South Africa Attractions

Venue: Sterkfontein Caves    When: Daily; not Mon

Visit the stamping ground of some of our oldest ancestors at the spectacular Sterkfontein Caves. With seriously old humanoid remains - including the skull known as "Mrs Ples", thought to be at least two million years old - this area of South Africa has become known as the "cradle of humankind" and has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Witwatersrand area is rich in underground spectacles and the Sterkfontein Caves are no exception. The entrance to the chambers was discovered by a gold prospector in 1896 and revealed the only known clear underground lake in Africa. This mirror-like pool of water is said (by local tribes) to have miraculous properties.

The caves are also notable for the discovery of a skull belonging to one of our distant ancestors, the Plesianthropus, of the Australopithecus africanus species. When research pointed to the fact that it was from a female, it was dubbed in the press as "Mrs Ples." Along with remains of what may well be parts of her skeleton, the skull now resides in Pretoria Museum, but visitors can join one of the daily guided tours through the caves around where the skull was found, which depart every hour from the visitor centre.