Journey to Humanity's Dawn: Lesedi & Cradle of Humankind

Shane was great. I love the experience he provided especially Lesedi village. That was the best. I really enjoyed it there.

Shane was a great tour guide, he was very informative. Took the extra time meeting us. He was very friendly, positive and made sure we had the best time. Thank you again Shane!!!!l

An excellent experience of local culture. Fantastic guiding. The tour went smoothly and was thoroughly enjoyed.

We only had 1 full day to spend in Johannesburg and we chose probably the best tour we could have had. Shane was great, he was able to get us to the caves on time and was explaining the history and culture throughout the drive, he’s very knowledgeable and accommodating. Both the Cradle of Humankind and Lesedi were fun experiences, I’d definitely recommend to others.

We are the other party that was on the tour with Belinda_J, who already wrote a negative review. I booked this tour in January 2025 and I have a print-out of the tour details at the time of booking which clearly say "This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate." This was important because we had a flight that night and needed to be back to the airport, which was also our pick-up location, by 5:30 pm. I spent a lot of time choosing a private tour for this reason, as I didn't want any complications, didn't want to inconvenience others, and didn’t want to spend time picking others up. The booking stated the tour was to start at 8 am and to last 8 hours max., which would give us plenty of time. The day before, Shane changed the pick-up time to 8:30, which should have been fine. But after we were picked up, he informed us we had other people to pick up, who we later learned (from them) had requested a late pick up time of 9:30, which Shane accommodated without question. We did not actually start this tour until 9:40 am after picking them up downtown and cramming 7 people into a small European-size car. The day was incredibly rushed. It was not even considered that we may want to have lunch at the Lesedi Cultural Center (which was clearly an option for the tour). Food is part of cultural and we were disappointed to miss this part of the experience. It would have been our last meal in Africa and a great way to end. When I questioned it, Shane became sarcastic saying "I'm so sorry you're so STRESSED about not having your lunch" indicating I was being a cry-baby and just another spoiled American. He never spoke to me again on the tour. The Cradle of Humankind Caves were fascinating, but I heard him tell the guide we were in a hurry and to give us the shorter tour. We had such limited time there it was disappointing and uncomfortable for us because everyone knew it was because we had to get to the airport. At this point, I hadn't checked my original documents and I tried to apologize to Shane if I misunderstood the fact that this would be a private tour and for the problems we were causing the others. He told me I could complain to Viator if I wanted to and walked away. The sites were great. The guide's management of the day and his poor communication made for a very disappointing last day of an otherwise spectacular trip to Africa. I will say that Shane did get us to the airport before 5:30, at the expense of all others and of the day in general. This worked out because our tour was on a Sunday. Had this tour happened during weekday traffic I'm not at all sure how the day would have gone. Regarding Shane's response to Belinda_J's review, indicating that he did us all a favor by taking us on the trip, this mistake (if what he stated is actually what happened) happened months ago when it could have easily been corrected. Thank you Belinda_J and family for sharing the day with us and for being so kind and when things didn't go as you expected.

Lesedi Cultural Village was fun and informative for all ages. Dancing show was very energetic but a little bit loud. Sterkfontain Caves were very interesting, guide was knowledgeable and engaging. Unfortunately we felt rushed at each location and didn't even make it to Maropeng Museum which was very disappointing. We booked what we were told was a private tour and were very shocked to see two others in the car when we were picked up (they were equally surprised as had also booked a private tour). Car was cramped for so many passengers. Our return leg back to our hotel was overly lengthy due to having to drop the other party off at the airport.

What a great experience. Where else can you get educated, get entertained, and eat a worm, all within a few hours? A really fun and cool time. Shane was awesome as well. These outings are always enhanced when your guide goes above and beyond, and Shane was great. A really fun and knowledgeable guy to talk to, which made the day even better. Thanks!

Shane was fantastic and this was an amazing day. Very well organised, flexible and an all round brilliant experience. As a solo traveller, Shane made me very welcome and was super friendly and helpful. Both places visited are a ‘must do’. I highly recommend booking this tour.

We had a wonderful day with Shane. He is so knowledgeable about South African history so it was a real treat to learn so much from him. He knows the best times to visit the sites and makes sure to get you to just the right place at the right time. He took great photos and videos of us while there so we could just be in the moment.

Very educational and great experience. Shane was our guide and was very friendly, and helpful. Cultural village excellent.