Taphos Cave
Length: 16m | Grade: 5C | Surveyed: 1995-09-16
Peter Swart, 24 September 1996
Extension: 18m, Height: 6m
Taphos consists of a single chamber, with an entrance on the western end of the chamber. A sandy slope leads down to a rocky floor. The stream enters the chamber via a passage on the eastern end. It then skirts around the southern edge of the chamber before disappearing under a ledge to the south.
The walls of the chamber are soft white sandstone, with strata clearly defined on the walls. On the northern wall, in Meyer's characteristic writing, is the following:
![6s per month, Taphos ]("Photo/Taphos_Cave_[Name][6s_per_month][][PSwart].jpg")
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> 6s per
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Taphos is approximately 50m from the cliff side. 10m below the floor level of Taphos, and 54m away from where the stream disappears, is a resergence called Pandora's Passage. This is a 7m long passage, at the base of a cliff. The amount of water emanating from this crack appeared to be about the same as that which was disappearing in Taphos, or possibly slightly more.
Extract from Fire Protection Booklet
Taphos (which is Greek for a tomb). This cave is the size of a nice old-fashioned family vault and the descent to the bottom is steep
Survey
Survey — Taphos Cave — click image to open PDF
