Matupi Cave – The Cave in Democratic Republic of the Congo

Matupi Cave is a cave in the Matupi Hills of the Mount Hoyo massif, one of the hills of the Ituri Rainforest, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Matupi means ‘the rain god’ and Matupi Hill, or Matopi Hill, has a large number of waterfalls, hence Matupi Cave. It holds special significance to the local people as they believe that Matupi, or Matopi, is one of the original tribes which lived in the area.

The Matupi Hills are green with dense vegetation and relatively flat on top with steep sides. Matupi Hill has a large number of waterfalls as well. Matupi Cave has a stream running through it which is home to one of the most diverse fish populations known in the Congo river basin. Matupi Cave has its own species of bat – Pteropus matopensis, or Matopi flying fox, which are listed as vulnerable by the IUCN.

Matupi Cave has yielded evidence of Later Stone Age human occupation spanning over 40,000 years. Matupi cave is part of the Matopi Hill Archeological District which was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List on March 17, 2005 in the Mixed (Cultural + Natural) category. Matupi Cave is managed by the Matupi Cultural Heritage Association. The Matupi Society for Research and Conservation is an NGO which has been working to conserve Matopi Hill since 1994.

Frequently Asked Questions About Matupi Cave

What was your experience exploring Matupi cave?

We had an incredible experience exploring Matupi cave! It was so much fun crawling through the narrow passages and squeezing through small openings. The cave is really beautiful and it’s amazing how well preserved the formations are. We definitely recommend visiting this cave if you’re ever in the area!

 

Image Information:
By Uwe Dedering Own work – Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 CC BY-SA 3.0,  Link