travel,

2 Responses to “Photo of the Week: Bats Nesting in Swaziland’s Gobholo Caves”

  1. Stephen Chapman says:
    February 14, 2010 at 9:54 pm

    I visited these caves with Swazi Trails earlier this year and can confirm that it is a real adventure. Finding these cave is a bit if an expedition itself (especially if you go at night like we did), and for such an extensive underground maze to exist and remain so well hidden and unexplored is incredible.

    This a great adventure.

  2. Zack Rozga says:
    February 15, 2010 at 6:17 am

    I too visited these caves recently with Stephen and it is a really great experience. Not only do you get to see the wonders of the underground, but also perform a bit of scrambling and rock climbing.

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