VisitKromdraai

Kromdraai · Cradle of Humankind · Gauteng

People, Culture, Going & Doing

Community-based tourism in the Kromdraai valley, where two million years of human story meet one of the Witwatersrand's first gold mines and a rural community shaping what comes next.

Click here to book a tour About Kromdraai
Afro social enterprise

Focused on AI and digital innovation that serves rural and township economies.

Showcases culture

Respects the heritage of the people who live and work in the valley.

Empowers communities

Creates opportunities and keeps tourism income in Kromdraai.

Introduction

The Cradle of Humankind

About 50 km north-west of Johannesburg lies a stretch of rolling highveld grassland, dolomite hills and limestone caves that holds one of the richest records of human evolution on Earth. UNESCO inscribed the Fossil Hominid Sites of South Africa as a World Heritage Site in 1999, and the area has been known since as the Cradle of Humankind.

Over millions of years, the dolomite caves trapped and preserved the bones of early hominins and the animals around them. Sites such as Sterkfontein, Swartkrans, Rising Star and Kromdraai have given the world famous finds like "Mrs Ples", "Little Foot" and Homo naledi, along with thousands of animal fossils and stone tools.

Kromdraai sits in the heart of the Cradle. Its name is Afrikaans for "crooked bend", after the winding road and river through the valley. Here, the deep past is part of everyday life: the community lives a few kilometres from active excavations, alongside farms, nature reserves, an old gold mine and a growing creative and conservation scene.

1999
Inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site (extended in 2005 to include Taung and Makapan Valley).
~2 Mya
Age of Oldowan stone tools recovered at Kromdraai, among the oldest in southern Africa.
1938
First Paranthropus robustus fossil found at Kromdraai, a new branch of the human family tree.
2005
Maropeng Visitor Centre opens as the official gateway to the World Heritage Site.
Today
Excavations at Kromdraai continue, led by international research teams working with Wits University.

About Kromdraai

Fossils, gold, farms and a community finding its place

Kromdraai's story runs from the earliest humans to the gold rush that built Johannesburg, and on to the families who live in the valley today.

A valley in layers

  1. c. 2 million years agoEarly humans in the caves

    Hominins and animals leave their remains in Kromdraai's dolomite caves. Oldowan stone tools from the site date to nearly two million years ago.

  2. 1800sFarms and frontier

    Boer farmers settle the valley. The ridges later see Anglo-Boer War activity; a stone lookout with spent cartridges still stands on one of them.

  3. 1881Gold before Johannesburg

    Johannes Stephanus Minnaar finds gold on Ibis Ridge, five years before the main Witwatersrand gold rush of 1886. The farm is declared public diggings in 1885.

  4. 1885 – 1914The Kromdraai Gold Mine

    One of the earliest mines on the Witwatersrand works the Black Reef. Prospecting nearby leads the Struben brothers to the Confidence Reef in 1884. The mine closes in 1910, reopens in 1913 and closes for good in 1914.

  5. 1938A world-famous fossil

    Fossils from Kromdraai are described by Robert Broom as Paranthropus robustus, the first of its kind found anywhere.

  6. 20th centuryFarm labour

    Generations of families work on the surrounding farms, building the community that still lives in Kromdraai.

  7. 2021The mine museum closes

    After years as a popular heritage attraction with underground tours, the old mine museum is vandalised and closed to visitors.

Community-based tourism in Kromdraai

A settled farm-worker community

Under the Comprehensive Rural Development Programme, the West Rand District Municipality bought about 65 ha (Portion 26) to settle roughly 72 households, many of them people who worked on the surrounding farms. The settlement includes a nursery, a sports field, a shop and a community graveyard, with plans for housing, a community centre, a library and a community garden.

Living next to a World Heritage Site

Residents have a long history alongside the fossil sites, yet heritage studies note that the community has not shared in tourism income. They recommend finding ways for residents to benefit economically and to take part in managing and conserving the site.

A rural revival

Art, sustainable architecture and local enterprise are changing the valley. Nirox Sculpture Park, Farmhouse58, the Kromdraai Impact Hub and community initiatives such as Ubuntu Queens and Run With Tom connect visitors, artists and residents.

The Biome Collective Hub

InSTED is setting up a Biome Collective Hub with the Kromdraai community, linking conservation, regenerative land use and community enterprise to visitor experiences.

Research and science tourism

Kromdraai is an active excavation site. Paleontology dig programmes run with researchers at the site, creating openings for local guides, hosts and caterers.

Community Based Tourism

Travel with purpose

Visit Kromdraai is an Afro social enterprise rooted in the community. Every tour is hosted by local guides and partners, so the money you spend stays in the valley.

Our community

Hosted by residents

Our network of community organisations can host events, workshops, cultural experiences and film productions. Get in touch to collaborate.

Research

Built on fieldwork

Our approach draws on InSTED's research into township and rural enterprise development across South Africa. Read more

Partners

Working together

We work with conservation groups, artists, farmers and researchers in the Cradle to grow local livelihoods. Learn more about our partners

Bookings

Choose your Kromdraai experience

Three tours, each led by a local guide. Walking is standard; cycling can be arranged on request.

Heritage walk

Past, Present, Future

Our signature tour follows the layers of the valley, from the caves where early humans lived to the community building its future today.

  • Past: fossil history of the Cradle and the 1881 gold discovery
  • Present: meet residents and hear the farm-worker community's story
  • Future: conservation, the Biome Collective Hub and new local enterprise
Duration
About 3 hours
Departs
Morning or afternoon
Price
On request
Food & land

A Taste of the Land

Discover what grows on the highveld and how Kromdraai's families feed themselves and their visitors.

  • Visit the community nursery and garden
  • Learn about indigenous plants and grassland ecology
  • Share a home-cooked meal made with local produce
Duration
About 3 hours, including lunch
Departs
Late morning
Price
On request
Creative valley

Arts & Culture

Meet the makers, performers and storytellers of the Kromdraai valley and the wider Cradle.

  • Studio and workshop visits with local artists and crafters
  • Music, dance and storytelling with community groups
  • The valley's sculpture and land-art scene
Duration
About 3 hours
Departs
Morning or afternoon
Price
On request

To book, email us with your preferred tour, date, group size and whether you'd like to walk or cycle. We'll confirm availability and pricing.

info@visitkromdraai.co.za