Stargazing evening: Our southern deep skies (2 Aug)

Since ancient times, humankind has observed the skies with a fascination that has continued to grow as astronomers learn more about the endless space that surrounds Earth. On August 2, Maropeng’s resident astronomer, Vincent Nettmann, will take space exploring guests some hundreds to billions of light-years from Earth, beyond the solar system, to the realm of deep sky objects.

The exploration will include galaxies such as the Milky Way, nebulae (gaseous dust clouds) and star clusters, the best known in the Southern Hemisphere being the Jewel Box, an open cluster of stars in the Southern Cross.

This month’s ‘out-of-this-world’ experience is suitable for the whole family and will be held at the Tumulus Restaurant at Maropeng. Guests are requested to arrive by 5pm. The presentation costs R170 per adult and R95 per child, and includes a three-course buffet dinner. Guests wishing to stay overnight can book the hotel special of R620 per person sharing per night including luxury accommodation and breakfast.

Contact info@maropeng.co.za or 014 577 9000.

Maropeng / Pink Boudoir girls’ weekend
(8-10 August)

The idyllic setting of the 4-star Maropeng Hotel is ideal for a girls’ weekend. In response to the enthusiastic feedback of the first pamper weekend, Maropeng, together with The Pink Boudoir, will be hosting another weekend of utter indulgence, exclusively for ladies, on 8 to 10 August. Set aside your role of mother, wife and career woman and rediscover your fun and feminine side.

The package includes all meals, two nights’ luxury accommodation at the Maropeng Hotel, pamper treatments, a variety of sensual workshops and presentations, surprise gifts and bubbly with meals. The cost is R2950 per person. Ladies will be able to check in to the hotel from 2pm onwards on Friday August 8.

Contact info@maropeng.co.za or 014 577 9000.

Click here to see our Events Calendar.

Swartkrans walking tours (2, 16, 23 Aug)

Previously closed to the public, Maropeng is offering private walking tours to the famous hominid fossil site of Swartkrans. Scientist Morris Sutton, currently excavating at the site, will lead the tours and present the public with a rare opportunity to observe an active archaeological dig.

Swartkrans is the site where the first evidence of the co-existence of two different types of hominid species was discovered, proving that human evolution did not follow a linear sequence, but rather branched off, with some species becoming extinct. Swartkrans is also internationally significant for the discovery of earliest evidence of the use of controlled fire, dating back to 1-million years.

Weather permitting, the walking tours will depart from Sterkfontein Caves at 9am. Morris Sutton will lead the tour on foot to Swartkrans, present an overview of the history of Swartkrans and explain the current excavations. The tour will conclude at a grass amphitheatre where an elegant picnic will be set up, before returning to Sterkfontein Caves.

As Swartkrans is an open excavation site, no persons under the age of 18 will be permitted. The cost is R550 per person, and booking is essential as the tours will be limited to 12 people. The walking tours in August will be the last for this year, so ensure that you book your space now.

Contact info@maropeng.co.za or 014 577 9000

Whisky tasting evening (23 Aug)

Connoisseurs of fine Scotch whisky should not miss the whisky tasting evening at the elegant Maropeng Hotel on August 23. A selection of some of the highest calibre single-malt Scotch whiskies will be presented for tasting, including Tullibardine 1992, The Balvenie Doublewood 12 year old and the exclusive Laphroaig 10 year old. A gourmet dinner will be served accompanied by a whisky selected to complement each course.

Nestled at the foot of the Ochil Hills where the Scottish Highlands begin, the Tullibardine Distillery distils its scotch whisky from the purest highland spring water. Tullibardine 1992, a fine single Highland malt matured in bourbon and sherry casks, has a refreshing citrus nose with a slight hint of liquorice and toffee.

In the heart of the Scottish Highlands, The Balvenie Distillery produces whisky from barley grown on its thousand-acre farm. The 12-year-old Balvenie Doublewood single malt is matured in traditional oak and a Spanish oak sherry cask, creating a smooth single malt with a nutty sweetness and cinnamon spiciness, layered with honey and vanilla on the nose.

True connoisseurs will relish the opportunity to sample the rich, earthy 10-year-old Laphroaig whisky, undoubtedly one of the best single malts in the world. Laphroaig’s 200-year history is perceptible in each bottle, as is the pungent, earthy aroma of blue peat smoke, and the sweet nuttiness of barley.

The cost for the whisky tasting evening is R350 per person including a three-course dinner. Guests wishing to stay overnight can book the hotel special of R620 per person sharing per night, including luxury accommodation and breakfast (cost excludes the whisky tasting evening).

Contact info@maropeng.co.za or 014 577 9000.

Mugg & Bean 24 hour race (30, 31 Aug)

The popular Mugg & Bean 24 hour race will be held at Maropeng this year, starting at 12pm on Saturday August 30. Individuals, teams of two or four, or corporate teams of between five and 10 riders can enter the 24-hour relay mountain bike race which will end at 12pm on Sunday August 31.

Children between the ages of four and 10 can take part in a fun adventure quest on the specially designed kiddies’ track, taking place on Sunday at 9am. Nissan will also be sponsoring a 4x4 track, and the Fox MX stunt riders will be performing freestyle motocross displays during the weekend.

In conjunction with the race, Maropeng will also be host to the EA Rock Concert, taking place on Saturday from 11am at the amphitheatre on the Maropeng grounds. The exciting line-up includes Prime Circle, Evolver, Stealing Love Jones, Spoonfeedas, Lonehill Estate, 1st Project, Knave, New Academics, Unlisted and Lady Lea.

Refreshments will be available at Maropeng, as well as from various stalls and the Mugg & Bean tent in the amphitheatre. Entries for the race cost R250 for individuals, R440 for teams of 2, R850 for teams of 4 and R1500 for corporate teams. Visit www.the24hour.co.za to enter. Concert tickets are available from R150 to R250 each at Computicket.

The secrets of Sterkfontein Caves

An hour’s drive from Johannesburg and Pretoria, is Maropeng’s sister site, the Sterkfontein Caves, world famous for their fossil finds and a well-known visitor destination in themselves.

A scientific exhibition centre at Sterkfontein Caves showcases a reconstruction of a mined cave – versus a pristine cave – cave formations and geology, early life forms, mammals and hominid fossils, among other topics. It describes important finds such as “Mrs Ples”, the “Taung Child” and “Little Foot”, as well as providing information about fossilisation, palaeobotany and landscapes.

World-acclaimed and award-winning palaeoartist, John Gurche, whose exhibits can be seen at the Smithsonian Institute, the Field Museum and the American Museum of Natural History in New York and who worked on the film Jurassic Park, has produced all the lifelike hominid illustrations in the exhibition, from the 7-million-year-old Toumai fossil from Chad, through to modern humans. Gurche also did many of the illustratins for the Maropeng Visitor Centre.

The Sterkfontein Caves are owned by the University of the Witwatersrand, whose scientists have been responsible for the main excavations of the World Heritage Site. They are credited with many of the famous discoveries including the world famous “Mrs Ples” and “Little Foot”, an almost complete Australopithecus skeleton dating back more than 3-million years.

The tours at the Sterkfontein Caves, which start above ground and then take visitors deep into the caves, run every half hour, seven days a week. Read more about the Sterkfontein Caves online by clicking here.

Download our screensaver and enjoy the stunning visuals of Maropeng from your desk

Return to your desk after a few minutes away, and see a stunning image of Maropeng’s picturesque setting, overlooking the Witwatersberg and Magaliesberg mountains.

Our new site offers visitors the opportunity to download a free Maropeng screensaver, available in formats suitable for both Mac and PC users.

The screensaver offers a range of images of Maropeng and Sterkfontein Caves, showing the Tumulus building, the magnificent vistas of the area, and the boutique hotel, as well as images of the exhibitions themselves.

Browse through our gallery
The new Maropeng website now has a comprehensive gallery section, covering many of the stimulating visuals in the Maropeng Visitor Centre and at Sterkfontein Caves.

Grab a glimpse of what the exhibitions offer before you experience them first hand, peek into the bedrooms of the luxurious boutique hotel, see what a memorable event a wedding at Maropeng can be …

There is so much to see at Maropeng and the online gallery delivers the highlights in an accessible way to previous, future or online visitors.

Want to know when the last Sterkfontein Caves tour starts? Or whether an area is wheelchair accessible? Not sure whether you should bring your credit card or cash? Or whether halaal food is available?

At Maropeng, we pride ourselves on our educational focus. We cater for school groups to Maropeng itself, as well as to Sterkfontein Caves, our sister site. Read about why the Cradle of Humankind is an important part of anyone’s education, no matter their age, in our Education section.

Contact Sylvia on info@maropeng.co.za or
014 577 9000 for bookings, menus and further information. Booking is essential for presentations and special events as space is limited. Directions are available on www.maropeng.co.za.