30/09/2024
TOUR REVIEW: The Cradle of Humankind Fossil Dig Tour, South Africa, September '24
The Cradle Dig turned out to be a super exciting and successful experience. Excavations and site work were hosted by Prof Jose Braga and Dr Bernhard Zipfel at Kromdraai and Prof Matt Caruana at the Sterkfontein cave system. Guests experienced the thrill of real-time fossil excavations together with the excitement of finding micro-fauna fossils through to bovine bones, elephant tusk, sabre tooth fossils and also got to watch excavations that are on going on a site that hosts both australipithicus as well as paranthropis fossils (dated 2.3 - 1.9 million years back). As for lab work, the group participated in finer excavations and air-scribing.
Activities included a tour to the University of the Witwatersrand (WITS ESI) to view dinosaur fossils, prep-work, casting, sorting, categorizing as well as a visit to the fossil vault, hosting some of the most significant finds to date within South Africa. A visit to the WITS Origins Centre also included a short ochre-painting workshop.
A hot air balloon safari allowed for a rather fresh early morning view of the wider Cradle of Humankind landscape and some evening meals were enjoyed at a few of this area's most celebrated restaurants, with our farewell dinner ending off the trip with a nostalgic experience at the original home of Pres Nelson Mandela upon becoming president of South Africa - The Sanctuary Mandela!
Click here to view the 2025 Hominin Dig in the Cradle of Humankind, Johannesburg, South Africa:
https://www.safariodyssey.com/tour-item/hominin-fossil-dig-cradle-of-humankind-oct-2025/
For details please contact:
* Lynne: [email protected] l www.safariodyssey.com
* Tandi: [email protected] l www.genus.africa/