Cradle of Humankind
A UNESCO World Heritage site of limestone caves where some of the oldest hominid fossils on earth were found — the origin story of humanity.
Trip Role
Ideal stay
Best for
Our take
The one Joburg-area site with global significance — the fossils that made the world rewrite the human story. Go if you have any curiosity about where we come from.
The one Joburg-area site with global significance — the fossils that made the world rewrite the human story. Go if you have any curiosity about where we come from.
- Trip Role
- Trip Anchor
- Ideal Stay
- Half a day
- Best For
- Origin-of-humankind readers, families with older kids, first-time Joburg visitors.
- Skip If
- Travellers after scenery or nightlife.
- Go If
- You have any interest in human origins, or you want the single most significant site within reach of Joburg.
- Worth Extra Drive
- 0 min
Why go
A UNESCO World Heritage site 45 minutes north-west of Joburg: a landscape of dolomitic caves that has produced some of the oldest hominid fossils ever found, including Mrs Ples and Little Foot. The visitor access is Sterkfontein Caves (the guided cave tour) and Maropeng (the interpretation centre). For most travellers a half-day visit to one or both is enough; for anyone interested in human origins it's a genuine must, and the closest the Joburg trip gets to a world-historic site.
What we love
Standing in Sterkfontein where Little Foot was excavated; the scale of the time the visitor centre makes you feel.
What to know
Sterkfontein involves stairs and low ceilings inside the cave — not for claustrophobics or limited mobility. Maropeng is the easier, more interpretive half. Combine for a half-day.
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