Pinnacle Point: the caves where modern humans began

Why it matters

When the climate turned harsh across Africa, a small population survived on this coast by learning to harvest the sea. Archaeologist Curtis Marean's team found the evidence in Cave 13B: shellfish remains, worked ochre pigment and tiny stone bladelets. It is a strong candidate for the place where the behaviours that define us as a species first took hold.

Visiting

The caves sit below the Pinnacle Point Estate and are reached by guided tour only, with a steep boardwalk down the cliff. Tours run on set days and must be booked in advance; the Point of Human Origins tour is led by trained guides and lasts around three hours. The Dias Museum in town has a good introduction.

iOcean and Pinnacle Point

iOcean Trust co-founder Sophumelela Qoma is the youngest director of the Pinnacle Point Site Complex, and the trust's youth programmes use the site to connect young people from Mossel Bay with their own deep history.