If the Cradle of Humankind has a centre, this is it. The Sterkfontein Caves are a system of dolomite caverns about 10 km from Maropeng and 50 km north-west of Johannesburg, and they have yielded more early hominin fossils than any other single site in the world. Lime miners began blasting here in the 1890s; scientists followed in the 1930s, and excavation has continued almost without a break ever since.
Two finds made the caves famous. In 1947 Robert Broom and John Robinson uncovered the near-complete skull of an adult Australopithecus africanus that the press nicknamed Mrs Ples. Then, in the 1990s, Ron Clarke recognised four small foot bones in a box of animal fossils, sent his assistants back into the Silberberg Grotto with a hand-held lamp — and found the rest of the skeleton still locked in the rock. Little Foot took some twenty years to free and is the most complete australopithecine skeleton ever found.
Important: the caves closed to visitors in late 2022 after flooding and safety concerns and reopened in April 2025 under the management of the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits), with a refreshed visitor experience. Opening days, tour times and prices have changed more than once, so always confirm the current status before you travel or book a tour that includes the cave.
Top things to do: Sterkfontein Caves
Take the guided cave tour
Visits underground are by guided tour only, in small groups, and last about an hour. You descend a long flight of steps into the main chambers, pass an underground lake and see the areas where the miners and later the palaeontologists worked. Expect well over a hundred steps each way and one or two low, narrow passages where you must stoop — it is not suitable for anyone with claustrophobia, serious knee or back problems, or a pushchair.
Meet Mrs Ples and Little Foot
The site museum explains what was found where and why it matters. Mrs Ples is usually dated to somewhere over two million years old; Little Foot has been dated by one method to about 3.67 million years, which would make it older than Ethiopia’s famous Lucy, though the dating is still debated. The original fossils are kept in the vault at Wits in Johannesburg and go on public display only occasionally — what you normally see are high-quality casts.
Walk the excavation boardwalk
Above ground, a walkway loops over the open excavation where the roof of the cave eroded away long ago. This is where most of the Australopithecus africanus fossils — more than 500 hominin specimens — and thousands of animal bones and stone tools came out of the breccia. Researchers are often at work here on weekdays.
Combine it with Maropeng
Sterkfontein is the place of discovery; Maropeng, ten minutes’ drive away, is the place of explanation. Almost every guided tour from Johannesburg pairs the two, and doing both takes about four to five hours including the drive between them.
How to get to Sterkfontein Caves
- By car: about 50 km and roughly an hour from Sandton or central Johannesburg via the N14 or the R28 and the R563 (Hekpoort Road); the turn-off is signposted. From Pretoria allow 60–75 minutes. Parking is on site.
- By tour: there is no public transport to the caves. A half-day tour with hotel pickup is the simplest option — see our best tours.
- By taxi app: ride-hailing will get you there from Johannesburg, but drivers are scarce for the return, so arrange a driver who waits. See getting there.
Insider tips
- At the time of writing the caves were open Tuesday to Sunday from about 9:00 to 16:00, closed on Mondays, with the last tour around 15:00 — verify before you go, and pre-book online in school holidays and at weekends.
- Wear closed shoes with grip. The steps can be damp and the rock is uneven.
- The cave stays at around 16–18 °C all year — pleasantly cool in summer, mild in winter. A light layer is enough.
- Go early. The first tours of the day are the quietest, and summer thunderstorms usually build in the afternoon.
- Children are welcome, but they need to manage the stairs on their own; there is no lift.
Best tours: Sterkfontein Caves
These top-rated experiences are the easiest way to see Sterkfontein Caves:
Guided tour from €113 Johannesburg: Cradle of Humankind Guided Tour with Transfers
The best-reviewed dedicated Cradle tour on GetYourGuide. A guide collects you in Johannesburg, drives you out to the World Heritage Site and walks you through the story of human origins at Maropeng and, when tours are running, down into the Sterkfontein Caves. Back in the city by early afternoon.
- Hotel pickup and drop-off in Johannesburg
- Maropeng exhibition and underground boat ride
- Sterkfontein Caves when open to visitors
Small-group tour from €97 Pretoria/Sandton: Cradle of Humankind & Sterkfontein Caves
A flexible small-group tour that picks up in both Sandton and Pretoria — handy because few Cradle tours start from the capital. You visit the UNESCO-listed fossil sites with a guide who explains what was found where, with time for the cave tour and the visitor centre depending on the option chosen.
- Pickup from Sandton, Johannesburg or Pretoria
- Small group with a local guide
- Half-day or longer options
Half-day tour from €123 Cradle of Humankind and Sterkfontein Caves Half-Day Tour
A long-running half-day tour built around Sterkfontein, the cave system that has produced more early hominin fossils than any other single site. A good choice if the cave is your priority; check the latest notes on the listing, as cave access depends on the site’s current opening days.
- Focus on the Sterkfontein Caves
- Morning or afternoon departures
- Hotel transfers included
Guided tour from €104 From Johannesburg: Cradle of Humankind Tour
A seven-hour version of the Cradle tour for people who do not want to rush. There is time for the cave tour, the exhibitions at both sites and a lunch stop, with a guide to explain how Mrs Ples, Little Foot and Homo naledi fit into the human family tree.
- A longer, unhurried day at the fossil sites
- Sterkfontein Caves and Maropeng
- Hotel pickup included
