Johannesburg Attractions
Exhibition at the Maropeng Visitor Centre © thomas_sly
Cradle of Humankind and Maropeng Visitor Centre
The Cradle of Humankind is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and
contains a complex of dolimitic limestone caves, including the
Sterkfontein Caves, where the fossil,
Australopithecus
africanus (nicknamed Mrs. Ples) was found in 1947 by Dr Robert
Broom and John Robinson. 'Mrs Ples' is estimated to be between 2.6
and 2.8 million years old and ranks high on the long list of
australopithecine discoveries for which Sterkfontein is now famous.
At present only the Sterkfontein Caves and the Wonder Cave are open
to the public. The Maropeng Visitor Centre is a stirring,
world-class exhibition space, focusing on the development of humans
and our ancestors and evolution over the past few million
years.
Website: www.maropeng.co.za;
Telephone: 011 956 6342 (Sterkfontein Cave); 011 957 0106 (Wonder Cave);
Opening time: Daily from 9am to 5pm;
Admission: R85. Combination ticket (Maropeng and Sterkfontein Caves) R130. Concession available.
