Local tour operator · Cullinan
A compact version of the Cullinan surface visit: a video, replica diamonds, the tunnel model, the Shaft 1 skip and the Big Hole, then the jewellery store. Pick it if you're short on time or travelling with someone who tires quickly.
The listing packs the standard surface stops into about 90 minutes: a video, diamond replicas, a tunnel model, the Shaft 1 skip, the Big Hole and an on-site jewellery store. That's the same set of sights the 2-hour walking tour covers, so the difference is pace, not content. GetYourGuide shows it from $12.
The skip is the container that carries ore up the shaft, and No. 1 Shaft hoists from 934 m, according to a 2016 SAIMM paper. The Big Hole is the old open pit, mined to about 190 m before the mine went underground in the 1940s. Both are real, working-mine sights, seen from the surface.
The listing mentions no pickup. Bring your own transport, closed flat shoes and ID. And be clear on the main point: no Cullinan tour goes underground since 30 April 2023 (Petra's statement). Any page offering otherwise is out of date.
Expect to send an indemnity form and ID copies before the visit, as the Cullinan operators require.
The tour opens with a video on the mine, according to the listing.
Diamond replicas, then a model of an underground tunnel.
A look at the skip that lifts ore up No. 1 Shaft.
The view over the old open pit.
The tour finishes at the on-site jewellery store.
★★★★★Guide was perfect, he was graduated student in the industry so he could answer all the questions
★★★★★Very interesting! The guide was very pleasant and knowledgeable, and also very kind!
Read next:
About 90 minutes, according to the listing, making it the shortest mine tour on this site.
The skip is the container that hoists ore up the shaft. Cullinan's No. 1 Shaft hoists from 934 m below the surface. You see it from above ground.
No. No tour at Cullinan goes underground since 30 April 2023. The tunnel model is the closest you'll get. Read our underground tour guide for the background.
The stops match closely: video, replicas, tunnel model, shafts, the Big Hole and the jewellery store. The walking tour lasts about 2 hours instead of 90 minutes and is the better-known listing.
Ready to book
The film, the replica diamonds, the tunnel model, No. 1 Shaft and the Big Hole in 90 minutes.
Cullinan Surface Diamond Mine Walking TourTwo hours on foot at the working mine for $12: film, shafts and the Big Hole. Bring your own transport, closed shoes and ID.★ 4.6 · 2 hours · from $12
Royal Africa Diamond Mine TourA small-group surface tour in Cullinan, motorised or on foot, with a history room and a heritage house. From $12.★ 5.0 · 2.5 hours · from $12
Cullinan Surface Half-Day Tour from PretoriaHotel pickup in Pretoria, the mine's surface tour and the diamond market in about 4 hours. Skip-the-line, private option.★ 5.0 · 4 hours · from $125