Cradle of Humankind and Maropeng Day Tour from Johannesburg

From $149.33 per person Lowest Price Guarantee

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Senior (60-99) Minimum: 0, Maximum: 7

Adult (21-59) Minimum: 1, Maximum: 7

Youth (14-20) Minimum: 0, Maximum: 7

Child (6-13) Minimum: 0, Maximum: 7

Infant (0-5) Minimum: 0, Maximum: 7

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Free Cancellation For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

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Inclusions / Exclusions

Mobile ticket
Offered in: English, French
Driver/guide
Use of helmet
Transport by air-conditioned minivan
Hotel/port pickup and drop-off

Food and drinks
Gratuities
Souvenir photos (available to purchase)
Lunch
Driver/Guide Tips

Overview

Depart from your hotel in Johannesburg to The Cradle of Humankind and Maropeng to discover many hominid and other animal fossils, dating back more than 4-million years, to the birth of humanity. The most important and most famous of these fossils are “Mrs Ples”, a 2.1-million-year-old Australopithecus skull, and “Little Foot”, an almost complete Australopithecus skeleton that is more than 3-million years old. These fossils, both found in the Sterkfontein Caves in the Cradle of Humankind, tell us much about the precursors of modern humans, Homo sapiens. With a Guide, you will be able to go underground tour. The scientific exhibition centre showcases a reconstruction of a mined cave (versus a pristine cave), cave formations and geology, early life forms, mammals and hominid fossils. It describes in detail important finds such as “Mrs Ples”, the “Taung Child” and “Little Foot”, as well as providing information about fossilization, palaeobotany and landscapes. People also book Soweto Tour

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Garden Court Sandton City Cnr. West and Maude Streets, , Sandton, South Africa, ZA, 2196
Holiday Inn Johannesburg Airport, an IHG Hotel 100 North Rand Road, Bardene, Boksburg East Rand, Boksburg, South Africa, ZA, 1462
InterContinental Johannesburg O.R.Tambo Airport, an IHG hotel Opposite Int'L Arrivals Hall, O.r. Tambo International Airport Kempton Park, Kempton Park, South Africa, ZA, 1619
Johannesburg Intl Airport Johannesburg, South Africa, ZA
Nh Johannesburg Sandton 138 Rivonia Road, Sandton, South Africa, ZA, 2196
Rosebank Lodge Guest House 75 Rutland Road, Just off the corner of Oxford Rd, Rosebank, Johannesburg, South Africa, ZA, 2193
Sun International 6 Sandown Valley Crescent, Sandton, South Africa, ZA, 2196
The Maslow Hotel Corner Grayston Drive & Rivonia Road, Sandton, South Africa, ZA, 2146

Pickup details

If your hotel is not located into 30km from OR Tambo International Airport or is not mentioned on the list above, kindly contact us before making any booking. ... Read more ▼

Itinerary

Sterkfontein Cave

Enjoy your complimentary hotel pick-up from Johannesburg hotel before heading to the The Cradle of Humankind - declared a World Heritage site in 1999 , a 47 000 - hectares area in the western part of Gauteng Province with around 40 different fossil sites where several of the world's most famous and important fossils have been discovered. With your guide, you will enjoy a drive of 2:30 hour drive, seeing scenery mountains along the road before you arrive at the site. Upon arrival you will be briefed by a site guide and taken underground for a visit Conclude your tour back in Johannesburg.

30 minutes
The Cradle of Humankind

Enjoy your complimentary hotel pick-up from Johannesburg hotel before heading to the The Cradle of Humankind - declared a World Heritage site in 1999 , a 47 000 - hectares area in the western part of Gauteng Province with around 40 different fossil sites where several of the world's most famous and important fossils have been discovered. With your guide, you will enjoy a drive of 2:30 hour drive, seeing scenery mountains along the road before you arrive at the site. Upon arrival you will be briefed by a site guide and taken underground for a visit Conclude your tour back in Johannesburg.

3 hours

Additional Info

Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
Not recommended for pregnant travelers
Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
Wheelchair accessible
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
Children must be accompanied by an adult
May be operated by a multi-lingual guide

Free Cancellation

April 25100% refund

April 26No refund

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Reviews

3.5

4 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

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We had a great experience touring New York City with Jonathan. He's a great tour guide and he made it very memorable and enjoyable. The tour was also super informative and I'm glad to have had a great tour guide during my visit in NYC. Would definitely recommend this tour to anyone looking for a tour her We had a great experience touring New York City with Jonathan. He's a great tour guide and he made it very memorable and enjoyable. The tour was also super informative and I'm glad to have had a great tour guide during my visit in NYC. Would definitely recommend this tour to anyone looking for a tour her We had a great experience touring New York City with Jonathan. He's a great tour guide and he made it very memorable and enjoyable. The tour was also super informative and I'm glad to have had a great tour guide during my visit in NYC. Would definitely recommend this tour to anyone looking for a tour her We had a great experience touring New York City with Jonathan. He's a great tour guide and he made it very memorable and enjoyable. The tour was also super informative and I'm glad to have had a great tour guide during my visit in NYC. Would definitely recommend this tour to anyone looking for a tour her We had a great experience touring New York City with Jonathan. He's a great tour guide and he made it very memorable and enjoyable. The tour was also super informative and I'm glad to have had a great tour guide during my visit in NYC. Would definitely recommend this tour to anyone looking for a tour her We had a great experience touring New York City with Jonathan. He's a great tour guide and he made it very memorable and enjoyable. The tour was also super informative and I'm glad to have had a great tour guide during my visit in NYC. Would definitely recommend this tour to anyone looking for a tour her

Reviews by TravelOne travelers

Showing 1-1 of 1 reviews with 5 stars

A World Heritage site like no other!

Published on Aug, 2018

We were a day early in Johannesberg for our Vantage tour -The best of Africa- and the tour director suggested we go there. It was an extra but we are so glad we did! We started at the beginning of the earth as a planet and got a quick history lesson -starting with the big bang. The big draw however is seeing a unique area that had been discovered there- the first ever evidence of a hominid multi- family burial ground in caves that were created 2.3 billion years ago. We had to don orange meta hats and crawl through some of the areas but it was a place like none other we had ever visited, This is the area the human species began! When we reached the cave where the discovery was made we could not believe how present day scientists entered it! . Once the discovery was made they needed to recruit small thin young women who were able to remove the fossils from the site in order to be studied. After the caves, a second museum area added to our knowledge beginning with the first forms of life after the big bang .Looking in on scientists studying these bones and seeing ancient skeletons fully assembled was amazing! Recently we saw a Nova episode on Netflix that showed how the excavation began. I'd urge anyone who is starting a safari in Johannesberg to go a day ahead and take this tour.It also helps with jet lag to be early. The animals and scenery on Safari are wonderful but this trip brings you back to our beginnings! Thanks again to our Vantage Tour director Keith Martyn for suggesting it and arranging for transportation

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