Maji-Maji Cave
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Location
Following the dry valley upstream from the upper entrance of Ngunde Cave without a footpath, one can reach Maji-Maji Cave after about 1 hour of penetrating the bush. Good guides with a Mbopo (local machete) to cut the thicket are essential to find the entrance of Maji-Maji Cave. The lower entrance at 8°29' 13,0° S - 038°49'18,5" E and an elevation of 385 m a.s.l.. serves as a sink for the water from a dry valley above
Description
The 10 m wide and 6 m high entrance has some stalactites at the beginning and gives access to an enormous NW tending passage without any further calcite formations. The roof of the partly 30 m wide gallery is flat and the floor is covered with fine-grained sediment and just a few rocks. About 140 m from the entrance the gallery declines in size and ends in a silted sinkhole where digging could reveal a
continuation. Before one reaches the end of the entrance gallery a steep slope of boulders to the left leads to a very large hall of about 50 m in diameter and 10 m of height. From here another gallery turns back to the SE and reaches a second entrance at en elevation of 418 m a.s.l. 259 m long Maji-Maji Cave is clearly of the a)-type. Its huge fossil passages have been developed under phreatic conditions. The fauna of Maji-Maji Cave is inferior compared with other caves in the Matumbi Hills. Big bat colonies are absent and despite of the difficult access a visit of the cave is very pleasant. However, it has to be noted that the cave has always been used as a shelter for the locals to hide in war time. No footpath is leading to the cave by default. The knowledge about the cave is still today treated as a secret and we were the first whites ever to see MajiMaji Cave. Not even Thurmann, who thoroughly investigated the region for new caves, got aware of this hideout. Every visitor to the area is strongly recommended to respect this traditions and to create a climate of confidence with the locals before looking out for Maji-Maji Cave.
Caves nearby
| Distance (km) | Name | Length (m) | Depth (m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.4 | Mampombo | 1250 | |
| 1.4 | Ngunde Cave | 681 | |
| 1.6 | Likolongomba | 93 | |
| 1.7 | Nawanja Cave | 13 | |
| 1.9 | Nakilango Cave | 268 | |
| 6.1 | Mpatawa | 1160 | |
| 6.6 | Mtumbukiae Cave | 13 | |
| 6.6 | Miumbukiae Cave | 13 | 3 |
| 6.9 | Kilindima | 36 |