Chinhoyi

Overview

Introduction

The small, sleepy town of Chinhoyi lies on the A1 road on the way to Kariba and the Chirundu border post with Zambia. Unusually for Zimbabwe, it was established by Italian settlers in 1906. The area around Chinhoyi is full of limestone and dolomite sinkholes, which were thought to have once been used by the local Shona people for storing grain and for refuge from invading tribes. The largest are the Chinhoyi Caves, which are off the A1 northwest of town. The Wonder Hole, the main feature of the caves, has a collapsed roof and the 150-ft/46-m descent down some rocky steps leads to an impressive pool of water. When sunlight pours in from the hole in the top, the water sparkles a brilliant cobalt blue. Qualified divers are permitted to explore underwater, and the surrounding recreational park has camping and picnic sites. Chinhoyi is 75 mi/120 km northwest of Harare.

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