Kaboutjie SA Mommy Blogs by Lynne Huysamen
In the first week of the holidays we visited the West Coast Fossil Park and it was a fantastic visit. I went there a few years previously with my kids but it was a heat wave and while my son was loving the visit my daughter was moaning and complaining non-stop which made it hard to enjoy. We only took part in the guided dig site last time, this time we took part in the guided dig site, the museum, and the mock dig.
About The West Coast Fossil Park
The Fossil Park is located at Langebaanweg in the West Coast, about 150 km from Cape Town. It is well known for its well preserved fossil remains dating to the terminal Miocene/early Pliocene (circa 5.2 million years ago).
A team of researchers are busy unravelling the unique and interesting fossil history, in an attempt to recreate the climate and environment from 5 million years ago. At that time animals that are now extinct, such as short-necked giraffes, saber-toothed cats, African bears, and hunting hyenas were roaming the west coast area.
During phosphate mining that started in 1943 fossils were uncovered. A wide number of different animal species were found at this site, making Langebaanweg of of the top diverse Mio-Pliocene occurrences worldwide.
They are open from 09h00 to 15h00 Tuesday to Sunday. They are closed Christmas day, New Year’s Day, and Good Friday. Make sure to check their website for tour times and bookings.
Activities
The standard activities offered by the West Coast Fossil Park include:
- Guided dig site your
- Self-guided museum
- Mock dig and puppet show
- Cycling and walking trails
The West Coast Chef School is also at the fossil park and offers accredited courses and non-accredited courses. There is also a restaurant where you can have breakfast, lunch, or coffee.
You can also hire venues for conferences and parties. There is a conference space seating 40 people, an ampitheatre seating 150 people, and the restaurant seating 60 – 80 people.
They often have other activities during school holidays – contact them to ask about their holiday program.
My West Coast Fossil Park Review
We had a wonderful time at the West Coast Fossil Park. The guided tour was incredibly interesting and all the information provided by the guide captivated my kids. They felt free to ask lots of questions that the guide welcomed and encouraged.
The mock dig was the highlight of the visit. I thought the kids would just dig up a few bones in a sandpit and that would be the end of it, but I was so wrong. The mock dig was set up with grids set out just like in the real dig site that we had just visited and each child got their own bucket of tools.
Each child was allocated a grid to dig up and they were shown how to clean their bone finds. Then they took it to the man running the show and he told them what type of bone it was and the animal it was from. He then showed them where to place the bone. All the bones were set out as if they were recreating an animal.
The kids got so into this and the man running it was superb whipping them up into a frenzy. One of the other moms there turned to me and said she felt like she wanted a spade and her own grid to work. I know what she meant!
The mock dig usually includes a puppet show, however with loadshedding this was not possible so we did not get to take part in that.
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After the mock dig we went to check out the museum. Just before you walk into the building there is a Pliocene Garden Ampitheatre that has been created like the way the area would have looked millions of years ago. There is a stark difference compared to how it looks now.
The museum was lovely to look around, with my kids especially loving the bottom room that has the Subterranean Display showing life below the surface. All the reptiles, mammals, and insects shown in this exhibit are shown 150 times larger than real life because all the animals are so tiny in reality.
Sivathere Hall focuses on the large giraffe type animal (Sivatherium Hendeyi) since that is the most common large mammal fossils found in the area. You will learn about the environment they lived in, as well as about the other animals that lived in the area at the time. There are beautiful wooden sculptures of life-size Sivatherium Hendeyi.
The West Coast Fossil Park is an absolute must-visit with kids!
You guys definitely has the best of your time there especially the mock dig i can imagine the feeling of being but of the team that discover a certain fossil kkkkkkkk it will be lovely indeed
Museums keep us updated about what we have no knowledge of
I’m still amazed in knowing that there was once an African Bear
You see it’s a great thing taking kids there because they become knowledgeable about history
Would definitely visit there one day in summer
It was an amazing morning out. And yes the mock dig was outstanding, I wanted to join in myself LOL
I’m in love with this place, it’s so cool and if you love Jurassic World this is even cooler. West coast has beautiful things to do for kids. I’m a little jealous here.
Wow Thanks for sharing. I didn’t even know a place like this existed. One day when I visit that side of South Africa I would love to visit with my children
Im so amazed of your places and the sharing
to us to show us another incredible trip on my list.its fun and lotsa learning . Exploring with nature and animals kids will love huge animals lovers.The history is incredible and this ages they will know so mich knowledge too ..
Amazing. I know for a fact my son would love to visit this museum one day when he is a bit older. 😁
He loved the Dinosaur Park by Sudwala Caves in Mpumalanga we took him there for his third birthday last year. And I know we are going to have to visit it again when he is bigger.