Mossel Bay’s Pinnacle Point Caves, which have revealed the earliest evidence of modern human behaviour, will soon become accessible to small, escorted groups of visitors. The ‘Point of Human Origins’ tours of the caves are expected to begin in June.
Mossel Bay Tourism’s Marcia Holm said it would drive a whole new niche in tourism to the area. “These tours should go a long way towards positioning Mossel Bay as one of the world’s premier evolution tourism destinations.” Holm said Mossel Bay Tourism planned to place heavy emphasis on the town’s archaeology when it attends the annual Tourism Indaba next month.
The caves have been the subject of intensive study since 2000 by the SACP4 Project (South African Coastal Palaeoclimate, Palaeoenvironment, Palaeoecology, and Palaeoanthropology Project), under the direction of Professor Curtis Marean of the Institute of Human Origins at Arizona State University.
“The archaeological material there is very sensitive, so we had to get permission from Western Cape Heritage, and the co-operation of the SACP4 Project and the Pinnacle Point Homeowners Association – which owns the property – before we could go ahead,” said Mossel Bay’s Fred Orban, whose company, The Oystercatcher Trail, will provide the logistics for the tours.
Orban said all tours would operate on a fixed schedule, which would be announced shortly, and that each tour would accommodate a maximum of 12 people. The tours will begin with a short introductory lecture and will be conducted by a qualified scientist. He said that a number of different programmes had been designed.
Orban added that the tours would be open to members of the public and that they’ll also be offered as optional adds-on to the Oystercatcher Trail’s already established packages.
“Although the Oystercatcher Trail will handle the ground arrangements, this is a collaborative effort between Western Cape Heritage as the custodians of the archaeology, the SACP4 Project as the researchers, the Mossel Bay Archaeology Project as the people who handle the education, public outreach, consultation and other aspects of the archaeology, and of the Pinnacle Point Homeowners Association, which owns the property,” continued Orban.
He said some of the proceeds would go to the Mossel Bay Archaeology Project and some to the Home Owners Association to help with maintenance of the site.
“We’re planning to provide a high-quality experience for small numbers of people,” he said.
A website will be launched during Indaba. Meantime, tour operators are requested to contact Fred Orban for further information on Email: fred.orban@yahoo.com.
