Cradle of Humankind

Tour: 5 Hours | Tour Type: Day Tours | South Africa | Gauteng

Departs Tuesday – Sunday
From Johannesburg Hotels on Request

Only 45 minutes’ drive from Johannesburg, see the remains of your ancestors at the Cradle of Humankind. Groundbreaking findings of fossils and tools dating as far back as the early Stone Age have been made in the Sterkfontein Caves, giving scientists a picture of humankind and their surroundings over millions of years. The richness and variety of these deposits, their excellent preservation in the caves, and the age of the specimens have made this area a World Heritage Site.

Take a guided tour of the caves in the Sterkfontein area or go to the nearby visitor centre, Maropeng, to get a crash course on your origins. Several of the world’s most famous and important fossils have been discovered here, including Mrs Ples (now believed to be Master Ples), dating back 2.5-million years, and Little Foot, an almost complete 3.3-million-year-old hominid skeleton. Before heading back to Johannesburg take time to explore the nearby Wonder Cave’s enormous chamber with beautiful 15m-high stalactite formations. There are 12 explored sites within the Cradle of Humankind area, but only Sterkfontein Caves and the Wonder Cave are open to the public.

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