Cradle of Humankind: Fossil Discovery Tour
4.7
172 Ratings
Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site

Embark on a captivating tour of the Cradle of Humankind, a World Heritage Site that offers a fascinating glimpse into human history. Explore the museum and discover remarkable fossil findings that shed light on our ancient ancestors.

Duration: 8 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site - A visit to the Cradle of Humankind, with its two visitor centers, is unforgettable. The main center at Maropeng Museum is filled with engaging, interactive exhibits, while a smaller center serves as the entrance to the intriguing Sterkfontein Caves, revealing their ancient secrets.
    The Maropeng Visitor…
What's Included
  • A bottle of water
  • All Fees and Taxes
  • In-vehicle air conditioning
What's Not Included
  • Drinks
  • Alcoholic drinks (available to purchase)
  • Food and drinks
  • Food and drinks, other than the “value added offers” specified in your guidebook
  • Lunch
Additional Information

In 1999, the Cradle of Humankind was designated a World Heritage Site due to its outstanding contribution to our understanding of human history, spanning over 3 million years. The area boasts 15 significant fossil sites, with the Sterkfontein Caves being the most renowned.
The Sterkfontein Caves are famous for the discovery of the fossils “Mrs Ples” and…

Location
Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.7
(172 Ratings)
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Sonny_r
Oct 9, 2025
Cool Visit to the Cradle of Humankind - September 30, 2025. Following breakfast, our guide/driver, Griffith, picked us up at our hotel in Johannesburg. We headed to Mogale City, Krugersdorp, and Sterkfontein in North West Province. Our first stop was the Lesedi Cultural Village is a tourist village, which celebrates the cultural traditions of several different peoples of Southern Africa. It reproduces traditional dwellings, dances, and other cultural activities. Then we headed to Sterkfontein caves — the Cradle of Humankind, where several species of hominids were discovered, including Australopithecus africanus, Homo spp. (naledi, ergaster, and, habilis), and Paranthropus robustus. The caves are dolomite limestone, dated to be 2.6 billion years. They were discovered by a couple of Italians in the 1890s looking for limestone and gold. The first fossils were found in the 1920s. The site is designated as a UNESCO Heritage Site. This was a challenging cave to traverse — in some places we had to crouch/crawl. After the caves, we went to Maropeng Museum, which is organized perfectly and includes excellent exhibits and educational information.
Review provided by Viator
Explorer37740853961
Oct 4, 2025
Driver was excellent - Excellent and driver was super with good knowledge, responsibility and helping mentality... Picked up on time and dropped safely
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Neil
Sep 22, 2025
Great tour - Excellent tour. Our driver was prompt and provide interesting commentary on the drive to the museum. Would definitely recommend
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Pcheng0213
Sep 1, 2025
Excellent tour - We booked this tour in the last minute , very knowledgeable and not as tough as what we think when climbing the caves with a short distance like 25 meters by bending the body.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Onair62818676298
Aug 24, 2025
Informative and courteous guide that went beyond the subject of the tour itself - Griffith was very knowledgable about South Africa and shared quite a bit with us on the ride over. We talked about languages, historical context of Soweto, growing up in SA and what to expect from the on-site tours. He was knowledgeable and super polite and I would use these folks for tours anytime
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Matthew_s
Jul 23, 2025
A must do experience if... - A must do experience if you come to Johannesburg. So much interesting stuff to see with great tour guides who really know their stuff.
Review provided by Viator
Sumsawe220
Jul 21, 2025
Excellent Trip to Maropeng and Sterkfontein! - Our trip to Maropeng and the Sterkfontein Caves was fantastic, largely thanks to Brian. He did a superb job getting us around safely and shared so many interesting stories along the way, which really enhanced the experience. We felt incredibly well cared for throughout the entire trip. I would absolutely book this trip again!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Metraous
Jul 31, 2025
Nice tour of Cradle of Humankind - This was a nice history lesson on how humans evolved over the millions of years. The tour guide was prompt when picking you up and gave time to walk around the different sites. Only complaint is the tour was shorter than advertised.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
484margh
Jul 9, 2025
Great day trip - Very interesting and informative trip. The driver/guide was friendly and polite, sharing much knowledge about the history and current status of SA. The caves walk was great and the Cradle of Humankind experience was very educational.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Curious07311070555
Jul 15, 2025
Informative but Misleading – More a Transport Service Than a Guided Tour - The tour was worthwhile, especially if you're interested in archaeology or human history. That said, if these topics aren’t of particular interest, the experience may not be as engaging. The guide/driver, Griffith, was punctual and friendly. HOWEVER, BE WARNED: as another reviewer noted (and I should have paid more attention to), this tour is not fully guided by the tour company itself. While the company arranges transportation and entry, the actual guiding at the Sterkfontein Caves and Maropeng Visitor Centre is done by on-site staff, not by your tour guide. In other words, you're essentially paying for transportation and entrance fees—not for an in-depth guided experience throughout. For a solo traveler, the cost of $118 feels high considering this limited involvement. If it is indeed government policy to assign site guides separately, as the driver mentioned, the tour company should clearly state this upfront. Another company I checked also failed to clarify this, but that does not excuse the lack of transparency here. The price should either be adjusted accordingly or the nature of the tour should be explained more clearly in the description.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
From $103
up to 15 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).