Location:
Bushman’s Nek Wilderness Area, lower southern Drakensberg. Also known as Baboon Cave, Vast Cave can be reached from the saddle which one passes over on the way to Lammergeier Cave from Cedric’s Pool (Twin Pools). This route requires a steep descent into the valley to reach the other side where the cave is located, but it does afford a preview of the cave so that you can choose a good line to it. Alternatively, careful navigation will allow more direct access via the main valley entrance downstream from Cedric’s Pool. This latter route follows a mostly ill-defined game trail, which turns into a well-worn path up to the cave itself since it seems to be a very popular shelter for animals. The cave is only 5 km from the police border post.
GPS Coordinates: WGS 84
S29 50.627 E29 09.954 at 2026 metres (Landlubbers)
Description:
As one approaches Vast Cave from below, it appears to be much like so many other overhangs in the berg. This appearance lasts until you actually enter it, and then you are awestruck by its depth. In fact, it is so deep that you need a headlamp to explore its furthest reaches. From the outside lip of the cave to the crawl space at the very rear, it is nearly 50 metres deep. The cave seems to have been formed when a subterranean stream undermined the overlying rock, causing a huge block to break away to form a space above it which is now the cave. As a consequence, this block now forms an “island” on the floor of the cave, and you can walk all the way around it.
Comfort: 1/5
The cave is exceedingly dusty, perhaps because the buck have – over centuries of use – trodden the dirt into a fine talcum powder. There are several large, level areas to bed down on, but the dust renders the cave almost useless for overnight stays.
Water: 4/5
One of the attractions for the local wildlife is the small pools inside the cave, but there is also a small stream below it which is fed from the two waterfalls which tumble over the lip of the cave. In winter this stream may decrease to only a trickle or even dry up completely, but if you can expend the effort, water is always available from the main river in the valley below.
Pools: 0/5
There are no usable pools in the immediate vicinity of the cave.
Shelter: 5/5
Due to its considerable depth, this cave will keep you dry and warm in the worst of weather, a fact which is borne out by its popularity with the local wildlife.
Outlook: 3/5
From the front of the cave there is a pleasant view across the main valley towards the saddle upstream from Cedric’s Pool, but there is no view of the escarpment.
Overall Rating: 13/25
History:
The name is obviously a description of the cave’s vast depth. The alternative name, Baboon Cave, illustrates its popularity with the local primates.