#TRAVEL My Weekly Powerup | #club100 | Meet the roots of our family tree in South Africa | #steemexclusive / 17 photos

One of my top priorities on my second visit to South Africa and Johannesburg, was to visit the Cradle of Humankind. This is a World Heritage Site where one has found the remains of some 500 hominids that can be dated 2-3 millions of years back in time. The landscape has lots of limestone caves. In these caves one has made rich discovery of fossils have been able to tell us more about the human evolution. These findings have added a new dimention to the theory about where our human ancestors originally came from. The African continent. Then eventually they spread to the rest of the world. Sterkfontein Caves and Maropeng is located some 50 kilometers from the city center of Johannesburg. We made it a daytrip with a local guide, who turned out to be a very knowledgeable.

The first place we were supposed to visit, was the Sterkfontein Caves – one of the largest hominids fossil sites in the world. These caves that contains fossils encased in sediments. These findings have been able to tell us more about our ancestors. One has found fossils in more than 30 caves. Some of the caves were found by accident, by different people. It is believed that these hominids possibly could have been found in most places on the African continent. But it's here the richest founds have been made. One believes that it might have to do with better preservation conditions than elsewhere. Up until now there are found 150 caves, but there are still more to be discovered.

Normally the tour includes a walk down into some of the caves and different vantage points in the landscape. Unfortunatly the caves were closed when we were here. According to our guide it had to do with water due to heavy rain. We did stop but had to look at the landscape at the entrance. Instead we visited a small museum Malapa nearby. In 1947 the 2,3 million year old fossil of an Australalopitheous Africanus was discovered. This fossil has become known as Mrs Ples. These people walked upright, which is why they are considered one of our earliest ancestors. « Little Foot» is another skelleton found in caves in 1997.

Then the tour continued to the Maropeng Visitor Centre. The entrance is shaped like a ancient burrial mound, covered with gras. It does not look big. Once we were inside and startet the tour, I realised that this place is huge. This centre has a wonderful exhibition that explains how the earth has been shaped and the human evolution.

This visitor centre has lots of informations boards and activities that can keep one occupied for hours. There is also an area for children where the evolution is explained in a way that makes it understandable for a child. Take a journey through time on a boat trip that starts in the ice age. Quite an experience with splashing water, "vulcanic eruption and thunder".

Once outside we took time to look at the landscape and the building which is quite impressive in itself. The Cradle of Humankind certainly did not disapoint. An amazing experience.

CC @patjewell

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