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Cradle of Humankind Tour: Explore Human History at this World Heritage Site

4.7

123 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: 1 day learn more

Highlights

Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site - You will never forget your visit to the Cradle of Humankind and its two visitor centres – the main one packed with exciting, interactive exhibits at Maropeng, and a smaller one which is the gateway to the fascinating Sterkfontein Caves and their secrets about

The Maropeng Visitor Centre is an exciting, world-class exhibition, focusing on the development of humans and our ancestors over the past few million years.

On arrival, you will see a massive burial mound called the Tumulus, which is your entrance to learning the secrets of our ancestry.

Adventure: Tour 2500m² of exhibits with an underground boat ride.

Award winning: Winner of the 2008 Tourist Attraction category at the South African Tourism Welcome Awards and many others

The pick-up time for the tour will be 9:30am from the tourist hotel, 1hr :30mins drive from your hotel in Johannesburg.

What's Included

A bottle of water
In-vehicle air conditioning
All fees and/or taxes

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

Please be informed that due to heavy rainfall, the Sterkfontein Caves have been temporarily closed and are awaiting inspection before reopening to visitors. Currently, we can only provide tours to the museum. The Cradle of Humankind was designated a World Heritage Site in 1999 due to its significant contributions to our knowledge of human history spanning over three million years. The site hosts 15 major fossil locations, with Sterkfontein Caves being the most renowned.

The notable fossils “Mrs Ples” and “Little Foot” were both unearthed at the Sterkfontein Caves, among thousands of other hominid fossils, which represents our human predecessors, as well as a variety of plant and animal fossils.

A larger number of hominid fossils have been discovered in the Cradle of Humankind than any other location worldwide. During this tour, you will be able to view these astonishing fossil discoveries through our exhibits.

casual dress code

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

(123 Ratings)

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362millis

May 16, 2024

Wonderful Surprise! - Fantastic Experience. The hotel I stayed at recommended this trip and linked me up with Guide Zabb. The drive alone was great!

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Saranyaa2023

Mar 25, 2024

Thoroughly informative - Solly was such a great guide and candidly sharing with us his experiences and history that South Africa went through! He was patient with all our queries and would definitely recommend him for a taste of local tours! We went to the maropeng museum - very informative but some of the content is outdated and could be refreshed! A pity that the caves are still closed; would have made for an even more interesting tour with the caves!

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Jacob_w

Jan 28, 2024

A lovely visit. - We had a wonderful time with our friendly guide Nathi exploring the Cradle of Humankind. Nathi provided an interesting insight into Johannesburg and the culture and people there. The van was very comfortable.

Review provided by Viator

Fellowtraveler585520

Dec 14, 2023

Excellent Service and an informative tour! - This was an excellent tour. Solly provided prompt pick-up from the hotel and was upfront about what to expect throughout the day. He gave some history about the area on the drive from the hotel, which helped illustrate some of the museum guide's information. The museum was surprisingly fun and interactive, even for an adult. The little boat ride and cave experience was a fun surprise inside the museum. It would delight the young and was a nice break from reading details and scientific names. I can honestly say that I left learning something new about humans. This is a good day out. I am sure this will be even more interesting when the caves reopen.

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Ann_c

Sep 30, 2023

Great informational experience - Very well put together displays. Very informative with some pieces of fun thrown when you least expect them.

Review provided by Viator

Kenneth_h

May 30, 2024

Interesting but could use enhancement - Our guide Kenneth was very knowledgeable and interesting. Cave closure was disappointing but understood beforehand. Interactive exhibits were interesting. Boat ride through simulated cave was a head scratcher, need's narrative to be meaningful.

Review provided by Viator

Hc_p

Apr 17, 2024

Despite the caves being... - Despite the caves being closed the museum is interesting, and the drive to it is worthwhile to see the surrounding areas outside of Johannesburg.

Review provided by Viator

Gabicm1906

Nov 27, 2023

Essential tour - Very interesting tour, not tiring, the place has air conditioning and good facilities. Tickets can be purchased there, costing 100 Rand for adults. They also have a snack bar, restaurant, clean bathrooms and a shop. Take a card, they don't work with cash, at least that was written in the cafeteria. Parking is not paid.

Review provided by Tripadvisor

K9826qinatalief

Dec 2, 2023

Nice but incomplete - The cradle museum and tour were great. Very friendly driver. Unfortunaterly, the caves were closed and the price was very high for the cradle tour only.

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Ron

Aug 5, 2023

Uninspiring Museum; Good tour company - The tour company provided good service and the pick-up and drop off were lead by a friendly driver. I give them 5 stars for service. The museum was 1 star and not worth a visit unless you have children or have never learned about human evolution. There are no fossils here. I feel the tour could have been discounted since the caves were closed ( we were informed of this in advance) or a substitute added. Overall, this did not meet my expectations.

Review provided by Tripadvisor

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up to 15 guests

1 Adult