Covering an area of more than 47,000 hectares, the Cradle of
Humankind contains a series of limestone caves from which prehistoric
fossils have been found throughout the years. It is a veritable treasure
trove for paleoanthropologists, as well as one of the most fascinating
tourist sites in South Africa.
Location and How to Get There
The Cradle of Humankind is located in Gauteng, one of the 9 provinces
of the Republic of South Africa. It is approximately 50 km northwest of
South Africa’s largest city, Johannesburg. One of the Cradle’s sites,
the Sterkfontein Caves, is only a 1-hour drive away from Johannesburg
and the city of Pretoria.
What to See There
There are over 3-dozen caves in the Cradle of Humankind, only 2 of
which are open to the public. One of these is the Sterkfontein Caves,
from whence was discovered “Mrs. Ples,” (short for Plesianthropus
transvaalensis), the nearly complete skull of a female adult
Australopithecus africanus. The caves are also famous for the discovery
of the fossil hominin skeleton “Little Foot.” The Sterkfontein Caves is
host to a scientific exhibition center delving into such varied but
related topics as hominid fossils, prehistoric life forms, geology, and
cave formations.
Guided tours are conducted into the caves every 30 minutes, 7 days a
week. There is also a restaurant where tourists can relax either before
or after a tour. The other one of the Cradle’s caves that is accessible
to the public is the 2.2 billion year-old Wonder Cave in Kromdraai. The
country’s 3rd largest cave chamber, it is 125 meters long, 154 meters
wide, 60 meters deep, and has an area of 46,000 sq m. The Wonder Cave
boasts of approximately 14 stalagmite and stalactite formations that
grow up to a height of 15 meters.
History
The Cradle of Humankind earned its name due to the large number of
hominid fossils (more than 850) that have been discovered there, some of
which date from as far back as 3.5 million years in the past. The
Sterkfontein Caves alone has yielded 1/3 of the earliest hominid fossils
ever discovered. Robert Bloom first found ape-man fossils in these
caves back in 1935. “Mrs. Ples” was discovered in 1947, while “Little
Foot” was found and pieced together from 1994 to 1998. The world’s
longest continuous fossil excavations were first conducted in
Sterkfontein by Phillip Tobias in 1966, and continue up to now. The
Cradle of Humankind was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999.
Cost
The admission fees for the Sterkfontein Caves are R120 for adults,
R70 for children ages 4 to 14, and R80 for pensioners and students.
Children under the age of 4 can get in for free.
Other Info
The Sterkfontein Caves is open from 9 AM to 5 PM, with the last tour
departing at 4 PM. For more information, log on to www.maropeng.co.za.
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