Deep beneath the Gauteng grasslands, a limestone cave system has given up some of the most important fossils ever found — Mrs Ples, Little Foot, and millions of years of human ancestry. Sterkfontein is the richest early-hominin site on Earth, and a genuine UNESCO World Heritage Site within the Cradle of Humankind.
See ticket optionsOne adult (19+) · guided cave tour, museum and fossil prep lab, your chosen hour
€22
One child, aged 6–18 · guided cave tour, museum and fossil prep lab, your chosen hour
€18
One pensioner (60+) · guided cave tour, museum and fossil prep lab, with valid ID
€14
One visitor · museum, Timeline Walk and fossil prep lab, no cave tour
€12
“Standing where Mrs Ples was actually found is something else — our guide made the timescale feel real rather than abstract. The tour was well paced for a mixed group of ages, and booking our exact hour ahead of time meant we weren't turned away like the couple next to us in the queue.”
“We'd read about Little Foot before visiting and seeing the actual excavation site inside the cave brought it to life. The fossil lab was a highlight too — you can watch real preparators working on new finds. Ticket arrived by email within minutes.”
“Booked our slot from the US before the trip and it made planning the whole Cradle of Humankind day much easier — no wondering if we'd get a tour on arrival. The caves are genuinely impressive, cool and echoey, worth the drive from Johannesburg.”
5-minute audio guide
A short, calm narrative — what this cave system is, how Mrs Ples and Little Foot were found, what to look for on the guided tour, and why the Cradle of Humankind matters to the whole story of human origins. Listen on the drive out from Johannesburg.
Recorded for Sterkfontein Caves Tickets concierge. Free to download.
Sterkfontein Caves sits about 40 km northwest of Johannesburg, near Krugersdorp in South Africa's Gauteng province, at the heart of the Cradle of Humankind — inscribed by UNESCO in 1999 as part of the Fossil Hominid Sites of South Africa. Excavations here since the 1930s have made it the single richest early-hominin fossil site on the planet, yielding roughly a third of all early hominin fossils ever found anywhere in the world.
Two discoveries define Sterkfontein's fame. In 1947, palaeontologist Robert Broom uncovered "Mrs Ples," a remarkably complete 2.1-million-year-old Australopithecus africanus skull that became one of the most famous fossil finds in Africa. Decades later, between 1994 and 1997, researchers pieced together "Little Foot" — a near-complete Australopithecus prometheus skeleton dated to around 3.67 million years old, the most complete early-hominin skeleton ever recovered anywhere. Both fossils were found within the same cave system visitors walk through today.
Sterkfontein reopened to the public on 15 April 2025 after a two-year closure following flood damage in 2022, now under full management by the University of the Witwatersrand. A visit combines a guided walk through the limestone caverns where these fossils were found, a museum and Timeline Walk tracing human origins, and the working fossil preparation laboratory where new discoveries are still being cleaned and studied. We handle the ticketing so your guided tour hour is confirmed before you arrive — one less thing to plan on your Cradle of Humankind day out.
Sterkfontein Caves Tickets is an independent concierge service that helps international visitors reserve and receive their guided tour ticket in English. We are not the site and we are not an official vendor — we obtain a genuine admission ticket on your behalf from the site's ticketing system, and our service fee is included in the price you see. If you prefer to buy directly, the site runs its own ticket desk and its own online ticketing platform.
Plan your visit
Which season, which hour, and why booking your tour slot early changes everything — a concierge timing guide to the Cradle of Humankind's richest fossil site.
A 45–60 minute drive through Muldersdrift and the Cradle of Humankind — here is how to reach Sterkfontein Caves by car, transfer or organised tour.
Real fossils, a real cave system and the story of Little Foot — Sterkfontein makes human origins tangible for children. Here is how to make the most of it as a family.
Yes — the guided cave tour departs on the hour with a strict 30-person capacity per group, so your ticket is for a specific tour time. The museum-only ticket (no cave) does not require a timed slot.
Your tour slot is reserved and confirmed before you arrive, so you go straight to your guided group rather than queuing at the ticket desk. Just arrive a little before your tour time.
The full experience: a guided walk through the Sterkfontein cave system, full access to the museum and Timeline Walk, and the working fossil preparation laboratory. Helmets for the cave are provided.
We send your ticket to your email as a mobile ticket with a QR code once your booking is confirmed. There's nothing to print — show it on your phone at the entrance.
It's about 40 km northwest of the city centre, roughly a 45–60 minute drive via the R563 through Muldersdrift. There's no direct public transport, so most visitors come by rental car, private transfer or organised tour.
Plan for two to three hours in total — the guided cave tour itself runs 60–90 minutes, plus time in the museum, Timeline Walk and fossil preparation laboratory.
Yes, children aged 6 and over generally enjoy the cave tour and the fossil displays. Under-6s enter free with a paying adult but the cave's stairs, low passages and darkness make it better suited to slightly older children.
Visitors aged 60 and over, with valid ID shown at the gate.
Yes — children under 6 enter free when accompanied by a paying adult. Our child ticket covers ages 6 to 18.
It covers the museum, Timeline Walk and fossil preparation laboratory without the guided cave tour — a wheelchair-accessible option and a good fit if the caves' stairs and tight spaces aren't suitable for you.
No — the cave system involves stairs, uneven surfaces and tight passages and is not step-free. The museum, Timeline Walk and fossil lab are wheelchair-accessible, and our museum-only ticket covers just those areas.
Yes, personal photography is welcome throughout the caves, museum and laboratory. Visitors are asked not to touch the stalactites, stalagmites or other formations, and helmets are required in the cave system.
The site is closed every Monday year-round, and closed on 25 and 31 December. We'll flag it if a closure affects the date you've chosen.
The Cradle of Humankind is a UNESCO World Heritage Site (inscribed 1999) covering a cluster of fossil-bearing caves in Gauteng, South Africa, of which Sterkfontein is the most extensively excavated and the richest in early-hominin fossils.
Mrs Ples is a 2.1-million-year-old Australopithecus africanus skull found at Sterkfontein in 1947. Little Foot is a near-complete Australopithecus prometheus skeleton, around 3.67 million years old, pieced together from the same cave system between 1994 and 1997 — the most complete early-hominin skeleton ever found.
The cave system holds a constant, cool temperature of about 20°C (68°F) year-round, so a light layer is worth bringing even on a hot Gauteng day outside.
Because admission is tied to a specific tour time and group capacity, please choose your date and time with care when you book. All sales are final once confirmed; the only exception is a full refund if the operator cancels your visit. See our terms for the full policy.
No. We're an independent concierge service for international visitors. We obtain a genuine admission ticket on your behalf and handle the booking in your own language. Our service fee is included in the price shown, and you can always buy directly from the site if you prefer.