Chinhoyi Caves

The town of Chinhoyi is situated 100km north of Harare on the main road towards Kariba.

The area around Chinhoyi is full of limestone, dolomite caves and sinkholes. These caves and tunnels were used by the local Shona tribes in the 16th century for storing grain and for refuge from invading tribes. The largest sinkhole drops to a pool some 20metres below ground level. This is known as the 'Sleeping Pool' of Sinoia (the ancient name for Chinhoyi). The pool is also known as "Chirorodziva" (Pool of the Fall). In the early 19th century, the locals were often thrown into the pool by invading Ngumi tribes.

Speaking to locals around the area, we found that many believe the walls of the caves hold a powerful spiritual prescence and in the past, when evil was spoken in the caves, the person would simply disappear or wither and die soon after. Frederick Courtney Selous, famous colonial hunter, found the area occupied by subjects of Chief Chinhoyi in 1887 which accounts for the area's name change.

The Department of National Parks and Wild Life Management provides camping and caravan sites in the park. The caves area was proclaimed a National Park in 1955 and redesignated a Recreational Park under the Parks and Wild Life Act (1975).