Taung

Taung (Place of the Lion) is a tiny and very pretty settlement on the map due to an anthropological discovery of International renown – the 1924 discovery of the juvenile skull of Australopithecus Africanus  – a hominid species that lived in Southern Africa around 2.5 million years ago. The skull became known as the Taung Child, and the Taung site was duly granted World Heritage Status.

The Tusk Hotel Complex at Taung offers luxury accommodation as well as a small 150ha game reserve called the Boipelo Game Reserve, where you can enjoy a walking or bike safari to see a number of antelope species, zebra, giraffe and various bird species. Bicycles are provided by the hotel.

There are a few scenic spots in and around Taung, where you can enjoy a picnic, including a spot called the Blue Pools  at the Buxton Limestone Quarry near where the skull was excavated, and the Mmabana Cultural Centre where you can buy Setswana Arts and Crafts.

The Dikwaneng Rock Art site offers a glimpse of San Hunter Gatherer past. Dikwaneng is about 20km from Taung.

All directions and info be available at the Tusk Hotel reception.

The town of Taung is also called Buxton, after the now disused Quarry.

Getting there: Taung is 72km south of Vryburg on the N17.