South Africa guide › South Africa's cities, history and culture
How do I visit the Cradle of Humankind?
The Cradle of Humankind is an easy half-day trip from Johannesburg, about an hour's drive north-west: combine a guided tour of the Sterkfontein Caves with the Maropeng visitor centre. Each costs R150 (about US$9) per adult.
These limestone hills and dry grasslands have yielded a large share of the world's known australopithecine fossils. Sterkfontein produced "Mrs Ples", a skull around two million years old, and later "Little Foot", an almost complete skeleton. The area has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1999.
What you'll see:
- The Sterkfontein Caves: a small museum, the lab where fossils are cleaned out of the rock, then a guided descent into the cave. They reopened in April 2025 after a two-year closure caused by flooding and are now run by the University of the Witwatersrand.
- Maropeng, about 9 miles (15 km) away: an interactive centre on human evolution beneath a huge grassy mound, very accessible for families.
Practical info. Sterkfontein is open Tuesday to Sunday, 9am to 4pm, closed on Mondays; the cave tour lasts about an hour, with steps, low passages where you have to stoop and a few tight spots, so it's not for the claustrophobic or anyone with limited mobility. Maropeng opens daily, 9am to 4pm. Tickets are sold online or at the gate. Without a car, join a half-day tour from Johannesburg or Pretoria.
Further afield. The Taung Child, the first australopithecine ever described (1924), was found at Taung in North West Province, several hours' drive away: the site belongs to the same World Heritage listing but is only for the truly keen.
Verdict: a fascinating outing, quite unlike the rest of a South African trip, that slots neatly into a stay in Johannesburg. If you only have time for one site, choose Sterkfontein: it's where the fossils were actually found.
Tip: go on a weekday and early: school groups fill Maropeng by late morning, and the first cave tours are the quietest.
Information checked in November 2026; confirm before you travel.