Waenhuiskrans Cave

Waenhuiskrans means wagon house cliff, and the name is the claim: the sea cave in the limestone cliffs beside Arniston is said to be large enough that a full ox wagon and its span could be turned around inside it. It is reached on foot from the village along the shore and then over rock, and the entrance is only accessible around low tide - the sea fills the approach otherwise, and people have been trapped by a rising tide. Inside, the roof is high and the light comes from the entrance and from the water. The village itself carries both names: Arniston after a troopship wrecked here in 1815 with heavy loss of life, and Waenhuiskrans in Afrikaans. Kassiesbaai, the fishing settlement of whitewashed thatched cottages next to the village, is a national heritage site and still lived in.

What you actually see

• The wagon claim - a cave said to be large enough to turn an ox wagon inside.
• The tidal access - an entrance open only around low water, and dangerous otherwise.
• The two names - Arniston from an 1815 wreck, Waenhuiskrans from the cave.
• Kassiesbaai - a lived-in fishing village of thatched cottages, a heritage site.

When to go

All year, but only at low tide - check the tide table before walking out. Two hours.

Honest expectations

People have been cut off by the tide here; do not attempt it on a rising sea. The approach is over sharp, slippery limestone and is not suitable for poor footing. Kassiesbaai is a residential village, not an exhibit - photograph with care and courtesy.

Nearby

De Hoop reserve is west along the coast; Cape Agulhas is south-west.