Chinhoyi Caves, Protected show cave in Makonde District, Zimbabwe

Chinhoyi Caves is a limestone and dolomite cave system in Makonde District, Mashonaland West Province, about 9 km northwest of Chinhoyi town. Its main cave holds the cobalt-blue Sleeping Pool, also called Chirorodziva, and divers have found a submerged passage linking the Bat Cave, a subchamber of the Dark Cave, to the Blind Cave.

The caves were first documented by British explorer Frederick Courtney Selous in 1888 during his African expeditions. The site became a protected national park in 1955 under Zimbabwe's management.

The pool's name Chirorodziva, "Pool of the Fallen", recalls an 1830 attack in which Angonni warriors threw victims into the cave. The caves serve as a rainmaking site in African Traditional Religion, and the surrounding sacred forest was protected: trees could not be felled there.

The water stays at a constant temperature around 22 to 24 degrees Celsius all year, making conditions predictable for visits. Wear sturdy shoes as pathways can be slippery near the water.

The main pool is known locally as Chirorodziva, and it connects to hidden chambers through underwater passages that explorers have discovered over time. These flooded tunnels reveal the full extent of the cave network beneath the surface.