I am standing in a field outside Krugersdorp looking for a hole in the ground.

This is not a metaphor. The guide is somewhere ahead, walking through dry grass, and we are following him because apparently this is where the cave is—not a cliff face, not a dramatic entrance, just a field, and somewhere in it, a vertical drop of seventeen meters into the earth.

It felt a bit weird. It was a bit weird.

We were fourteen. The gathering point was the Engen at Oaktree, about 7 km from Krugersdorp. From there, a short drive to a nearby farm to get geared up—hard hats, headlamps, and harnesses. The Bat Cave itself sits about a hundred meters across the road into the field. The area is in close proximity to the Sterkfontein Caves and the Cradle of Humankind, which the guide mentioned on the walk in. The entire region carries significant archaeological weight. Standing in a dry field in Krugersdorp, you’d never guess.

I had said yes to this three months earlier, on the last stretch of the Van Gaalen hiking trails. A fellow hiker corrected my understanding of caving—Sudwala, it turns out, is not caving. Real caving means clothes you’ll probably never get fully clean again, descending on a rope into the dark, and, at some point, crawling on your stomach through spaces you never thought you would fit through. I had nodded along and said I’d do that. Three months later, here I am in a field just outside Krugersdorp. 

A Hole in the Ground

If abseiling is not something you do regularly, it takes a moment to make peace with it. There is a specific kind of discomfort in clipping onto a rope, leaning back over a dark hole, and letting gravity do what gravity does—seventeen meters of it, in absolute darkness. I decided to go early, partly to get pictures of the others coming down, partly because I didn’t want to watch too many people disappear into that hole before it was my turn.

Everyone made it down. The guide came last. He gave us a brief history of the cave—how it was mined, what to touch, what to leave alone—and then we moved in.

Crawling Along

The first section was upright, narrow, but manageable. We stopped where water was seeping through the rock—the guide explaining how the formations work, the water table, the clay, and the fact that water filtered through limestone is clean enough to drink. The guide demonstrated by drinking it.

Then the ceiling dropped. Knees. Then elbows. Then the stomach.

The Hole

There was a point in the tunnel where I wasn’t sure which way to go. Low ceiling, no room to turn properly, the person behind me waiting. I reached out to the guide, and he pointed his flashlight toward a gap in the rock roughly the size of a carry-on bag.

I am almost two meters tall. I have never done yoga.

I flipped around and pushed forward on my stomach, trying to protect the camera, trying not to bump my helmet on the ceiling, and trying to aim my headlamp towards the gap. The gap got closer. I looked at it for a moment, exhaled—someone once told me you’re smaller when you exhale, and I needed every millimeter—and went through.

I lay on the other side in total darkness, just breathing for a second. Then I got my feet under me, found solid ground, and waited for the others. Nobody got stuck. Everyone made it through.

We found ourselves in a chamber. We took pictures, made short videos, and made the best of where we were.

The Dark

At one point the guide asked us to switch off every light.

Fourteen headlamps off. I held my hand six inches from my face and saw nothing—not darkness like when you close your eyes, which isn’t really darkness. This was the absence of light as a physical thing. Then the guide sparked a lighter. A flame the size of a thumbnail. That was how the miners worked down here — by candlelight only, chipping rock in the dark. I stared at the flame for a moment. There must have been many injuries. Even getting a photo in that darkness was a challenge.

We carried on. The passages opened up a bit.

Deeper and Out

Moving on, we reached the largest chamber—about 70 meters underground. The walls showed the scars of years of mining. Chipped rock, broken stalactites, a boulder the size of a small car that had come off the ceiling at some point and made itself at home. We took pictures next to it and carried on upward.

Near the exit there was a ladder that looked questionable—a fatal drop to your left, a guide above, a guide below, and a brief demonstration of how to navigate it—and then we went up. More crawling. A tight corridor. Then, rounding a bend, light. Actual daylight pushing down through a crack in the earth.

When you’ve been underground long enough, that is a very specific and beautiful sight.

We climbed out one at a time. Dirty, smiling—a sign of relief and accomplishment in equal measure. Everyone made it out without injury.

A fellow cavie took a picture at the top. I look slightly bewildered in it. I think that’s accurate.

Practical Guide — Bat Cave, Krugersdorp

Activity: Underground caving adventure
Difficulty: Beginner—physically accessible but involves crawling, tight spaces, and a 17 m abseil. Not suitable for severe claustrophobia.
Duration: Approximately 2–3 hours including gearing up
Group size: Our group was 14 + 2 guides.

Getting There

The meet point is the Engen Oaktree Convenience Centre, approximately 7 km from Krugersdorp. From there, the operator directs you to a nearby farm to gear up. The cave is roughly 100 m across the road from the farm—a short walk into the field.

What to Expect

You will abseil 17 meters into the cave to start. The route involves standing sections, knee-crawling, and, at some points, full stomach-crawling through tight passages. There is a ladder section near the exit. The cave reaches approximately 70 meters underground at its deepest point. A guide leads throughout.

What to Bring

• Clothing you don’t mind destroying—cave clay stains permanently
• Closed shoes with grip
• A headlamp if you have one (hard hats and headlamps are provided)
• Water
• A camera or phone you’re comfortable getting dirty

Good to Know

• The area sits near the Sterkfontein Caves and the Cradle of Humankind—worth reading up on before you go; it adds to the experience
• Taller participants will find the tight sections more demanding—it’s manageable, just worth knowing
• The abseil is guided and safe, but if you have no rope experience, expect a brief adjustment period

Booking

Arrange it through the Centurion Hiking Club or Wild Cave Adventures, an operator in the Krugersdorp area. Confirm current pricing and availability directly — details change.