The Bygone Heritage Route
The Bygone Heritage Route– Full Day – 37.5km
Booking Essential at Heia Safari
Booking Essential at Sterkfontein Caves & Maropeng for groups of 10 or more
Children welcome – From the age of four
Tour Pricing – visit http://www.maropeng.co.za/index.php/faq/
Begin your route by exploring The Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site. The Cradle of Humankind covers an area of over 47,000 hectares of mostly privately owned land, encompassing 13 fossil hominid sites within its borders, including Sterkfontein (one of the richest and most productive palaeo-anthropological sites in the world), Swartkrans, Kromdraai and Environs. Two additional sites, Makapans Valley and Taung, are part of the Cradle of Humankind, but are located hundreds of kilometres away.These sites have collectively yielded some of the most valuable evidence of the origins of humankind ever found, including the renowned “Mrs Ples” and “Little Foot”.
The Heritage Route begins early for breakfast overlooking Lake Heritage, you might be lucky to see Zonki (the cutefreak of nature, literally, as this animal is a mixture between a zebra and a donkey) having his daily drink from the pool. Lake Heritage is situated on the property of the Heia Safari Ranch, it is ideal for fishing, canoeing, open water swimming and team building. The Fish Eagle have made their home at the Lake. Enjoy the beauty and the tranquility of Lake Heritage.
From there you will make your way to the birthplace of the human race is documented at Sterkfontein Caves for a guided tour of the caves. Daily tours at Sterkfontein Caves start above ground and then take visitors deep into the caves. The tours are run every half hour, seven days a week. The tour lasts approximately an hour. Who can go into the caves? Anybody who is fit and able bodied. It is not suitable for people who suffer from asthma. You have to negotiate 119 steps down into the caves and a further 109 steps to get out the of the caves. There are a number of additional steps inside the caves. Although the caves are lit up inside it is dark and can be frightening for small children. Refreshments are available.
Finally, you will make your way on a scenic journey to the Maropeng Visitor Centre. Maropeng is a much larger exhibition in a specially built visitor centre. It has a fun boat ride and many interactive displays. The storyline begins with the formation of the Earth and ends with an original fossil display. Lunch & Refreshments are available.
Who can go into the caves? Anybody who is fit and able bodied. It is not suitable for people who suffer from asthma. You have to negotiate 119 steps down into the caves and a further 109 steps to get out the of the caves. There are a number of additional steps inside the caves. Although the caves are lit up inside it is dark and can be frightening for small children.
