In 1943, at Baard’s Quarry, in the Langebaanweg area, phosphate mining began in the arid West Coast of South Africa. What they uncovered was an unexpected treasure trove of fossils - extinct saber-toothed cats, short-necked giraffes, 4-tusked elephants known as gomphotheres, 3-toes horses, hunting hyenas and African bears. There were also frogs, chameleons, lizards, moles, and molerats. Because of the importance of the site the mine was closed, although only in 1993.

Langebaanweg, in the West Coast Fossil Park is approximately 150 km north of Cape Town. The fossils found in this world-renowned, exceptionally well-preserved site come from the very end of the Milocene, early Pliocene eras. That’s about 5.2 million years ago.

A team consisting of both local and international archaeologists and paleontologists are slowly unveiling the fascinating and unique history as well as the fossils. They’re also attempting to recreate the subtropical climate, and green, lush riverine forests and open grasslands environment of the west coast of 5 million years ago.

What makes it unique is that this is not just ‘bones under glass’. This is a working museum. You can go to the actual excavation site and ‘take part’ in the dig. So far, over 200 animal species have been discovered.

The Dig Site is open to the public and is dominated by sivathere remains. A sivathere was much larger and more heavily built than today’s okapi and would rival the modern giraffe as well as the larger bovines, weighing approximately 2000kgs, complete with the large horns the males had. While some fossils are now housed at the Iziko National Museum in Cape Town, some remain in situ. The Sivathere Hall at Langebaanweg, depicts through a combination of digital art, graphic art and photography as well as life-size sculptures of the animals using ‘found’ alien wood, a day in the life of these mammals along the ancient, mighty watercourse of the Berg River to Saldanha Bay.

While the larger animals always make for an impressive display, the smaller, ‘underground’ fossils are just as important. Because they are often minute, they are displayed here 150 times bigger than they would have been when alive.

The Pliocene Garden Amphitheatre is a unique experiment in recreation. Using fossil pollen and fossilized particle of plant tissue scientists have been able to identify the kinds of plants that grew in this area 5 million years ago.

After a fascinating time spent at the dig and the exhibits, take some time out to go mountain biking and visit the rehabilitated mining areas, or discover something unique in the Fossil Park gift shop. The Fossil Park Restaurant has tasty, home-cooked meals including quiches, wraps, burgers, toasted sandwiches, or one of Cape Town’s most beloved fast-foods - the Gatsby. This is traditionally a French loaf cut in half and filled with ‘slap’ chips, meat and other munchies ranging from egg to fried calamari. If you have more of a sweet tooth, then you may prefer to dig into carrot cake or lemon meringue pie.