cradle of humankind tourism

Maropeng and Sterkfontein Caves

The cradle of humankind world heritage site.

The universe was formed about 14-billion years ago. The Earth is about 4.6-billion years old.

Life first emerged about 3.8-billion years ago. Our journey begins in South Africa, where fossils of some of the earliest known life forms on Earth have been found.

South Africa has yielded fossils of some of the earliest known dinosaurs, dating back at least 200-million years.

Fossils of our distant mammal-like ancestors, which lived more than 200-million years ago, have also been found in South Africa.

Africa is the birthplace of humankind. This is where our collective umbilical cord lies buried.

Hominids – the ancestors of modern humans – first emerged about seven million years ago, in Africa.

Many significant fossil finds have been made in the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site, including the famous fossils “Mrs Ples” and “Little Foot”.

The first stone tools were made and used in Africa, at least 2.6-million years ago.

Our ancestors were able to use and control fire at least one million years ago in the Cradle of Humankind.

Homo sapiens , the species to which we all belong, evolved in Africa approximately 200 000 years ago.

Africa ignited humankind’s imagination. Some of the oldest rock art in the world has been discovered in Southern Africa.

All of humanity shares an African heritage. We are one diverse species across the globe, with our roots in Africa.

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Things to do in and around the cradle of humankind.

Located about 50km northwest of Johannesburg, the Cradle of Humankind is a great place to learn more about history and human evolution. The UNESCO World Heritage Site is home to limestone caves which carry a rich fossil record for human evolutionary studies.

The area is a popular tourist attraction and it is not hard to see why. Here are a few things to do in and around the Cradle of Humankind.

Maropeng Visitor Centre

Maropeng – Cradle of Humankind (Image: Getaway Gallery)

Maropeng is the official visitors’ centre for the Cradle of Humankind. It focuses mainly on the development of humans and showcases in-depth detail pertaining to how humans lived using spectacular storytelling methods. If you’re searching for a fun, interesting and educational experience, this is the place to be. A tour of the centre is suitable for the whole family. After the fascinating history lesson, there are a wide range of activities and facilities to enjoy around the Cradle. These include horse riding and a number of restaurants.

Contact : 014 577 9000

NIROX Sculpture Park

Image: Sourced

The NIROX Sculpture Park is where the beauty of art meets that of nature. It is home to striking works of art which are found among grassy fields, waterways, lush trees and winding pathways.

Image: Getaway Gallery

Upon visiting the park, you can admire more than 50 permanent and long-term installations by different artists from across the globe. The park is also ideal for picnics, so bring your basket along.

Contact: [email protected]

Lesedi Cultural Village

Image: Sourced (Lesedi Cultural Village)

Located among the rocky hills of the Cradle of Humankind, the Lesedi Cultural Village presents an immersive exploration of South Africa’s diverse ethnic backgrounds. You can visit five traditional homesteads inhabited by Xhosa, Zulu, Basotho, Ndebele and Pedi tribes.

An experience at the village will provide insight on the different tribes and their traditional ways of life. Furthermore, you can enjoy some cultural performances, storytelling and a taste of scrumptious traditional dishes.

Address : R512, Lanseria, 1739

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Cradle of Humankind

Welcome Home Cradle Fans & Friends

Explore magical  places in the cradle of humankind with us.

Only an hour’s drive from Pretoria, Johannesburg and the iconic Soweto, The Cradle is alive with colour, textures, tastes and landscapes that will have your toes curling, start to finish! Oh, and if you’re flying in, why not make Lanseria International Airport the place where you touch down? It’s the closest airport to all our lekka spots!  While Covid-19 brought with it some angst and uncertainty and a whole lot of Lockdown cabin fever, just remember that all we’ve got is each other. And the memories we get to make with the ones we love.  

We’ve been waiting over 4 million years for you… What are you waiting for?

• See all the magical experiences you can explore in The Cradle 
• Check out Cradle events 
• Subscribe t o download the full WELOVECRADLE TRAVEL GUIDE 2021/2022 

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Air to air africa.

Even if you’re not an early bird, the unmatched views from the sky makes Air to Air Africa’s hot air ballooning a must-do adventure when you’re in The Cradle of Humankind. Air to Air offers you an unforgettable game viewing experience from the sky, so make sure your camera is charged, these are memories you’ll want to look back on for the rest of your life.

Airboat Africa

There are many ways to experience the Crocodile River, but Airboat Afrika must be one of the best gifts you can give yourself while you’re in The Cradle. Take in the breath-taking Magaliesburg gorges of the River from the old road bridge downstream into the panoramic expanse of Hartbeespoort. It’s easy to ‘get lost’ in the magic on water, but don’t forget to take pics!

Ama Zwing Zwing

Either you believe you can fly, or you just fly! Ama Zwing Zwing has a range of seven slides and ten platforms, ranging from 2m to 14m in height. Perfect for team-building, school groups orfamily outdoor fun, the ziplines will get your blood pumping, your heart racing and your adrenalin inoverdrive.

Please support our LTA initiatives to take care of the  Cradle people and the environment.                                       

Purchase a hardcopy of the “WeLoveCradle” Travel Guide. All proceeds go towards marketing our beautiful destination!

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Evotourism ®

A Smithsonian magazine special report

ARTS & CULTURE

Evolution world tour: the cradle of humankind, south africa.

The world’s greatest source of hominid fossils is among dozens of caves just hours from Johannesburg

Erin Wayman

Three million years ago, an eagle soared above an enormous forest in South Africa and zeroed in on its target. Among a group of hominids searching for fruits, nuts and seeds, a 3-year-old child had strayed too far away from its mother. The eagle swooped down, grabbed the 25-pound toddler with its talons and flew off to its nest, perched above the opening to an underground cave. As the eagle dined on its meal, scraps fell into the cave below.

Similarly hair-raising tales—hominids being dragged into caves by leopards or accidentally falling into hidden holes—explain why South Africa’s limestone caves are the world’s greatest source of hominid fossils. About 900 have been recovered from more than a dozen sites scattered over 180 square miles of grassland within a few hours’ drive from Johannesburg. The area is known as the Cradle of Humankind. Scientists have identified at least four hominid species—in addition to our own, Homo sapiens —that lived in this region at various times over the past 3.5 million years.

“Fossils from South African caves have played a critically significant role in the development of our concepts of human evolution,” says C.K. “Bob” Brain, a curator emeritus at South Africa’s Transvaal Museum, who began studying the caves in the 1950s.

The first major discovery of a hominid from the Cradle came in 1924, when the anatomist Raymond Dart found an unusual, bumpy rock among rubble that had been sent to him from a quarry. After months of chipping away at it with one of his wife’s knitting needles, Dart liberated a skull and stared into the face of what appeared to be a young ape that looked surprisingly human. Now known as the Taung Child after the town where it was discovered, it was the first evidence of the species Australopithecus africanus . (More recently scientists have determined that two holes in the skull were made by an eagle’s talons.)

Prior to Dart’s discovery, scientists thought human ancestors emerged in Europe or Asia. The Taung and other fossils—more primitive than Eurasian hominids but still possessing human characteristics, such as the ability to walk upright—compelled early-hominid hunters to shift their search to Africa.

Hominids began to diverge from chimpanzees about seven million years ago. In the Cradle, the oldest-known species is Australopithecus africanus . The four-foot-tall hominid with long arms for tree climbing lived in the region 3.3 million to 2.1 million years ago, when the area was partly forested. As the climate became drier, the forests gave way to more open grasslands, and new hominids evolved. Paranthropus robustus — famous for its massive jaw and giant molars, which allowed the species to chew tough plants—inhabited the area 1.8 million to 1.2 million years ago. It lived alongside the taller, more modern-looking Homo erectus , which also came onto the scene about 1.8 million years ago before disappearing from Africa 500,000 years ago. Farther afield from the Cradle, spread out along South Africa’s southern coast, cave sites such as Blombos Cave, Pinnacle Point and the Klasies River Caves record key evidence of early complex behavior in our own species. Homo sapiens began using red pigments, making blades and eating seafood as early as 164,000 years ago.

Visitors to the Cradle of Humankind can take guided walking tours of Sterkfontein and see a replica of “Little Foot,” a specimen recovered in 1997 that is among the most complete Australopithecus skeletons ever found. The location of one of the Cradle’s most famous specimens—the roughly two-million-year-old Australopithecus africanus skull nicknamed Mrs. Ples (who scientists now think is actually Mr. Ples)—is another highlight of the tour. Those who want to see an active excavation site can arrange private tours of Swartkrans—a cave that is home to an abundance of stone and bone tools dating back almost two million years and some 270 burned bones estimated to be more than one million years old. These bones may be evidence of the earliest known controlled fires. “There’s a rich behavioral record at Swartkrans that we’re trying to plumb for as much information as we can,” says Travis Pickering, a paleoanthropologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and director of the Swartkrans Paleoanthropological Research Project.

One question Pickering is trying to answer is who made the tools and tended the fires. Both species that lived in the area at the time— Homo erectus and Paranthropus robustus —were probably capable of manufacturing tools, he says. “We’re trying to investigate and disentangle...what behaviors distinguish these two closely related species.”

One of the most exciting discoveries from the Cradle of Humankind came in 2010, when researchers led by Lee Berger, a paleoanthropologist at the University of the Witwatersrand, announced they had unearthed a new hominid species, Australopithecus sediba , in South Africa’s Malapa Cave. The hominid, nearly two million years old, shares enough crucial features with the genus Homo that its discoverers think it might be the long-sought direct ancestor of our genus, filling in a blank spot in the fossil record. If so, then the Cradle could be the site where hominids evolved beyond their more ape-like features and moved closer to being human.

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Erin Wayman | | READ MORE

Erin Wayman is a science and human evolution blogger for Hominid Hunting. She has M.As in biological anthropology and science writing.

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The Cradle of Humankind

The home of our ancestors, welcome home.

The Fossil Hominid Sites of Sterkfontein, Swartkrans, Kromdraai and Environs, known as Cradle of Humankind was declared a World Heritage Site (WHS) together with Robben Island and the Greater St Lucia Wetland Park on December 2nd 1999 in Morocco. It was declared a WHS because of it’s outstanding universal value due to significant palaeo-anthropological and archaeological discoveries made within the twelve sites.

What is a World Heritage Site?

A World Heritage Site is an area that is deemed to have exceptional universal value. It is protected and preserved against threats of changing social and economic conditions and natural decay. The World Heritage Convention, a body established by UNESCO (United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation) is responsible for inscribing the chosen site. Once a site has been selected, it is included on the World Heritage site list and is protected for future generations against threats of damage caused by natural and mechanical conditions.

Benefits of Being a World Heritage Site

Being designated as a World Heritage Site brings substantial environmental benefits to the Cradle of Humankind. This recognition underscores the global significance of the area’s unique biodiversity and geological features, ensuring enhanced protection and conservation efforts. It enables access to international expertise and resources for ecological preservation, helping to maintain delicate ecosystems and protect endangered species. This status also encourages sustainable tourism practices, balancing visitor interest with environmental stewardship. The financial and technical support from the World Heritage Fund is instrumental in implementing advanced conservation techniques and promoting environmental education and awareness. Emergency assistance from the fund is crucial for addressing environmental threats swiftly, preserving the site’s natural integrity. The Cradle of Humankind joins other illustrious sites in this regard, like the Amazon Rainforest and the Great Barrier Reef, known for their rich biodiversity and ecological significance. These efforts not only safeguard the area’s natural heritage but also contribute to the global mission of preserving Earth’s irreplaceable natural treasures for future generations.

What the Scientists Have Found

The Cradle of Humankind, a World Heritage Site, is renowned for its exceptional paleo-anthropological discoveries, shedding light on early human evolution. This area has yielded over 1,000 hominid fossils, including the famous Australopithecus africanus “Mrs. Ples” and the nearly complete Australopithecus sediba skeleton, “Karabo.” Recent excavations have uncovered a new species, Homo naledi, in the Rising Star Cave system, challenging existing theories about human ancestry. These findings provide critical insights into the physical and cultural development of humankind. The region’s rich fossil record extends beyond human ancestors, including diverse animal species, offering a window into the environmental conditions of our early predecessors. Research in this area continues to evolve, with ongoing excavations and studies contributing to our understanding of human origins. The Gauteng Department of Agriculture, Conservation, and Environment plays a pivotal role in preserving this site and supporting scientific research while ensuring sustainable tourism and community involvement.

Why the Cradle of Humankind?

The Cradle of Humankind is unique in that since 1947, there have been great scientific discoveries, which have been a breakthrough in the search for the origins of humankind. These include a 3,3 million year old ancestor of humankind, stone tools dating back some 2 million years and the world’s most perfect pre-human skull ever found- affectionately known as Mrs Ples.

There are 15 explored sites within the Cradle of Humankind area:

• Sterkfontein Caves
• Plovers Lake
• Makapans Valley
• Taung fossil site
• Rising Star Cave

The Fossil Hominid Sites of Sterkfontein, Swartkrans, Kromdraai and Environs, known as Cradle of Humankind was declared a World Heritage Site (WHS) together with Robben Island and the Greater St Lucia Wetland Park on December 02nd 1999 in Morocco. It was declared a WHS because of it’s outstanding universal value due to significant palaeo-anthropological and archaeological discoveries made within the twelve sites.

Key Discoveries in the Cradle of Humankind

• Sterkfontein – Site of the famous “Mrs. Ples,” an Australopithecus africanus skull now estimated to be between 3.4 and 3.7 million years old, challenging earlier dating estimates.
• Bolt’s Farm – Known for discoveries of microfauna fossils that are more than 4.5 million years old.
• Swartkrans – Renowned for evidence of the earliest known deliberate use of fire by hominins, dating to around 1.3 million years ago.
• Coopers B – Site where a face specimen of a robust ape-man was found.
• Kromdraai – The first specimen of a robust ape-man was discovered here in 1938.
• Minnaars – Recognized as a potential site for finding hominid fossils.
• Plover’s Lake – Noted for abundant faunal remains that are around one million years old.
• Wondercave – Known for ongoing excavations that are yielding interesting fossils.
• Drimolen – A newer fossil hominid site, with discoveries including 30 specimens of robust ape-men.
• Gladysvale – Site with findings of hominids, fauna, and plant remains up to 3 million years old.
• Haasgat – Known for fossils of early forest-dwelling monkeys dating back to around 2.8 million years ago.
• Gondolin – Over 90,000 fossil specimens have been discovered here since 1979.
• Makapans Valley – An important site for a wide range of archaeological and paleontological studies, though no specific recent updates are available.
• Taung – Famous for the Taung Child, an Australopithecus africanus, whose recent analyses suggest its skull and brain development were not as human-like as previously thought.
• Rising Star Cave – The discovery site of Homo naledi, known for its unique mix of humanlike and primitive features, and recent evidence suggests possible controlled use of fire.

Tourism and a World Heritage Site

Tourism plays a pivotal role in the Cradle of Humankind’s status as a World Heritage Site, attracting both national and international visitors drawn to its rich anthropological and natural heritage. The influx of tourists significantly boosts the local economy, creating job opportunities and fostering economic development in the surrounding communities. In addition to the economic advantages, there is a collective duty shared by the local community, South Africans, and tourists alike to safeguard and cherish this unique site. Visitors are encouraged to engage responsibly with the area by adhering to these guidelines:

• Respecting the natural environment and keeping the site clean.
• Following all rules and guidelines at various attractions within the site.
• Preventing bushfires by avoiding negligent actions.
• Refraining from collecting or damaging fossils, flora, and fauna.
• Contributing to the protection of endangered species in the region.
• Making their visit both educational and enjoyable, while encouraging others to experience and learn from this remarkable site.

These practices ensure that the Cradle of Humankind remains a well-preserved and enlightening destination for future generations, while simultaneously contributing to the local and national economy through sustainable tourism.

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Destinations , Johannesburg , south africa

Destination guide to the cradle of humankind – south africa.

Where do humans come from? I guess it is one of the most asked questions in the world. When I speak to Rosie, I talk about the grandparents of the grandparents and then about 1.000 times, those were the grandparents for everyone in the world and they lived in Africa and were brown people!

Visiting the Cradle of Humankind had been on my bucket list for a while. I really wanted to visit it with Rosie before we are leaving South Africa by the end of 2020. As you know being a single parent hasn’t stopped me from traveling AT ALL. If anything, it has made me even more aware of what I would like to experience and how I can include educational experiences for my daughter Rosie while we travel the world as a single parent family.

I really take ANY opportunity to travel as a single parent and I’m always open to have other parents join and turn it into a Solo Parent Adventure. In 2019 we did many local trips so far and we popped into Mozambique to swim with dolphins too!

This time our friend Pfungwa who lives in Johannesburg joined us. It was great to experience this together with her and to discuss what we learned afterwards. My heart was so full at the end of the day. It really was a very special time.

Introduction to The Cradle of Humankind and why visiting is important

The Cradle of Humankind is a showcase for the origin of humanity and I find it so important that we truly understand that we all find our ancestors in Africa. It is something for Rosie to understand which will make her feel stronger when people talk about our different skin colors and sometimes ask her not-so-nice questions. It is something that is on my mind all the time: how to best support Rosie in this journey of trans-racial adoption by a single white mother who tries her best but of course makes tons of mistakes. To make sure there is representation and role models for Rosie is one of the most important things I find.

Visiting the Cradle of Humankind would hopefully put a lot of things in perspective for her. I really feel I must take every single opportunity to make sure that she starts to understand that she is equal to anyone else, that yes we are all unique but we all share the same ancestors and they originate in Africa. Many situations and many people will try to make her belief differently and it is up to me to make sure she develops a healthy self-esteem.

I HAVE to teach and show her the de-colonized version of history and visiting the Cradle of Humankind was an important step in that part of her education. I really don’t know if our visit was too early but I just had to take her before the end of the year when we fly out to The Netherlands to continue our lives there. Moving from the most unequal country in the world to one of the most equal countries in the world is also a very conscious decision and hopefully Rosie will understand later in live why this was the best choice for us at this time in our lives.

What is the Cradle of Humankind?

The Cradle of Humankind is one of the UNESCO World Heritage sites in South Africa. It was declared a World Heritage site in 1999 in recognition of the extraordinary fossel evidence of human ancestry which have been discovered here, including Mrs Ples (which turns out to be a Mr..we learned during our excellent guided tour of the Sterkfontein Caves) and Littlefoot.

In the last decade, the site has produced two species which were completely new to science, namely Australopithecus sediba and Homo naledi.

Did you know that South Africa has now produced almost half of the world’s fossils of early pre-humans and their relatives? How amazing is that! So you HAVE to visit the Cradle of Humankind and trace back you ancestors to Africa.

The public can visit the Sterkfontein Caves and about 15 km further there is the Maropeng Visitor Centre which houses a superb interactive exhibition which includes a boat ride through the elements. Here you can easily spend the entire day learning, listening, experiencing and understanding humanity.

“Africa has given the world humanity and that is no small thing”, Prof. Philip Tobias

Where is the Cradle of Humankind?

The Cradle of Humankind is in close proximity to Johannesburg so it is best visited when you’re staying in Johannesburg. It is located between Lanseria, Oaktree, Hekpoort and Broederstroom which doesn’t mean that much to international visitors so I would just say it is about an hour’s drive from Johannesburg near Magaliesburg.

We usually stay in Melville when we visit Johannesburg so see below a map of driving direction from Pablo House Guesthouse in Melville and then also back to OR Tambo International Airport, Johanensburg. If you would like to make a booking for Pablo House, click HERE

Johannesburg is such a big city, distances always totally confuse me so I usually just Uber around but you could also just contact me in case you would like to visit the Cradle of Humankind so that I can hook you up with a knowledgeable local guide based out of Jo’burg or Pretoria. To Uber to The Cradle of Humankind would be way too far and get a bit pricey.

Self-drive of course is  possible. You can contact me HERE for car rentals and for booking an accredited South African Tourist Guide.

How to plan a visit to the Cradle of Humankind?

Although I looked at maps and tried to find blogposts and articles I didn’t really have a clue of what we were going to visit and what was the best way to do it. We figured it out en route so it is great that we can share it now with our readers so that you can go a bit more prepared when you intend to visit the Cradle of Humankind.

The Cradle of Humankind is really a very easy place to visit, it is very well laid out and it is partly accessible for disabled people too. Roads are all normal tarred roads and there are big parking areas to park your car.

We headed out from Melville, Johannesburg at about 9h30 and then arrived at the Sterkfontein Caves Visitors Centre at about 10h45 which was perfect timing because now we could join the 11h00 tour of the Sterkfontein caves.

The site is situated very near to Lanseria Airport so in case you’re flying in from anywhere in South Africa, you should fly into Lanseria and then rent a car from there. If you need any help with this, just contact me HERE.

I have to be honest, that the signposting COULD have been a bit better and more clear. When you travel on your GPS, don’t just put in Cradle of Humankind but put in: Sterkfontein Caves and then Maropeng Visitor’s Centre for the 2 nd site. The sites are about 15km away from each other.

Our day at the Cradle of Humankind starting off with the Sterkfontein Caves

We were fortunate that a tour of the caves was starting at 11am. We decided to buy a combined ticket for both Sterkfontein Caves and the Maropeng Visitor’s Centre which was ZAR 190 per adult and ZAR125 for kids up to 14 years old (August 2019). The tickets can also be bought online through www.webtickets.co.za and they’re sold at the same price.

We started off with a guided tour of the Sterkfontein Caves. We were so happy to see so many local tourists. Really lots of taxis, busses and cars to come and visit and learn about their heritage by visiting the Cradle of Humankind

They did check if we might have asthma because you go down about 130 steps into the caves and then you also have to climb out of them again of course. Rosie does have asthma so I got a bit worried but then I decided that we would just take it slow. It was a first time for her to visit caves. She was now also getting very excited about going into the Sterkfontein Caves. As always she had TONS of questions of which I only could answer a few LOL.

It turned out that because of the size of the group, the pace was really slow and the steps were not very steep but very gradual. There IS a part which might be an issue for people who suffer from claustrophobia as you need to hunch down and then crawl a little underneath the rocks. However, it is not very narrow, there’s enough space, it is just very low. The guide will help you.

I estimate we were a group of about 35 people and 1 guide. He was extremely good and was very aware of the size of the group, always waiting to make sure everybody could hear. He was super knowledgeable about the caves and could respond to many questions. Clearly passionate about his job too!  I would love to hear an audio about the tour again to go through all the facts again as it was SO much knowledge to take in that of course I could not remember it all.

Lunch time at the Cradle of Humankind – Sterkfontein Caves

The guided tour took about 1.5 hrs after which we of course were hungry. The visitor centre has a lovely restaurant and the menu is really fantastic value for money. We enjoyed a delicious wrap with chicken and pine apple and crispy brown fries for as little as ZAR45 which is a bit more than USD3. The waiter was really amazingly fast and super friendly. We watched him handle a couple of very insistent and almost rude tourists and he just kept his calm. Lunch was great. Now it was time to head out and find the Maropeng Visitor’s Centre. Sorry no pictures as we were HANGRY!

Visiting the Maropeng Visitor’s Centre, our 2nd stop in the Cradle of Humankind

Keep your wristband that your were given at the Sterkfontein Caves and now head out to the Maropeng Visitor’s Centre which is quite an iconic building which you might have seen in pictures. We forgot and took our wristbands off but luckily we had still kept the receipt which then also allowed us entrance to the centre. Really all staff we came across that day was friendly, helpful and just happy to be there.

So then we headed to the main building. When you arrive, you don’t really see much. Just a big entry hall with some displays about Water, Air, Fire and Earth. Then the security guard mentioned that we would have to go downstairs to continue our journey and so we did and boy WHAT AN INCREDIBLE journey it was. It is one of the best educational centres / museums / historical sites I’ve ever visited and I was so happy to share it with Rosie and Pfungwa.

We stepped through history from how the world came to be and where it is now and where humans are now. It is a super interactive exposition so it is absolutely fantastic to bring your children and let them just freely run around and learn while they play. Both adults and children had a wonderful time and it felt so great to share this first introduction to the Cradle of Humankind with so many families who were all learning the entire day.

There’s also a surprise boat ride which takes you through the different elements. The entire centre is wheel chair friendly and can be enjoyed by everyone. You can book your stay at the Cradle Boutique Hotel and stay in the iconic building. Contact us for rates and bookings.

Jessy Lipperts

Jessy has over 15 years of experience in the travel industry. She completed a post-graduate at Harvard University Extension School in  Sustainable Management of Tourism Destinations and is currently enrolled in a transformational leadership program which offers a creative solution to the education crisis in South Africa. Jessy is the proud mother of Rosie and together they love to design and go on solo parent adventures. They currently live in Cape Town, South Africa.

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Vibrant culture

The cradle of humankind: the world’s richest hominim site.

D D riving through the grasslands, an hour outside the city of Johannesburg, an expansive territory (47 000 hectares), filled with limestone caves and fossil sites, has been named the Cradle of Humankind . The Cradle, so named because it was the earliest area in which evidence of our ape-like ancestors were discovered, was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999. Through UNESCO the Cradle is additionally known as the Fossil Hominid Sites of South Africa, and includes sites within Gauteng and the North West provinces of the country, dated to between 4.5 and 1 million years ago.

Touring through the yellow grasses, scattered with patches of dense bush, it is possible to imagine small hominins (our ancestors and cousins since our last common ancestor with chimpanzees) navigating the landscape. But do not be fooled into thinking that the little hominin was safe: hyenas, eagles and other carnivores used to be abundant in this area, and the limestone caves, pock-marking the earth with hidden holes, are easy to fall into.

These treacherous caves have allowed for the preservation of these hominins, as well as the animals that lived with them, cementing them in hardened rock known as breccia. Today, palaeoanthropologists who study these ancient ape-like humans, are slowly excavating through the hardened rock within these caves, uncovering the secrets of our evolution. With more than three dozen excavated sites in the region, and over 850 fossil hominin remains of multiple species, the region is one of the most abundant human fossil sites in the world.

Dozens of sites have been excavated in this region, yielding evidence from at least five hominin ancestors and cousins; from the ape-like Australopiths, to the older members of our own genus, Homo. Dozens more have been identified, yet remain untouched by researchers for the time being. The Cradle has also yielded the remains of cousins to the Australopiths, Paranthropus robustus: an ape-like hominin with large teeth and chewing muscles for eating hard, fibrous foods. Notable famous sites include Swartkrans, Drimolen, Kromdraai, Gondolin (where the largest ever hominin tooth was discovered) and others.

T T he earliest discovery of a fossil hominin in South Africa was that of a small ape-like child, discovered in 1924 in what is now known as the Taung Skull Fossil Site. It’s possible for local and international researchers and tourists alike to visit Sterkfontein, the site of the earliest discovery of an adult Australopithecus africanus, nicknamed Mrs Ples. The site has proven incredibly abundant, producing fossils of many hominins and associated animals, dated to between 3 and 1.5 million years ago. A journey through a portion of these dark, expansive cave systems, led by knowledgeable tour guides divulging its geological and historical secrets, is well worth a visit.

Two recent finds have stimulated renewed scientific and public interest in the Cradle. In 2008, the fossil bones of two individuals of the newly named Australopithecus sediba were discovered at the site of Malapa. In 2013, excavations in the Rising Star Cave System near the Cradle, conducted by a team led by Lee Berger, was filmed by National Geographic, stimulating both national and international enthusiasm. The hominin fossils uncovered at Rising Star were also of a new species, Homo naledi, which appears to have lived recently, relative to other hominins in the region (300 000 years ago).

The researchers hypothesise that, despite having a small brain, Homo naledi appeared to dispose of their dead in these cave systems, a type of burial considered incredibly sophisticated and only being attributed to members of our own species. These discoveries are unearthing the intricate and complex nature of our evolution and our bushy family tree.

F F or those wishing to learn about the Cradle and human evolution in a family-oriented setting, Maropeng is the official visitor centre of the region. Maropeng, meaning “returning to the place of origin” in Setswana, celebrates our evolution, welcoming visitors from all over the world. Drive up to the dome-shaped, grass-covered centre, and take a tour through our shared history and prehistory, designed with interactive tools and features. Maropeng has a hotel, conference centre, restaurants and shops, making it a perfect getaway for professional events or an informative, yet luxurious holiday.

The Cradle has so much to offer us, scientifically and spiritually. We have a unique connection to the  region through our shared heritage. Yet these sites are not only relics of an ancient past. They are active, constantly yielding new discoveries and promoting greater understanding about humankind.

A A bout the author  

Kerryn Warren has a PhD in archaeology and is currently working as a data scientist at the South African Environmental Observation Network (SAEON). Later this year she will continue as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Cape Town where she will pursue research in human evolution, outreach and teaching. She is passionate about science communication, having won the national Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition in Science and Technology, and having placed second in the SAASTA Young Communicators competition in the Audio category (both 2017).

Co-author 

Nomawethu Hlazo is a student at the UCT, currently undergoing her doctoral degree. She completed her undergraduate degree in biochemistry and archaeology.

Since then her postgraduate studies have focused on the genus Paranthropus and the variation that exists between and within species. Following the fossil species, she has concentrated on the study of geometric morphometrics and will follow new techniques such as paleoproteomics to investigate not only shape change, but contributions of evolutionary processes and ecological niches occupied by the genus Paranthropus. Since the start of her research with Paranthropus, she has worked at several sites, not only in the Cradle of Humankind but in Kenya too. After completion of her Masters she has been able to show the contributions of both natural selection and genetic drift, and their roles in shaping Paranthropus craniomandibular variation.

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Full Day Cradle of Humankind Day Tour

The Cradle of Humankind is a World Heritage Site that is home to some of the most important paleontological discoveries ever made.

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Guests are met at any location of their choice in either Johannesburg or Pretoria from where we make our way to the Cradle of Humankind. This 47 000 hectare area is situated some 50km northwest of Johannesburg. The Cradle of Humankind is a World Heritage Site which came to global prominence in 1947 when Dr. Robert Broom excavated the now famous "Mrs Ples", one of the most important paleontological discoveries ever made. The fossil, which is estimated to be 2.3 million years old, was discovered at the Sterkfontein Caves, the most significant of the 13 excavation sites found at the Cradle of Humankind.

The day tour is devoted to exploring the Sterkfontein Caves and the insightful Maropeng Visitor Center in the company of your experienced guide. During the late afternoon, the tour makes its way back to Pretoria or Johannesburg where guests are dropped off at any location of their choice.

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