Sterkfontein Caves — Attraction in Mogale City Local Municipality

I did this Sterkfontein Cave Tour with my one-year old daughter and can truly say the tour is for all ages. Our tour guide mentioned that he had done a tour with a group of 80-year olds who could easily keep up. The tour starts with a 20 minute slow walk up to the cave entrance where the guide talks about the caves, discovery of skeletons and some other relevant information. The tour is about 1 hour 15 minutes long in total. Wits University runs the tours which are scheduled every two hours and tickets can be purchased at Webtickets.co.za @ R150 per adult.

There is a small display of skeleton replicas and some other education information inside the main building but it's not as extensive as the Maropeng The Cradle of Humankind Visitors Centre. You don't need to bring a jacket along to wear inside the cave as it is not that cold inside and the walk warms you up. Wear flat, comfortable shoes.

Arrive at least 5-10 minutes before your tour as you still need to have your pre-booked tickets printed and you will be given a hard hat to wear. There is a small on-site coffee shop that does not prepare hot food. Unfortunately, there was no water in the taps when we visited which meant we could not wash our hands after the tour. A jojo tank would have easily resolved this issue.

If coming with a baby or child, you can use the pram up until the entrance of the cave and then either let them walk under supervision or keep them in a baby carrier when inside the cave. When exiting the cave, I went via the entrance route and not the normal exit route which required a little bit of wiggling because my baby was sleeping in her baby carrier at the time.

The Caves are about 25-30 mins from Lanseria Airport which makes it so convenient for a quick trip.

I would highly recommend visiting the Maropeng Cradle of Humankind Visitors Centre which is about 10 minutes from the Sterkfontein Caves. I found it to be much more educational and interactive than the cave tour. You can easily combine both of these tours in one morning/afternoon.

Overall I had a great experience but I found there wasn't much to see in the cave besides two cambers and a body of water. It is not as exciting as the Cango Caves or any other cave systems I've seen before. There are no skeletons in the cave or any other historical artifacts. I would probably not visit the caves again but I do think it's worth visiting if you're...

The Caves were Beautiful along with the peaceful landscapes.

How ever I found there was a lack of health and safety due to the below concerns:

There should be age restrictions as the caves are not particularly 100% safe, with sharp and slippery surfaces. There was a baby that was 2 months old or so that was crying the whole time, which the concern was that there is no safety gear for the baby, no helmet etc. This can be a risk as well as the quality of air, dangerous and hazardous surfaces. There were elderly that clearly were struggling to breath while climbing and crawling in the cave. There should be additional support from the staff to assist the elderly if permitted. There should be weight restrictions as there was an extremely overweight woman nearly the size of the tunnels that was struggling to breath due to the crawling and climbing. She could have gotten stuck and could have been dangerous for her. She pushed to be the first to walk in front behind the tour guide in which slowed the whole group down as well. What made things even worse was there was a lady that suffered from anxiety and claustrophobia, which started having panic attacks, she nearly fainted and was extremely flushed, she was struggling to breath as well.

Overall Recommendation: Strict Health and Safety precautions should be put in place. All the above should be checked before anyone enters the caves. Otherwise human lives can be put at risks.

In my opinion there should be at least 2- 3 tour guides that manages each group, as the group was extremely large and headcounts were not made. At least one guide at the front and one at the back of the group. This way assistance for...

Sterkfontein Caves is a fascinating experience for almost all ages. There’s quite a bit of walking and stairs, but it’s absolutely worth it — the caves are rich in history and very interesting to explore. The guided tour lasts about 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes, and the guides are excellent: knowledgeable, professional, and with just the right touch of humour to keep everyone engaged. The premises are well organised, with plenty of parking and a strong focus on safety. There’s also a small shop for coffee, tea, and snacks, as well as a museum to explore before or after your tour. Tickets can be purchased at the entrance, but it’s best to book online in advance, especially over weekends when slots fill quickly. Group sizes are limited, which makes for a more personal and enjoyable experience. Highly recommended for a family outing or anyone interested in South Africa’s incredible natural and...