South African Cave Surveys & Biology

A freely accessible resource for speleologists, cave biologists, and researchers working in the subterranean environments of the Cape Peninsula and surrounding Western Cape.

Cave Surveys

Darklife makes cave surveys freely available for research and reference purposes. Surveys are organised by administrative province and, within each province, by geographic area or mountain range.

Some surveys are from original digital material while others have been scanned from paper copies. Quality varies.

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Cave Biology

Records of cave-dwelling invertebrates and other organisms from South African cave systems, with particular focus on the Western Cape.

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Caving

Information about caving in the Cape Peninsula and surrounding areas, including trip reports and safety notes.

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Location policy Survey files do not contain entrance coordinates. Exact locations are withheld by policy. Researchers requiring location data for legitimate fieldwork are welcome to make contact directly.

Sections

Survey regions