Archaeology Tour: Description

Peel away the patina of time when visiting landmark sites in ruggedly beautiful South African landscapes. Follow the footsteps of the earliest of humans while travelling in the company of informative experts.
Trace the artistic legacy of the San/Bushmen, an ancient hunter-gatherer people in their evocative rock art paintings. Piece together the puzzle of our family tree from fossils discoveries in the Cradle of Humankind. 

In Cape Town get a sense of place and an understanding of geologic deep time in diverse landscapes from the top of Table Mountain to the bottom of the Cape Peninsula.  

In the Winelands uncover the impact of colonisation and its legacies – on the country’s premier wine estate, and in gardens landscaped on the Dutch East India Company’s original design, as well as a window-in-time museum housed in a 1740 wine cellar, explore 8,000 years of history/archaeology.

Along the West Coast, gain insight into the San/Bushmen heritage and folklore at a dedicated culture & education centre. Then visit a site that contains the greatest diversity of five-million year old fossils in the world; and hear about shore line excavations that have revealed significant artefacts left by Middle and Late Stone Age inhabitants. Stay at a treasure trove of unparalleled rock art displays – some dating back 10,000 years, that’s a wildlife & environment award-winner and stylish refuge to boot.

In Johannesburg visit a scene-setting museum that tracks human origins and journey out of Africa. Examine recent archaeological fossil finds that unlock our understanding of the genus Homo and his transition from pre-human to human, made by headline-capturing palaeo-anthropologists. 

The Cradle of Humankind is more than just stones and bones.It’s a World Heritage site containing some of the world’s most valuable fossils. On a private ‘fossil safari’ over rolling African grassland, be shown two famous dig sites that have enabled man to decode the span of evolution that stretches back some 3.5 million years. Contemplate evidence that mankind’s African ancestors were using skills more advanced than mere stone tool-making some forty thousand years before Homo sapiens in Europe began decorating cave walls in France and Spain. Celebrate your last night here, under African skies reflecting on the words of Pliny ‘’Out of Africa ~ Always Something New’’.

Opt to visit Pinnacle Point caves near Mossel Bay that reveal the earliest evidence for modern human behaviour, guided by the archaeologist who discovered them.
Or else, take a safari to Bostwana, for insights into the fast vanishing way of life of the Kalahari Bushmen, engaging with trackers as they offer a window into the past when sharing ancient know-how & survival skills.