Kitching Fossil Exploration Centre
Kitching Fossil Exploration Centre
Kitching Fossil Exploration Centre
4.5
Full view
Top ways to experience nearby attractions
The area
Reach out directly
Contribute
Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
86 reviews
Excellent
50
Very good
31
Average
5
Poor
0
Terrible
0
vanjays
Durban, South Africa170 contributions
Jan 2021
What an amazing and enthusiastic guide - he captured the essence of the fossils and made it real and interesting.
Different and fun - you wander among goats and the river and at your feet are fossils in the Beaufort rock series - WOW!
I even found a few bones on my own!
Something different and well worth the walk! The video and in the museum pieces are extremely well done. Just a little oasis in a small out of the way place.
Well done Nieu Bethesda
Different and fun - you wander among goats and the river and at your feet are fossils in the Beaufort rock series - WOW!
I even found a few bones on my own!
Something different and well worth the walk! The video and in the museum pieces are extremely well done. Just a little oasis in a small out of the way place.
Well done Nieu Bethesda
Written 25 January 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
moodieancic
Polokwane, South Africa72 contributions
Dec 2020 • Family
As the parent of a teen that dreams of being a paleontologist, I have seen and been to many fossil 'places'. Kitching has so much to offer and yet I felt that they were rushing us through the tour. The guide walked ahead of us and with the wind blowing, we couldn't hear what he was explaining.
Written 31 December 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Christian L
6 contributions
Jan 2020 • Couples
This small museum was very informative and well set up. Very complex subject matter is made accessible and understandable by good displays and great reconstructions. Our guide, Gerrard, truly made this experience worth while. His enthusiasm and knowledge brought this ancient past to life. Enjoyed the walk down to the river bed where we could see the fossils in situ.
Written 11 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Megan
4 contributions
Feb 2020
What an amazing experience! As a giant paleo nerd myself, this really put me in my happy place. It’s incredible to able to see actual fossils in place on the ancient riverbed. Gerard was an incredible and knowledgable guide. This was such a great experience
Written 25 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kardoesie
South Africa4 354 contributions
Dec 2018 • Couples
We have been visiting Bethesda for years, but only visited the Kitching Fossil Centre for the first time this past December. The guide/ presenter was professional, attentive, knowledgeable on his subject matter, friendly and engaging. Overall the experience was informative, especially combined with the practical session in the riverbed - which has since been flooded due to the rains early February 2019. Hopefully more fossils have been exposed! Ideal for nature and history lovers.
Written 12 February 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
John W R
Potchefstroom, South Africa1 065 contributions
Dec 2015 • Couples
While visiting the Owl house we were also sold a ticket for the Kitching Fossil Exploration Centre which we had no idea existed up until that point. Well this turned out to be more interesting than the Owl House as our informative guide took us on a journey back in time to a world and life that existed on a supercontinent called Pangea about 253 million years ago, this was 50 million years before the emergence of the dinosaurs. There is a small museum with some life-size models of animals that have roamed the area and some fossils found locally and elsewhere in South Africa. There are also descriptive illustrations and drawings depicting the prehistoric landscapes and an interesting section titled “How to become a Fossil” which shows the process of fossilisation. We were also taken to the nearby fossil beds in the river and shown partially exposed fossils still embedded in the rock strata. An interesting fact is that by putting water onto a fossil it then stands out from the surrounding rock. At the end of the tour we were shown the lengthy process required to remove the rock from around a fossil.
A very interesting informative tour and it is worth purchasing this ticket together with the Owl House ticket as they are both then discounted.
A very interesting informative tour and it is worth purchasing this ticket together with the Owl House ticket as they are both then discounted.
Written 20 January 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Angela
Bedfordview, South Africa28 contributions
Dec 2019 • Couples
A very informative visit, worth the short walk to the river bed to see some fossils. Our guide was amazing- he knew so much and encouraged questions. You can see it is his passion.
Written 1 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Amanda M
Port Elizabeth, South Africa282 contributions
Aug 2015 • Family
Should you wish to visit both the Owl House and the Fossil Centre, it would be advisable to purchase a combined ticket from the Visitor's centre, which is adjacent to the Owl House. The visitor's centre does accept credit card payments. The fossil centre illustrates life in South Africa 253 million years ago during the Permian Period. The fossils found in the river basin at Nieu Bethesda are of mammal-like reptiles who roamed the Karoo, 50 million years before the first dinosaurs. There is a cement bust of the renowned professor James Kitching, who was brought up in Nieu Bethesda and was a palaeontologist. After browsing through the exhibits, a guide takes you on a tour to the dried up river bed where there are fossils aplenty to be discovered. The guide was extremely knowledgeable and had a wonderful sense of humour. We thoroughly enjoyed the experience and our children are now very keen to be little paleontologists too.
Written 13 August 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ThompsonsTwo
Potchefstroom, South Africa6 contributions
Mar 2018 • Couples
This experience was a complete surprise. The information is digestible even if you know nothing (or little) about fossils. The guide is knowledgeable and very passionate about these Karoo fossils which are infectious and soon had us very excited about it too. The visit to the fossil rocks in the riverbed where he showed us how to identify fossils in the rocks was definitely the highlight!
Written 27 March 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Eric J
Johannesburg, South Africa441 contributions
Mar 2018 • Couples
The staff are super friendly and knowledgeable and can’t help enough
We really enjoyed the visit and the exhibits and the visit to the fossil rocks in the riverbed
Don’t miss this it’s really as good as the Owl House as an attraction and worth visiting Nieu-Bethesda for this alone
It’s one of the foremost fossil sights in the country
R90 to do the fossil tour and the Owl House €6 per person .... about the price of a coffee in Switzerland 😂
A bargain of note 👍
We really enjoyed the visit and the exhibits and the visit to the fossil rocks in the riverbed
Don’t miss this it’s really as good as the Owl House as an attraction and worth visiting Nieu-Bethesda for this alone
It’s one of the foremost fossil sights in the country
R90 to do the fossil tour and the Owl House €6 per person .... about the price of a coffee in Switzerland 😂
A bargain of note 👍
Written 4 March 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Road47906555623
Boksburg, South Africa
HI, please let me know what is the entrance fee as we would like to visit the owl house as well
Written 16 September 2024
Did you call to make a reservation? I cannot get hold of them on their listed phone numbers
Written 31 March 2018
Hi, we did not make any reservations. At their reception one can find out more and book a tour, they were not that busy...we however only visited the exhibition in town.
Written 21 April 2018
Showing results 1-2 of 2
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing