Cradle of Humankind In Johannesburg

Initiated in 1999, this place has seen several visitors and overseen a variety of changes, especially a major one in 2005, when the then President inaugurated new visiting centers for people to come in and observe. It is home for several endangered or extinct elsewhere birds and animals which can only be found in this humongous reserve. There are many other events here that make for a great experience for your family and more-so your children as they dive into the world of extinct fossils, bones and skeletal parts to check out what human history has been about.

Activities at Cradle of Humankind

The Maropeng’s Stone Park, Cradle Nature reserve, FlySawise ( A luxury flying service), Nirox Sculpture Park, Hot Air Ballooning, Souls Adventure Bat Caves tour, Plovers lake and many more are some of the most liked attractions here, but the stone Park and Sculpture Park take the spotlight as people mainly come ere to experience those two, along with the other ancient artifacts.

Maropeng

The official visitor center for Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site is Maropeng which through stories and spectacular methods tells the visitors about the origins and evolution of mankind. Maropeng is housed in an architectural structure called Tumulus that resembles an ancient burial mound. The exhibition which is the main hall of the Maropeng is covered with displays and games that tells the evolution of mankind in an illustrated manner.  The tour of Maropeng also tells the visitors to sustain the natural resources which are rapidly decreasing. The fossil display room lets the visitors witness the original dinosaur fossils and hominid and various other ancient artifacts.

Sterkfontein Caves

Sterkfontein Caves have immense importance and is a popular tourist place due to the fact that many hominid and animal fossils were discovered in these caves. Some of the iconic and amazing findings by the scientist here are 2.1 million years old Australopithecus skull called Mrs Ples, more than 3 million years old Australopithecus skeleton called Little Foot. It is advisable to wear comfy shoes while going for this tour and also people who are claustrophobic are advised not to go for this tour.

Wonder Cave

The Wonder Cave is located within the Cradle of Humankind and it is about 60 meters deep which is accessible by an elevator. In the 19th century, few miners who excavated and dynamited limestone discovered this cave. The cave is surrounded by farms rich in fauna.