Staying in Johannesburg, whether for business or pleasure, offers access to a great many culturally significant sites. One such site is the world famous Cradle of Humankind, a 180 square mile paleoanthropological site located just North West of Johannesburg.

The Cradle of Humankind was officially declared a World Heritage Site back in 1999 and is home to a system of limestone caves known as the Sterkfontein Caves. These caves are widely known due to the discovery of “Mrs. Ples” a 2.3 million-year old fossil of the Australopithecus africanus variety.

What can you do at The Cradle of Humankind?

Maropeng Visitor Centre

Learn all about the birth of mankind on your visit to the Maropeng Visitor Centre. Here you can enjoy an award winning exhibition which focuses on the development of human beings, including an underground boat ride and plenty of fossils for your viewing pleasure. This amazing exhibit is perfect for children as there are high levels of interactivity and a wealth of educational knowledge on offer.

Additionally, the Maropeng Visitor Centre handles conferencing, fine dining and group accommodation for schools in the form of the “Hominid House”.

The Sterkfontein Caves

Forming part of the Maropeng Visitor Centre is the Sterkfontein Cave complex. You can actually take a guided tour of the caves that will see you venturing deep into the depths of this historically important site, home of discoveries such as “Mrs. Ples” and “Little Foot” which both date back millions of years.

Open 6 days a week, the tours run every half an hour and combination tickets for the Maropeng Visitor Center and The Sterkfontein Caves are available.

Airport Liaison is the number one OR Tambo taxi service in Johannesburg, so pre book with us today and ensure that have reliable transportation upon arrival.