Sterkfontein Caves

About this tour

Visit the Cradle of Humankind and the famous Sterkfontein Caves, a World Heritage Site. The caves are found in a dolomite hill in the Isaac Stegmann Nature Reserve and are a declared national monument.

You start at the newly opened 260 square metre exhibition, with four large show cases featuring life-like models of hominids, a sabre-tooth cat, a reconstruction of a mined cave versus a pristine cave, cave formations and geology, early life forms, and specific finds like Mrs Ples, the Taung Child and Little Foot.

From there you make your way up to the limekilns, past the sundial and then underground into the depths of the caves. Beneath the dust of millions of years you see the resting place of some of the most important fossils ever found, and hear why they matter so much to the world. You walk over the walkways to view the excavation that was Mrs Ples's final resting place, and past the fossil preparation area where scientists continue to investigate the clues to our past.

Finally you can enjoy a meal in the family restaurant, one you won't have to hunt yourself (at your own cost).