EXPERIENCE
ACTIVITIESMalapa Human Origins Tour
The Malapa Museum Experience
Game Drives
Guided Walks and Hiking
HUMAN ORIGINS TOUR
Experience the adventure of a lifetime with our Human Origins Tour, an exclusive private guided tour in an open game drive vehicle that affords guests the unique opportunity of experiencing first-hand two famous fossil dig sites – Gladysvale and Malapa – in the heart of the Greater Cradle Nature Reserve situated within the Cradle of Humankind.
It is an exclusive and unforgettable journey of storytelling as you walk in the footsteps of our hominin* ancestors and learn more about the story of human origins. But that’s not all – you’ll also get to witness death traps and bone collectors, streams that disappear into vast underground lakes, and even rock-eating termites with magnesium mandibles!
These sites are situated in a pristine 9000 hectare nature reserve which protects some of the largest and most pristine areas of the remaining high altitude dolomitic grasslands which are second only to the Cape Floral Kingdom (fynbos) in terms of floral diversity. The reserve is home to leopard and brown hyena and antelope such as the magnificent eland, blesbok, kudu, blue wildebeest and red hartebeest amongst other species. Amazingly, all this within sight of the second largest urban area on the African continent.
The area is an ancient landscape – truly primordial geology protecting and slowly revealing the ancient origins of the human race.
* hominin, any member of the zoological “tribe” Hominini (family Hominidae, order Primates), of which only one species exists today – homo sapiens, or human beings. The term is used most often to refer to extinct members of the human lineage, some of which are now quite well known from fossil remains
Four-hour long morning and afternoon tours are offered from Monday to Sunday including an introduction held at the Cradle Boutique Hotel restaurant. Each open game drive vehicle can seat six guests. (Up to eight guests can be accommodated per vehicle for a block booking). This private, guided tour is a unique “bucket list” experience to active fossil digs.
Guided Tours
Morning Tours
Commence at the Cradle Boutique Hotel Restaurant with coffee and an introduction at 08h45. Departure is scheduled at 09h30. Guests return to the restaurant at 12h45. A pre-tour a-la-carte breakfast and/or a post tour a-la-carte lunch can be booked through the Cradle restaurant
Afternoon Tours
Commence at the Cradle Boutique Hotel restaurant with an introduction at 12h45. Departure is scheduled for 13h30. Guests return to the restaurant at 16h45. A pre-tour a-la-carte lunch and/or a post-tour a-la-carte dinner can be booked through the hotel.
Tour Pricing
- R1 985 per person for a minimum 2 people and children are at R750 (VAT inclusive), up to a maximum of 8 guests per vehicle.
- R1,500 per person for 3 people or over and children are at R750 (VAT inclusive), up to a maximum of 8 guests per vehicle.
- Private vehicle: R8 000.
Tours are offered Monday to Sunday.
Morning and afternoon tours are scheduled to last 4 hours, which includes an introduction at the Cradle Restaurant.
Each open game drive vehicle can seat 9 guests.
The Tour can be booked directly on +27(0)87 353 9599 or at Reservations@thecradle.co.za
CRADLE RESTAURANT
The food theme is Bush-Bistro where the culinary team go to great lengths to source only the best, freshest and sustainable local ingredients in keeping with the time honoured farm to fork (in our case Cradle to Table) principle. Sustainability is the cornerstone of the Cradle Boutique Hotel’s restaurant and is based on creating food production from the land using a non-invasive and organic methodology.
THE MALAPA MUSEUM EXPERIENCE
Visitors will explore the geological origins of the region and gain a deeper understanding of the three million year fossil bearing history of this wilderness. They will also learn about such famous fossils as Australopithecus sediba and view reconstructions of the ancestors of wild dogs, false sabre tooth cats and giant hyenas that once roamed the dolomitic hills of the Highveld and whose fossils have been found in the caves of the region.
With films, interactive displays, dioramas and reconstructions of the landscape and animals of the past, the Malapa Museum Experience is a not to be missed introduction to our deep human journey.
All the proceeds from the Greater Cradle Nature Reserve go to The Cradle Foundation and the Lee R Berger Foundation for Exploration supporting science, exploration, conservation and education in the Cradle region.
Malapa Museum Pricing:
Adults R120
Pensioners R80
Children aged six to 12 R60
Children under six Free
School groups welcome, R50 per scholar, minimum 10 per party.
GAME DRIVES
Morning and afternoon game drives are by booking only. The game drives last approximately two hours and include the wooded valleys and the diverse high altitude dolomitic grasslands of the reserve.
Tours are offered from Monday to Sunday and depart from the Cradle Boutique Hotel restaurant. Each open game drive vehicle can seat nine guests.
Game Drive Pricing:
Minimum 2 guests: R425pp for 2 – 4 guests, R375pp for 5 – 9 guests
Non-Game drive – Private vehicle booking: R2000 for weddings per 2hours & Special occasions setups only per 2 hours.
GUIDED WALKS & HIKING
Guests can also explore the magnificent landscape on foot. Two hour morning and afternoon guided walks are offered by prior arrangement from Monday to Sunday and depart from the Cradle Boutique Hotel Restaurant.
Minimum 2 guests, R350pp for 2 – 4 guests, R300pp for 5 – 8 guests.
Both 2 hour hike and a 4 hour hikes available.
Bookings by prior arrangement only for all tours.