Maropeng Visitor Centre

Maropeng Visitor Centre offers an interactive journey through human evolution, showcasing fossils and archaeological findings.

Planning your visit

Maropeng is the official visitor centre for the Cradle of Humankind, the UNESCO World Heritage Area northwest of Johannesburg where limestone caves have yielded a substantial share of all known early hominid fossils — Australopithecus africanus, Australopithecus sediba, Paranthropus robustus and Homo naledi among them.

The building is a grass-covered tumulus, and the exhibition begins with an underground boat ride through representations of the four elements and the formation of the earth before moving into galleries covering evolution, the fossil record, human origins and the shared African ancestry of all living people. The presentation is aimed at general audiences and school groups rather than specialists.

Original fossils are generally held at research institutions, with casts displayed here, though significant finds are periodically exhibited.

The Sterkfontein Caves, where Mrs Ples was found, are part of the same ticket in most arrangements and involve an underground guided walk. Bookable options combine Maropeng with Sterkfontein and Lesedi Cultural Village. Current availability is shown below.