Origins Centre Museum
Origins Centre Museum
4.5
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
About
Africa is where our ancestors evolved into human beings; it’s only fitting then that the bustling metropolis of Johannesburg, South Africa, is where the Origins Centre Museum has been established. Conceptualised by a team of academics and designers from Wits University, the museum aims to provide visitors with a unique experience of Africa’s rich, complex heritage. The Museum boasts an extensive collection of rock art from the Wits Rock Art Research Institute (RARI), affording visitors the opportunity to view the earliest images made by humans, found in South Africa. Combining cutting-edge technology with the creative vision of some of South Africa’s foremost artists, the museum’s exhibits take visitors on an extraordinary voyage of discovery, which begins with the origins of humankind in Africa, and then moves through the development of art, symbolism, and technology on the continent. The Origins Centre Museum restores the African continent to its rightful place in history – at the very beginning of mankind’s journey to humanity. We are also home to a vast array of palaeoanthropological, archaeological and genetic materials charting the origins of humankind. These include ancient tools, artefacts of spiritual significance to early humans and examples of the region’s striking rock art. Visitors to our museum can expect to take follow an 80 000-year path in search of the art and culture that has inspired human innovation, as well as delve into the fascinating beliefs of the ancient San, experiencing ritual such as hunting and the trance dance. Audio guides come with the price of admission and are available in six languages – Zulu, Sotho, English, Afrikaans, French and German.
Duration: 1-2 hours
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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
251 reviews
Excellent
132
Very good
83
Average
26
Poor
8
Terrible
2
jonson
20 contributions
Sept 2020
You could spend an entire day at the Wits Origins Centre Museum with so much of information at your access. The staff are passionate about what they do and always willing to share information and assist you. Definitely a place worth taking children to, and in the process increasing your knowledge too. A gem with many impressed international tourists. Private companies should consider assisting with funding to expand this museum.
Written 19 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.
Naveed Moeed
Chapel Hill, NC4 contributions
Aug 2022
This museum really exceeded expectations in terms of the quality of information and exhibits available. The layout is a little maze-like but takes you on a journey of the early people in South Africa. If you've been to the Cradle of Humankind or Sterkfontein Caves, this is a must-see!
Written 31 August 2022
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.
Carlos L.
Palm Desert, CA1 913 contributions
Jul 2024 • Couples
Great experience.. . .amazing museum that explains the origin of man in South Africa. It is on a University campus and a secret treasure. We enjoyed our visit. Come here and expect to be wowed.
Recommend this place.
Recommend this place.
Written 19 August 2024
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.
Olivier L
1 contribution
Sept 2024 • Family
The whole family was excited to have a tour with a drama group providing guidance through the museum. What we got was - frankly - horrifying. Trouping through a dark, creepy space while someone screams in pain is traumatic for anyone. For children, who have no context of the artistic content of a thing, it was absolutely terrifying.
Having escaped the horror show, we were then informed we weren't allowed to even tour the museum until the show was over. They went so far as to evict us from the quieter space we had found, so that we were forced to pass by the show again. A huge thank you to the staff member who spent the rest of our time entertaining the traumatised children, and to the friendly cafe staff. Some other staff urgently need empathy training.
It is mystifying that there was no content warning or age-appropriate guidance for this. Given this lack of guidance, parents, do not trust the Origins Centre to provide safe content for your children.
Having escaped the horror show, we were then informed we weren't allowed to even tour the museum until the show was over. They went so far as to evict us from the quieter space we had found, so that we were forced to pass by the show again. A huge thank you to the staff member who spent the rest of our time entertaining the traumatised children, and to the friendly cafe staff. Some other staff urgently need empathy training.
It is mystifying that there was no content warning or age-appropriate guidance for this. Given this lack of guidance, parents, do not trust the Origins Centre to provide safe content for your children.
Written 24 September 2024
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.
MumbaiRiders
Mumbai, India2 005 contributions
Sept 2016 • Solo
Purchased a entry ticket costing R 40 and made my way towards the main exhibition building a few meters away from the handicraft shop situated inside"Witswatersrand(Wits) University" campus .The "Origin Centre" museum is dedicated to the exploration and celebration of human life and modern humankind with a emphasis on origin of humans in Southern Africa.It is the only museum in the World exploring and celebrating the history of humankind.I was the only tourist in the entire museum on this Sunday morning.On entry a wire sculpture by Walter.Oltmann explains the migration of mankind from Africa to other parts of the World.A cupboard containing replica skeleton heads explains the evolution of man through the various skulls.Stone age tools were on display The museum seeks to restore Africa in its rightful place as the cradle of the origin of humans on Planet Earth. There was a replica of the oldest human skull "Lucy" in the exhibit drawer and i began to feel like a Doctorate professor of Archaeology .There was a exhibit and three dimensional documentary on the World's oldest rock stone art.A huge stuffed exhibit of a dying Eland was on display .The most interesting exhibit was the small auditorium room which projected a movie on the screen on entering the chamber that explained the "GREAT DANCE" of the Sans People (Bushmen),Sans formerly called Bushmen are indigenous people of Botswana and Namibia.Sans healers or Shamans practice all types of medicinal healing experimenting with oral remedies containing animal and plant material.They also make cuts on their body and rub some potions on the cuts.They wear certain animal parts to make them as strong as that animal.The Western World would call this "Witchcraft" and its practitioners as "African Witch doctors" popularly called "Shamans". Most important ritual of the Sans people is the "Great Dance" when they heal with the Shaman going into a trance. Animals and their association with men especially during the hunt is a significant aspect in the "Great Dance".The animal most hunted and portrayed by the Sans people (Bushmen) is the Eland which is the largest antelope in Africa. Next exhibit was "Rock Art Carvings" which akin to normal canvass and paper art has a huge collectors market and pilfered from rock sites .There was also a explanation on the importance of tribal beer drinking in traditional beer pots that are now collectors items.The last exhibit was a large room depicting tapestry art .If visiting Johannesburg this museum is a ":Must Visit" to understand our very own human evolution.
Written 11 November 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.
Ian E
Honolulu, HI45 contributions
Sept 2019
This is my second visit to the museum and I took two New Zealand friends, telling them it was fantastically interesting and something we really should do while visiting Jo'burg. My enthusiasm was based on the fact that it has a wonderful collection of humanoid artifacts and some important material about the "cradle of civilzation" which is the southern and eatsern African savannah. I was an undergraduate and graduate student of psychology at Wits University (the University of the Witwatersrand where the museum is housed) and now an emeritus professor of psychology, and I knew about and have followed the work of famous Wits professors of anthropology such as Raymond Dart and Phillip Tobias, the exploration of major cave systems such as Sterkfontein, and now the recent work of Lee Berger, a Wits prof and an American paleoanthropologist. So given all that, I was very disappointed at the poor quality of the displays, none of the video monitors actually worked or were not turned on, and the tired, confusing, and jumbled layout telling you next to nothing about the research and discoveries and what it all means for the "origins" of mankind. I was embarrassed that I'd dragged my friends there for such a poor exhibition. One mitigating factor was an excellent special exhibit and interpretation of the Koi San people, and some nice reproductions of their rock paintings. The staff were friendly, there is a very comprehensive bookstore, and a so-so café with some tables outside (it was a very hot day and we wanted ice-cream but the machine wasn't working). We went there by Uber as there is security to get onto campus and terrible parking, so that's what I'd recommend. I do feel that a major university such as Wits that has made a fantastic contribution to understanding the emergence of homo sapiens in Southern Africa, should be able to support a much more serious, attractive, and scientific experience for visitors to Johannesburg. You should still go to it if you can, it's important, and this review is mainly for the university administrators in charge!
Written 18 October 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.
TheresaW0924
Houston, TX40 contributions
Apr 2014 • Friends
This museum is a great introduction before you visit Maropeng and the Sterkfontein Caves. There are audio guides that explain the origins of man and San rock art. There was also a temporary exhibit about dinosaur fossils and a photo exhibit when I was there. The Tapestry Room and the Spirit Dance Room were very interesting.
Written 15 April 2014
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.
cherry.c
Bristol, UK93 contributions
Jan 2018 • Solo
It's a bit hard to find but then I easily spent a few hours in the museum. Before entering the museum, the lady at the bookshop explained to me what I would see and what I could expect from the museum. It is partly about human evolution and mostly about rock art. From there I learnt about San people, which then I kept hearing things about them in the rest of my trip. So I'm glad I've got some information from the museum. The part which I enjoyed the most is a room with 11 panels in it. Those 11 panels are just stunning!
Written 24 February 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.
see-swim-hike
61 contributions
Jul 2017
We really wanted to visit the Cradle of Humankind but didn't have a spare day to do so, so stopped here instead. Easily accessible from the red hop on and off bus, though a bit tricky to find from the bus stop (get off, go back up the street the way the bus brought you, turn right in the large driveway to the Wits University. You need to talk to the attendant at the car entrance who will let you through their control office as a pedestrian. Continue up to the top of the hill, and on the left, see a sign to the Origins Centre Museum. It's further on your left, with a cafe, gift and book shop and bathrooms as well.
It was pretty great, with origins of humans, technology, and art on display. There were originals of technology and art, though most of the human evolution skulls were casts. Remember learning about Lucy at school? A cast of her skull is there, you can hold it. We didn't spend a long time, but it is pretty cool to see all of these things laid out in chronological order, in real objects, makes it much easier to understand than from text books in school!
It was pretty great, with origins of humans, technology, and art on display. There were originals of technology and art, though most of the human evolution skulls were casts. Remember learning about Lucy at school? A cast of her skull is there, you can hold it. We didn't spend a long time, but it is pretty cool to see all of these things laid out in chronological order, in real objects, makes it much easier to understand than from text books in school!
Written 23 July 2017
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.
DLady69
Cocoa Beach, FL195 contributions
Nov 2013 • Family
We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to the Origins museum. Easy to find as well. It's a small venue, but very informative displays of stone age tools, hominid skulls and of course the rock art paintings. The museum wasn't crowded, secure parking was not a problem and we nearly had the place to ourselves. The tapestries depicting the history of the San people are also incredible and I do wish they would offer a book, postcards, posters or some other such souvenir of them. Photos don't do them justice. Unfortunately the café was closed, otherwise we would have stayed for lunch. The gift shop was small, but there were some books you wouldn't otherwise find and they also offered nice prints of South African rock paintings. A little pricey, but aren't all museum gift shops. Overall, I would suggest anyone who enjoys the history of the origin of man and the San people to go visit.
Written 23 November 2013
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.
has anybody done the dna sampling experience and how long does this session take? i see they start at 10 on saturday. what time are they finished
Written 2 August 2018
Hi, I did not do this at the museum, but have done many times (!). So I cannot comment on timings / duration at this site, but the procedure takes no more than an hour. :)
Written 4 August 2018
Yes. The bus stops at the University of Witwatersrand entrance. This also allows to see what one of the most prestigious universities in South Africa looks like.
Written 19 April 2016
Hi there,
Yes it is on the City Sightseeing route. You also get a 50% discount on your museum ticket when you ride on the Red Bus.
We look forward to seeing you.
The Origns Centre team
Written 21 July 2015
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