Mutanda
-19.907389,34.143083
Location
Mutanda zone, Buzi district, Sofala province. GPS (WGS84) S 19°54′26,6"/E 34°08:35, 1", ca. 85 m asl. Surveyed on 24 Aug 1999 by Artur Fernandes, Michael Laumanns and Jens Römer (BCRA-Grade 4b). Length: 68,00 m. Vertical range: -18,50 m. Access is best made from the track leading along the E of the karst occurrence to the Buzi River. The car can be left near a small kiosk” where a corn mill is operating. From there one has to turn right (W) to reach a small village about 400 m from the kiosk. From here follow a footpath, first in S direction passing another village and subsequently in W direction along a dry riverbed. One leaves this riverbed to the right to finally cross a hard-to-travel thicket to the entrance of the cave, which is hidden by a group of trees.
Description
The cave has two vertical entrances in 5 m distance from each other. The N pit has a depth of 6 m and is climbable. At the bottom of the pit, where loose blocks are lying, one reaches a long chamber measuring 20 x 7 m. The ground declines to its centre noticeably and is completely covered by bat guano. At the ceiling a 0.4 m deep roof channel winds to the NE side of the chamber. In the deepest part of the chamber a low passage of approximately 30 cm height, which is heavily frequented by bats of the species Hipposideros c. caffer (SUNDEVALL 1846) splits off to the SW. The loose guano facilitates to proceed. The slightly meandering passage continues horizontally. A thick guano layer forms the ground. After 25 m the passage lowers to 0.3 m. Theoretically, a progress would be possible with some digging of the loose guano, but the bat colony and many insects are unpleasant. Beside the bats; amblypygi, beetles, cave-crickets and insects were observed. No conglomerate fillings, no calcite formations. An air temperature of 22,84°C was measured.
Caves nearby
| Distance (km) | Name | Length (m) | Depth (m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.6 | Muchakaima N°5 (Niamapadja) | 667 | 15 |
| 0.8 | Pwanda N°1 | 47 | 12 |
| 0.9 | Pwanda N°3 | 9 | 5 |
| 1.2 | Mutanda Francisco N°4 | 6 | 1 |
| 1.4 | Nhanbue (Ponor) | 51 | 10 |
| 2.2 | Mutanda Francisco N°1 | 57 | 18 |
| 2.2 | Mutanda Francisco N°2 | 35 | 0 |
| 2.2 | Mutanda Francisco N°3 | 96 | 18 |
| 2.2 | Mutanda Francisco N°5 | 24 | 10 |