Ogbunike Caves

Ogbunike Caves are one of Nigeria’s top tourist destinations. The caves are in Ogbunike, Anambra State. Caves are usually formed by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. Speleology is the science of exploration and the study of all aspects of caves and the cave environment. Visiting or exploring caves for recreation may be called caving, potholing, or spelunking.

Now to spelunk the Ogbunike Caves, the Ogbunike Caves were discovered around 4000 years ago. Descending into the valley where the caves are located is a lengthy walkway of about 300 steps. The Ogbunike Caves are made up of various caves linked together by tunnels. The main cave is a massive structure with a big open chamber of about 5m high, 10m wide and 30m long at the entrance. There are ten tunnels at the main chamber leading to different directions. Within the tunnels are big chambers and other tunnels of varying lengths, some of which are interconnected. The caves are occupied by a large colony of bats of various sizes.

There are streams and body of water at various places and some of them are believed to have healing and therapeutic properties. A stream flows out from one of the tunnels into a rapid flowing river (River Nkisa). At the meeting point of the river and the stream one can feel the warm water from the caves and the cold river water.  Beside this portion of the river is a table land of about 5 X 5 square meters often used as a recreation spot by visitors to the caves. The immediate environment of the caves up to about 200 meters radius is a thick tropical rainforest type of vegetation. The biodiversity of the site has remained almost intact. The integrity of the site can be attested to by the presence of the primary forests around the caves. The entire site is within ranges of undulating hills and valleys which stretch across other communities and farmlands. The site has boundaries of 20 hectares to protect the environment.

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These caves are highly revered in Anambra. The caves have spiritual and historical significance that are deeply entrenched in the culture of the Ogbunike community. Every year, the “Ime Ogba” celebration is undertaken every year to commemorate the discovery of the caves.

In 2007, UNESCO added the caves to their tentative list to be considered as a World Heritage Site, after it was submitted by the Nigerian Commission for Museums and Monuments.

Have you been to the Ogbunike Caves? Let us know, we would love to hear from you.