Small bay with turquoise water between red cliffs on the coast west of Mossel Bay

Attractions · West

Pinnacle Point

A path down through the fynbos, and then a cave opens under the cliff with a view of the sea. Somebody sat here 164,000 years ago, ate shellfish and ground ochre. It is the oldest place in the world where that can be shown.

Pinnacle Point lies six kilometres west of the centre, below a golf course on the cliffs. A team under Curtis Marean of Arizona State University has been digging in the caves there since 2000 and has found traces between 170,000 and 40,000 years old. The oldest evidence anywhere for the use of marine food and of ochre as a pigment comes from here, around 164,000 years old; add to that heat treated stone tools and hearths. Since 2024 the caves have been part of the UNESCO World Heritage site “The Emergence of Modern Human Behaviour”.

oldest evidence for marine food and ochre
164,000 years
excavations under Curtis Marean
Since 2000
UNESCO World Heritage
2024
booking through humanorigin.co.za
Guided only

You may only enter the caves with a guide. Point of Human Origins runs tours in small groups, booked through humanorigin.co.za or by WhatsApp. Price, length and start times are not on the website (August 2026), so ask when you book, and say so if anybody in the group is unsteady on their feet: the path goes down the cliff. Coming without a tour is barely worth it, since the site belongs to a residential estate with a golf course.

Small bay with turquoise water between red cliffs on the coast west of Mossel Bay
The cliff coast west of town: the caves sit in bays like this one.
Time needed
one tour, length to be confirmed with the operator
Cost
price from the operator, worth checking
When
all year by arrangement
From the Dias Museum
5.9 km

Our tipRead the history page first. Standing in the cave, you will understand why a handful of shells keeps a whole field of science busy.

Pinnacle Point: frequently asked questions

Can you visit the caves at Pinnacle Point near Mossel Bay?

With a guide only. Point of Human Origins runs tours in small groups, booked through humanorigin.co.za or by WhatsApp; price, length and start times come with the booking (August 2026). The site belongs to a residential estate with a golf course, and without a tour you will not reach the caves.

What was found at Pinnacle Point?

Traces of people from between 170,000 and 40,000 years ago, among them the oldest known evidence for the use of marine food and of ochre as a pigment, around 164,000 years old, plus heat treated stone tools and hearths. Digging has gone on since 2000 under Curtis Marean; since 2024 the caves near Mossel Bay have been UNESCO World Heritage.

How far is Pinnacle Point from Mossel Bay?

About six kilometres west of the centre, roughly ten minutes by car. The operator gives you the meeting point when you book.