Cradle of Humankind

On route from the Palazzo Hotel to Sun City, we visit the Sterkfontein Caves portion of the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site. Here you will be taken on a guided tour of the caves and small Sterkfontein Museum. This unforgettable journey through human ancestry will last about 2 hours. A small cafeteria is available on site at Sterkfontein where light refreshments may be purchased.

The Cradle of Humankind is a World Heritage Site which has been nominated for the rich diversity of fossils found in the area which cast light on human ancestors and their relatives and the environments which they lived in. Most of the site is on dolomite, a rock type which is slightly soluble in water. This has two major consequences - the formation of caves and the formation of fossils.

There are currently over 200 caves on the site, with possibly more to be discovered. A range of other creatures which co-existed in the area include extinct animals such as short-necked giraffe, giant buffalo, giant hyena and several species of saber-toothed cats.

This fossil record provides important information about the early developments of our earliest forebears, the environment in which they lived, and our common ancestry pre dating and cutting across all human cultures and identities that exist on earth today.

The Sterkfontein Caves complex is the most famous of the Cradle of Humankind caves. Situated ±50km west of Johannesburg it is one of the world's richest hominid fossil site and produced the first adult Australopithecus africanus (Mrs Ples), and the first near-complete skeleton (Little Foot) of an early australopithecine (thought to be approx. from 4.17 million years ago)

The limestone deposit at the surface, from which the first fossils were recovered, was formed by the collapse and infilling of a cavern as it became exposed by erosion. Underlying the old quarry is an extensive system of younger caves containing an underground lake and many limestone formations, part of which is open to tourists.

Guided tours will take visitors deep into the magical caves. Along the journey the guides will impart the history and character of the caves and explain how the caves came to exist, detailing the rich fossil finds. Also at the caves is the Sterkfontein Museum where fossils can be viewed and more information is available.