Cradle of Humankind and Lesedi Village

Activity Description

Explore the Cradle of Humankind and Lesedi Village on a guided tour. See the Unesco World Heritage Site and learn about human ancestral remains, the discovery of fossils and learn out S A culture and dance.
The Cradle of Humankind is a paleoanthropological site and is located about 50 km (31 mi) northwest of Johannesburg, South Africa, in the Gauteng province. Declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1999, the site is home to the largest concentration of human ancestral remains anywhere in the world. The site currently occupies 47,000 hectares (180 sq mi)⁶ and contains a complex system of limestone caves. The registered name of the site in the list of World Heritage Sites is fossil human hominid sites South africa

The Sterkfontein Caves were the site of the discovery of a 2.3-million-year-old fossil Australopithecus africanus (nicknamed “Mrs. Ples”), found in 1947 by Robert Broom and John T. Robinson. The find helped corroborate the 1924 discovery of the juvenile Australopithecus africanus skull known as the “Taung Child”, by Raymond Dart, at Taung in the North West Province of South Africa, where excavations still continue.

The Maropeng Visitor Centre is an award-winning, world-class exhibition, focusing on the development of humans and our ancestors over the past few million years.

Take a journey through time, starting with the formation of the planet and moving all the way through the evolutionary processes that culminated in the world as we know it today.

Choose to visit the Lesedi Cultural Village and discover South Africa’s unique and beautiful culture. Learn about the country’s 4 main ethnic groups through dance and more.