Elands Bay Cave is located near the mouth of the Verlorenvlei estuary, about 5km from the centre of the village. The most beautiful San and Khoe rock art have been found in this cave in the hills above the Elands Bay harbor. The rock paintings were probably done within the last five thousand years. They show large paintings of eland, the animal that was most important to them in their beliefs, as well as smaller antelope. The most striking thing about the paintings, though, is the very large number of patterned handprints. The size of the handprints suggests they were made by young people between about 10 and 14 years. It is believed that this was done as part of initiation. Prints were also “decorated” by removing some of the paint from the hand before placing it on the cave wall, creating a nested U-shaped pattern.
The rock layering of Elands Bay Cave is dominated by shell midden as well as levels composed of ashy matrix interpreted as living floor features containing remnants of grasses possibly used as bedding, bone and shell.
The historical significance of Baboon Point is not only highlighted by this ancient archaeological site but also by the World War 2 Radar station buildings. (at WP1)
On your way to the harbor one can see the tunnel that runs through Baboon Point for the Sishen-Saldanha iron-ore trains.
You can visit the cave free of charge, but are requested to stay on the path and not touch the rock art since this may cause irreversible damage to the paintings.
There is a parking space at the ruins but if you have a high clearance vehicle you can park at the radar tower.
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Virtual Rewards 3.0 - 2022-2023
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between March 1, 2022 and March 1, 2023. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 3.0 on the Geocaching Blog.