Elephants Arse Cave

Length: 40m | Surveyed: 1993-01-21

Peter Swart, 31 Jan 1993, Updated: 22 Mar 2026

I was given the name of this cave by a lady we met on the mountain one day. She seemed to think that the name was in common use, at least amoungst her mountain club friends.

When Anthony and I first surveyed the cave, we called it Jessica's Cave after the fractious child we had with us that day.

Description

The cave has a straight passage which have an entrance in the north, and gets lower and narrower as it goes south into the mountain, and end is a small chamber, which can be entered through a low arch way. (See photo)

There is a second entrance at right angles to passage that looks out towards Hout Bay. (See Photo) The entrance are separated by a large pillar.

The earliest date we found carved into the rock was 1929. Another date may have been 1928, but I can't be sure.

Biology

There is a small Erica depressa plant growing out of the rock wall just inside the main cave passage. Its choice of home is quite impressive as it clings to the cave wall.

The small chamber is home to cave crickets, bristletails and spiders.

See also: Elephants Innards Cave

⮤ Back to Constantiaberg