Wonderwerk Cave — Attraction in Ga-Segonyana Local Municipality

So disappointed and upset!! We drove an extra hour out of our way to visit the cave, only to discover the gate locked during supposed trading hours (10am on a Monday)! All we found was a guy (maybe a security guard??) who came out of the building at the entrance, brushing his teeth with his fly unzipped, shrugging his shoulders when we asked how we can get access. He didn't speak English and just pointed to the lock on the chain around the gate. We also tried calling the number sited above but got a message saying it's not in service. My children cried and cried when we had to leave without visiting the cave, as they'd never seen one before and where really looking forward to it. Plus we wasted valuable time on our holiday by scheduling a night in this area and driving the long distance to get there. :(

We also had to skip the planned visit to the relatively nearby Eye (natural spring in Kuruman) due to inadequate security, neglect and rubbish. Both of these are a sign of how little priority the local municipality puts on tourism, which has the potential to provide a good source of revenue to the impoverished communities in the area....

A long drive, but worth it. The significance and what the cave offers makes it worth it. Oldest proof that man used controlled fire. Make sure you check opening hours before going. Pack a picnic basket as there is no food.

“The ability to control fire was a crucial turning point in human evolution, but the question when hominins first developed this ability still remains. Here we show that micromorphological and Fourier transform infrared microspectroscopy (mFTIR) analyses of intact sediments at the site of Wonderwerk Cave, Northern Cape province, South Africa, provide unambiguous evidence—in the form of burned bone and ashed plant remains—that burning took place in the cave during the early Acheulean occupation, approximately 1.0 Ma. To the best of our knowledge, this is the earliest secure evidence for burning in an...

Very dissapointed. Called yesterday and confirmed that the Wonderwerk caves will be open today. They confirmed that it will be open till 15:30 today. Arrived just before 14:00 and waited until about 15:00. It is the second time we go there and it is closed when it is supposed to be open.

Lack of funding can't be blamed on terrible management of the place. It is supposed to operate during operating hours. Especially when they confirm that it will be open.

We drove very far to visit the caves. We were not the only family who went all the way in vain.

Someone needs to look into why the operating times of the Wonderwerk Caves are so unreliable. We are all interested in this amazing historical site, but just don't seem to find it open when we go to great lengths...