I recently learned a bonkers statistic: Around 40% of all of the hominid fossils ever discovered were unearthed in the Cradle of Humankind. In other words, close to half of all the known fossils from our human ancestors — in the entire world — came out of the ground right here in Gauteng Province. This UNESCO World Heritage Site, less than an hour from Joburg, is more than a bunch of bucolic green hills — it’s one of the most important archeological regions on earth.

I’ve been to the Cradle of Humankind many times, mostly to go to the Maropeng museum and the Sterkfontein Cave/museum (which, sadly, is indefinitely closed). But I hadn’t been to the Cradle since before the pandemic, and there are several significant archeological sites there that I had never visited. So when I was invited a few weeks ago to take a half-day “Human Origins Tour” in the Greater Cradle Nature Reserve with expert guide Howard Geach, I was excited to check it out.

Howard, who spent many years working in the mining/geological fields before joining the tourism industry, has encyclopedic knowledge of the geological and paleontological (is that a word?) history of the Cradle. I won’t even try to recount everything we learned on the tour but here is a quick recap.

A Morning in the Cradle of Humankind

Howard and his brother Peter fetched us in Joburg at 8:00 a.m. and drove us to the Cradle Boutique Hotel, where the tour began.

Hugh and Monica, the other tour guests, eventually arrived and we headed into the bush in an open safari vehicle.

We got out at various points and Howard explained the history (going back a couple of billion years) and geology of the area, which resulted in the discovery of so many fossils. In the most simplistic terms: The type of rocks and environmental conditions that existed here millions of years ago were perfect for preserving bones, and that is why there are still so many fossils lying around.

Even without the paleontology, it’s wonderful to pop out of Joburg for the morning and ride around the bush — spotting giraffes and blesbok — taking in the country air from an open Land Cruiser.

The tour has two main events: 1) A visit to the Gladysvale Cave, where hundreds of thousands of bones (mostly from ancient antelope) have been found — including two teeth from a couple-of-million-year-old hominid called Australopithecus africanus — since rock-star paleontologist Lee Berger began excavations there in the early 1990s.

2) A visit to the Malapa fossil site, where Berger (with the help of his 9-year-old son Matthew, as the story goes) discovered a new human ancestor, Australopithecus sediba, in 2008. Australopithecus sediba is believed to be about 1.98 million years old.

Malapa is particularly fun and interesting to visit because of the spider-shaped viewing platform, designed by architect Krynauw Nel, that crouches above the site. Gazing at a pile of rocks and dirt, which is what most archeological excavations look like, is not very exciting for a non-archeologist like myself. But gazing at a pile of rocks and dirt from inside a crazy, arachnid-shaped viewing structure is pretty darn cool.

After Malapa, we headed back to the Cradle Hotel to check out the Malapa Museum. The museum has several nice exhibits about the history of the area and the ongoing excavations on the Cradle Reserve, and has a window into an actual lab where techs are working on fossils.

We were back home by early afternoon. Thanks to Howard and Peter for a great morning out in the Cradle.

This fascinating part of the Cradle of Humankind can only be visited on a guided tour. Tours cost R1985 per person (about $100) for a minimum of two guests or R1500 (about $80) for four or more guests. The tour includes a snack. To book a Human Origins tour with Howard and Peter, email info@aah-afrika.co.za or call Liz at +27-76-438-5353.

Our Human Origins Tour of the Cradle of Humankind was complimentary. Opinions expressed are mine.