A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1999, the Cradle of Humankind is a paleoanthropological paradise where some of the oldest hominid fossils have been found. More than a third of early hominid fossil discoveries have been made in the limestone Sterkfontein Caves, including the 2.3-million-year-old Australopithecus africanus (nicknamed Mrs. Pies). Thirty-one miles (50 km) northwest of Johannesburg, it covers 180 square miles (47,000 ha). There's an extensive exhibit in the Maropeng visitors center and cave tours plus a network of popular cycling paths.

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