The Cradle of Humankind just outside Johannesburg would rise to prominence as one of the world’s most compelling attractions – a definite bucket list attraction.
Some twenty-one years ago I flew out of Lanseria airport over the Cradle en-route to the Okavango Swamps in the company of one Geoffrey Kent. Geoffrey is the founder of the world-famous Abercrombie & Kent – an international luxury safari and destination management company. As we turned out right we flew over the high altitude dolomitic grasslands of the Cradle of Humankind, I said to him
“Down there is the greatest repository of the fossils of our human ancestors on the planet”.
He, Geoffrey – aka Mr. World Travel, looked at me askance and asked suspiciously
“And why do I not know about it?”. Well that’s a very good question – and one which I will explore in future despatches.
In my early teens, my father would take me to the Sterkfontein Caves as an outing – back when the kiosk and small interpretive centre was run by volunteers of the Rotary Club of Krugersdorp. Much has changed at Sterkfontein Caves – and now private guided tours to Gladysvale Cave, including the world-famous Malapa dig just launched.
