Peter and I were both very interested in going to the Sterkfontein Caves after a previous visit to the Transvaal Museum where we saw a replica of the famous Mrs. Ples skull. So we set off on a nice sunny morning to the Northwest of Johannesburg. The fossil-rich hills and valleys in this area dates back possibly more than three million years when it was submerged under a shallow ocean where the limestone deposits were formed. Later, as it uplifted, the eroding limestone formed caves and animals could find shelter there, hence becoming the home of early Hominids who lived there approximately 3 million years ago and is referred to as "The Cradle of Humankind". 
The fossil sites in the Sterkfontein valley was declared a World Heritage Site by the United Nations in 1999. The Sterkfontein caves and other nearby tourist attractions all form part of the Kromdraai Conservancy. The entire conservation area is made up of farms whose owners have teamed together to develop it as a tourist attraction, as well as protect its treasures. Another nearby cave is the Wonder Cave that is not so much visited for its contribution to paleontology but rather for its limestone formations.
Left: Mrs. Ples (Australopithecus africanus)
The most famous of the caves is the Sterkfontein Cave where Dr Robert Broom found the virtually complete cranium of and early, ape-like australopithecine creature in 1947. All that the skull lacked was teeth and a lower jaw. The skull - thought to be a female specimen - was nicknamed Mrs. Ples after its scientific name Plesianthropus transvaalensis. This has since been replaced by Australopithecus africanus but Mrs. Ples' name endures. Many years later, the researchers of the University of the Witwatersrand announced another major find of the first intact fossilised skeleton of an early apeman. Part of it, four foot bones, dubbed "little foot", had been found a few years earlier. Many more fossil bones had been discovered making Sterkfontein one of the richest and most famous paleo-anthropological sites in the world. The scientists claim to have learnt much about hominid posture and locomotion with these finds. 
It was interesting for me to read that the Sterkfontein caves were first brought to international attention in about 1895 by the Englishman Hans Paul Thomasset, the godson of Danish fairytale writer Hans Christian Anderson. Wonder if Hans Christian Anderson would have written a fairytale about Sterkfontein if he had the opportunity to visit Mrs. Ples' last resting place? The entrance to the Sterkfontein Caves The caves can only be viewed on guided tours. We therefore suspected that communication would possibly be a problem once we were in the semi-darkness of the caves. So I put myself to the task once again to enlighten the tour guide about our hearing loss. Well this one was not all that co-operative but Peter and I managed because we had a good look at the exhibits in the small museum and acquired a lot of written information, post cards and such beforehand. So we climbed 60 metres down a number of steps into the bowels of the earth where the guide started talking. He pointed out various stalactites and stalagmites amongst other rock formations but I could not comprehend much of his talking in the dark. All I was interested in was for him to show us exactly where Mrs. Ples was found! Well to this day I still don't know! So we climbed 60 metres down a number of steps into the bowels of the earth where the guide started talking. He pointed out various stalactites and stalagmites amongst other rock formations but I could not comprehend much of his talking in the dark. All I was interested in was for him to show us exactly where Mrs. Ples was found! Well to this day I still don't know! 
Descending into the bowels of the earth What we also did not know was that the roof of the cave is quite low at a certain point. Most of the cave tour demands a slightly stooped posture but at one stage one literally has to get down almost to all fours to crawl through a part of the cave. Well it was at this point that the trouble started. I bravely tried to get down on my hunches just to find out that my arthritic knees refused to co-operate and before I knew where I was I was lying flat on my back in a muddy pool! Embarrassment was not the word and I had quite a struggle to get through to the other end of the narrow passage with no option whatsoever to turn back! Later on Peter told me that he got very claustrophobic at this very point and turned to the guy behind him and asked if we would be coming back the same way so he could wait here but the guy said: "No!" So he also HAD to brave this narrow passage. There was NO turning back at this point. Well after discovering that Mrs Ples was indeed better equipped than us in posture and locomotion to crawl through caves Peter announced that he would NOT be interested in going into ANY MORE caves for the rest of his life!!! However, it was a most informative and interesting visit. After we managed to get through that small passage we ended up at a crystal clear lake at the lowest point in the caves. Over the years the water table has dropped considerably as a result of agricultural activity in the world above the caves but there still is a lot of water down there. From there we were led up numerous sets of stairs and out into the bright Highveld sunshine again. A few notes on Wonder Cave As I said, Peter was not interested in visiting any more caves after his (literally) "narrow escape" from the Sterkfontein Cave. However I later learnt that visiting the Wonder Cave is a far more pleasant experience than crawling through narrow passages at Sterkfontein. A tour of Wonder cave is described as follows by Duncan Guy in his travel book "The best of Johannesburg and surrounds". "A tour of Wonder Cave begins with the descent of a long stairway, into a lift, then down into a huge chamber, 40 m high, with a length and width greater than a rugby field.
The show of floodlit stalactites and stalagmites in South Africa's third largest cave fits several descriptions: a giant ice-cream cake, curtains dropping down into a glamorous Viennese ballroom, or a giant size candle dripping wax. Its a gallery of shapes including individual stalactites and stalagmites with their own special appearances There is the 'mushroom', its head created as a result of increasing dryness in the cave; then there is the Madonna, the shape of a praying Virgin Mary that is leaning over, probably because the draft that blows through the cave has eroded it in that direction, and others that look like the stems of fig trees.
Wonder Cave which was opened in 1991, remains a living cave in which the limestone formations continue to build up at the correct temperatures and humidity." Witwatersrand Botanical Garden 
The Witwatersrand Botanical Gardens After visiting the caves we went to the Witwatersrand National Botanical Gardens near Witpoortjie. This Botanical garden is set in an outstanding natural environment on the rim of the Witwatersrand (white water escarpment). The Witpoortjie waterfall in the Crocodile River is the main feature of this lovely garden. Similar to the other national botanical gardens of South Africa this one boasts over 600 species of flowering plants and more than 230 species of birds. The most famous birds are a breeding pair of majestic Black Eagles. These eagles nest on the rugged cliff face beside the waterfall. A former pair of eagles obtained a lot of media attention some time ago when the male was killed and a new mate was successfully introduced to the "widow". Well her new (younger) lover took up his job with pride and today the eagles are watched closely and a joy to many bird lovers who like visiting the garden and getting reports on the eagles and their chicks.
A water-holding plant in the Witwatersrand Botanical Garden |
