Sterkfontein Caves: How to Visit, What to Expect and What’s Nearby
By Remon Geyser, 3 November 2026, 7 minute read
If you’re skimming
- Wits Sterkfontein Caves is on Kromdraai Road, Sterkfontein, near Krugersdorp, in the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site.
- It’s famous for the “Mrs Ples” skull and the “Little Foot” skeleton, and Wits University now runs the site.
- Cave visits are guided tours, open Tuesday to Sunday. Book online through Webtickets or buy on site.
- This is an independent guide, not the official site. Hours and prices below were checked in November 2026.
This isn’t the official Sterkfontein Caves website. For bookings and the latest information, go to Wits Sterkfontein Caves, run by Wits University.
The Sterkfontein Caves are a UNESCO World Heritage Site and part of the Cradle of Humankind (Wits Sterkfontein Caves), and they sit about 40 km northwest of Johannesburg, near Krugersdorp. You put on a helmet, follow a guide underground and stand in the caves that gave the world some very famous fossils of our early relatives.
This page is for anyone planning a visit, whether it’s a school holiday outing from Joburg, a weekend trip from further away, or the “we really should go one day” plan that’s been on the fridge for years.
What Are the Sterkfontein Caves and Why Do They Matter?
Wits calls Sterkfontein the source of “some of the most important hominin fossil discoveries” (Wits University, 2025). The two names you’ll hear on the tour:
- Mrs Ples: a famous Australopithecus africanus fossil (Wits Sterkfontein Caves), found in 1947 (Wits University, 2025).
- Little Foot: a nearly complete skeleton that Wits describes as 3.67 million years old (Wits Sterkfontein Caves). It took palaeoanthropologist Ron Clarke and his technicians more than 20 years to excavate, clean and reconstruct it (Wits Sterkfontein Caves: About). Slow and steady, as the saying goes.
The fossil story here goes back a long way. On 17 August 1936 the quarry manager handed the palaeontologist Robert Broom the first adult fossil of Australopithecus (Wits Sterkfontein Caves: About). Wits says the site draws between 80,000 and 100,000 visitors a year for the cave tour and small museum (Wits Sterkfontein Caves: About).
Who runs the caves now?
Maropeng operated the tourist side from 2001. As of 1 April 2024, Wits University took over all research and visitor operations at Sterkfontein and Swartkrans (Wits Sterkfontein Caves: About). The caves reopened to the public from 15 April 2025 under the sole management of Wits (Wits University, 2025). So if an older website tells you the caves are “closed until further notice”, it’s behind the times.
Planning Your Visit to Sterkfontein Caves
Where is it and how do you get there?
The street address is Kromdraai Road, Sterkfontein, Krugersdorp (Wits Sterkfontein Caves: Contact). You’ll need a car or a booked tour. From Johannesburg, Beyers Naudé Drive (the M5) runs out past Muldersdrift and ends at a T-junction with the R540, Kromdraai Road (Wikipedia: M5)). Our Cradle of Humankind guide has the other routes in.
Hours, tickets and booking (checked November 2026)
All of this comes from the official Plan Your Visit page. Confirm on the official site before you go.
| What | Details |
|---|---|
| Open | Tuesday to Sunday, 09:00 to 16:00. Closed Mondays |
| Closed days | Mondays, 25 December and 31 December |
| Tours | Every hour from 09:00, last tour at 15:00, up to 30 people per tour |
| Tour length | About 1 hour to 1 hour 30 minutes |
| Adults | R150 (full tour: exhibition and caves) |
| Children aged 6 to 18 | R125 |
| Children under 6 | Free (maximum 2 per adult) |
| Pensioners | R100 (proof of ID required) |
| Exhibition and Prep Lab only | R80 |
| On your birthday | Free entry (proof of ID required) |
Tickets are sold online through Webtickets (linked from the official page) and on site. For a private tour, email [email protected] (Wits Sterkfontein Caves). The phone number is +27 11 717 9946 (Wits Sterkfontein Caves: Contact). The official page advises calling ahead on the day of your visit to check tours are running, especially during holidays (Wits Sterkfontein Caves).
What happens on the visit?
Wits says you’ll walk the cave’s twisting pathways past stalactites and stalagmites, and stand at excavation sites where scientists are still finding fossils and early stone tools (Wits Sterkfontein Caves: What to Expect). Above ground, there’s:
- A museum, where guides take you through the story of the first discoveries.
- A public fossil lab, where you can watch staff and researchers clean, sort and catalogue fossils.
- A temporary exhibition of finds from Sterkfontein and Swartkrans, including one of only two full casts of the Little Foot skeleton and the first complete leg of a Paranthropus (Wits Sterkfontein Caves: What to Expect).
What to wear, accessibility and kids
The official page asks for comfortable, non-slip shoes because of uneven surfaces, and says to avoid dresses or loose clothing, as the tour involves stairs and some tight spots. You’ll wear a helmet, and you’re asked to leave handbags and other luggage behind (Wits Sterkfontein Caves). In other words, this is not the outing for your best white sneakers.
- Wheelchairs: the museum, fossil preparation labs and the Timeline Walk are wheelchair accessible. The caves are not, because of stairs and tight spaces.
- Health: the tour may not suit people with claustrophobia, acute asthma or mobility problems.
- Children: must be supervised at all times.
- Rules: follow your guide, and don’t touch the formations or disturb wildlife, especially bats (Wits Sterkfontein Caves).
Make a Day of It
Sterkfontein is one stop in a bigger area, and the official Plan Your Visit page mentions the Curious Café on site for quick bites (Wits Sterkfontein Caves). Nearby:
- Maropeng Visitor Centre: the official visitor centre for the World Heritage Site. Maropeng puts its hotel, a five-minute walk from the centre, 10 km from the caves (Maropeng), and the centre is open every day.
- Rhino & Lion Nature Reserve: also on Kromdraai Road, at number 520, with self-drives, guided game drives and the Wonder Cave (Rhino & Lion).
- More ideas: our day trip to the Cradle and things to do in the Cradle guides, and where to stay if you’d rather not drive home the same day.
For lunch, Rhino & Lion lists three restaurants for reserve visitors, with meals charged separately from your ticket, among them Neck & Deck and the Thatch Café. Our Cradle of Humankind guide lists more places to eat in the area.
See all businesses in the Cradle of Humankind
Sterkfontein Caves FAQs
Are the Sterkfontein Caves open?
Yes. They reopened from 15 April 2025 under Wits University management. In November 2026 the official site listed Tuesday to Sunday, 09:00 to 16:00, closed on Mondays, 25 December and 31 December (Wits Sterkfontein Caves).
How much does a Sterkfontein Caves tour cost?
In November 2026 the official site listed R150 for adults, R125 for children aged 6 to 18, R100 for pensioners with ID, and free entry for under 6s (maximum two per adult). An exhibition and prep lab ticket without the caves was R80 (Wits Sterkfontein Caves). Confirm before you go.
How long is the Sterkfontein Caves tour?
The official site says each guided tour lasts about 1 hour to 1 hour 30 minutes. Tours leave every hour from 09:00, and the last one leaves at 15:00 (Wits Sterkfontein Caves).
Are the Sterkfontein Caves wheelchair accessible?
The caves are not, because the route has stairs and tight spaces. The museum, fossil preparation labs and Timeline Walk are wheelchair accessible (Wits Sterkfontein Caves).
Is Sterkfontein the same as Maropeng?
No. Sterkfontein is the cave site run by Wits University, and Maropeng is the official visitor centre of the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site. Maropeng ran Sterkfontein’s tourist operations from 2001 until Wits took over in 2024 (Wits Sterkfontein Caves: About).
More on the Area
See our Cradle of Humankind guide, plus Muldersdrift and Krugersdorp for shops and everyday services nearby.
Listings and details on My West Rand can go out of date. Please confirm hours, prices and availability with the business before you visit. Spotted something wrong? Let us know, we’d genuinely love the help.