What to See Inside Sterkfontein Caves
The guided cave tour, the fossil preparation laboratory and the Timeline Walk — a concierge guide to the highlights of a Sterkfontein visit.
A Sterkfontein visit splits naturally into the guided underground cave tour and the above-ground museum, Timeline Walk and fossil preparation laboratory. Knowing the highlights of each ahead of time helps you plan an unhurried two-to-three-hour visit. This guide walks through what to look for.
What is the guided cave tour like?
The tour leads visitors through a genuine limestone cave system, past dramatic rock formations and the actual excavation sites where Mrs Ples and Little Foot were discovered. A trained guide explains the excavation history and the science behind dating these fossils as you walk, with helmets provided for the low sections.
Allow real time to take in the excavation chambers specifically — standing at the spot where a 3.67-million-year-old skeleton was recovered is a different experience from viewing it behind glass, and guides are generally happy to answer detailed questions.
What does the fossil preparation laboratory show?
Unlike a static museum display, the fossil preparation laboratory is a working scientific facility where researchers can sometimes be seen cleaning and cataloguing genuine fossil material recovered from ongoing excavations. It's a reminder that Sterkfontein continues to produce new discoveries.
This is often the section that most surprises first-time visitors, since it makes clear the site isn't a finished historical exhibit but an active research dig.
What does the Timeline Walk cover?
The Timeline Walk sets the cave tour in context, guiding visitors chronologically through key stages of human evolution using information panels and replicas drawn from the fossil record at Sterkfontein and the wider Cradle of Humankind.
Walking the Timeline before the cave tour gives useful context for what you're about to see underground; doing it afterward works well as a way to consolidate what the guide explained during the tour.
Frequently asked
What is the main highlight at Sterkfontein Caves?
The guided cave tour past the excavation sites of Mrs Ples and Little Foot, combined with the working fossil preparation laboratory where genuine fossils are sometimes still being cleaned and studied.
Can you see the actual fossils Mrs Ples and Little Foot?
The original fossils are held for research and are not permanently displayed at the site itself, but visitors see the exact excavation locations inside the cave and learn the full discovery story from their guide.
Is there a museum as well as the caves?
Yes — the museum and Timeline Walk trace the story of human evolution and the site's excavation history, alongside the working fossil preparation laboratory, all included with the cave tour ticket.