MAROPENG - THE CRADLE OF HUMANKIND, Johannesburg, South Africa Tourism
Maropeng is the official Visitor Centre of the Cradle of Humankind, one of South Africa’s eight World Heritage Sites and one of the major tourist attractions in South Africa.It's the world's richest hominin site, home to around 40% of the world's human ancestor fossils.The Cradle of Humankind region in South Africa, which is approximately 90 minutes' drive from the Johannesburg city centre.
The exhibition centre takes visitors on a journey of discovery to learn more about the origins of humankind, and is housed in the Tumulus, a unique architectural structure resembling an ancient burial mound. An underground boat ride starts the adventure, taking visitors through the various stages of Earth’s creation. Visitor’s then emerge into the main exhibition halls, where the evolution of humankind is illustrated through fun and interactive displays and games.
More than just an exploration of human origins, the Maropeng exhibition also inspires visitors to be more aware of threats to the environment. The sustainability wall, which runs across the main exhibition room, highlights important facts about modern humans and our consumption of rapidly decreasing natural resources. Maropeng provides visitors with a rare opportunity to view original hominid and dinosaur fossils, as well as ancient artifacts housed in the fossil display room. The collections on display change throughout the year, ensuring there is always something new to see at Maropeng. The area is also home to a diversity of birds, animals and plants, some of which are rare or endangered.
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Maropeng Visitor Centre: Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site
Visiting the Maropeng Visitor Centre in Gauteng's Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site? Here's what you can expect, from the prehistoric Tumulus mound to the interactive exhibition and boat ride, plus plenty of fun and family-centred entertainment in between.
Boat riad in Maropeng Visitor Centre, Cradle of Humankind UNESCO, South Africa
★ Nomad Revelations Travel Blog → ★ Boat riad in Maropeng Visitor Centre, Cradle of Humankind UNESCO, South Africa
Sterkfontein Caves: UNESCO World Heritage Site
The Sterkfontein Caves are world famous for their fossil finds and a well-known visitor destination. Home to a top restaurant, conferencing facilities, easy access to the caves themselves, modern walkways and a boardwalk past the excavation site where world-acclaimed fossils have been discovered, the caves are a must for any visitor travelling to Johannesburg.
The Sterkfontein Caves are credited with many famous fossil 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.
Maropeng - The Cradle of Humankind - SOUTH AFRICA 02/2017
Produced by Marek Blaszczakiewicz - Podroze z Kamera (itravelwithcamera@gmail.com)
Music:
The Universe, life and man's journey to humanity: Maropeng exhibition highlights
The Maropeng exhibition is a wonderful way to learn about our collective journey to humanity. It starts with the birth of Earth and its planetary place in the universe and then follows humankind's evolutionary path to the species we are today. Learn about extinct species, fossils and what makes us human in this fanscinating exhibition. And don't forget the boat ride...
Maropeng Visitor Centre (Video 2), Cradle of Humankind, Johannesburg
Visit Maropeng and Sterkfontein Caves
Award-winning tourist guide Reuben Tsime says guiding visitors around the Cradle of Humankind is an honour. Reuben recently was awarded best site guide at the West Rand Tourism Awards and says that if you haven't visited Maropeng and Sterkfontein Caves you don't know what you're missing.
Watch Reuben in action in this video.
Maropeng Visitor Centre: what to expect
You enter the Maropeng Visitor Centre via a prehistoric mound (the Tumulus building) and after a boat ride that takes you through a journey of creation of life on the planet and mankind's evolution, you exit into the 21st century! What an experience! Here's what to expect when visiting Maropeng, the Visitor Centre to the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site.
Maropeng, the official visitor centre of the Cradle of Humankind (65 secs)
Maropeng, the official visitor centre of the Cradle of Humankind, has beefed up its offering in a bid to attract corporates looking for the just-out-of-Johannesburg conferencing experience. Lindsay Marshall, acting gm of Maropeng tells us more.
Maropeng Boutique Hotel: luxury accommodation the the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site
The Maropeng Hotel, with breathtaking views of the Witwaterberg and Magaliesberg ranges, is the epitome of luxury accommodation in the Cradle of Humankind. It includes 24 bedrooms, sleeping up to 48 people.
Opened in mid-2006, the boutique hotel is a five-minute walk from Maropeng, and 10km (6 mi) from the Sterkfontein Caves. Enjoy a restful night's sleep in one of the 10 king or 13 twin rooms, or fully equipped room for disabled persons.
The Maropeng Hotel is ideal for a romantic getaway, for executives seeking a convenient conference venue with accommodation not too far out of town, for local visitors wanting a short escape to refresh their souls, or for international tourists wanting to see some of the best tourist attractions South Africa has to offer.
Maropeng Visitor Centre surroundings
Maropeng Visitor Centre
The Maropeng Visitor Centre is an exciting, world-class exhibition, focusing on the development of humans and our ancestors over the past few million years.
Maropeng means returning to the place of origin in Setswana, the main indigenous language in this area of South Africa. The Cradle of Humankind is an easy drive of about an hour from Johannesburg or Pretoria. Our ancestors have lived in this area for more than 3-million years. By coming here, you are coming to the birthplace of humanity. Welcome home!
Visit maropeng.co.za
Maropeng, Cradle of Humankind, Gauteng
Another weekend, another road trip! Still the Gauteng province, I went to the Cradle of Humankind, and spent some time at the Maropeng Visitor Centre and the Sterkfontein Caves. This is where the first human fossils were found, proving that mankind did originate from Africa!
I'll certainly be adding info about the caves in the blog post but I didn't film them here because it was just too dark :( Anyways, I liked how interactive this museum was, it was certainly worth the drive! And of course, details to follow in my blog post on how you can plan a trip there.
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South Africa's fossil record goes back more than 300-million years
South Africa has had an enormous impact on the field of palaeontology says University of the Witwatersrand Professor Bruce Rubidge. Read more about the new fossil display on at Maropeng:
STERKFONTEIN CAVES - A WORLD HERITAGE SITE, Johannesburg, South Africa Tourism
An hour’s drive from Johannesburg and Pretoria, the Sterkfontein Caves are world famous for their fossil finds and a well-known visitor destination. The Sterkfontein Caves site is home to a top restaurant, conferencing facilities, easy access to the caves themselves, modern walkways and a boardwalk past the excavation site where world-acclaimed fossils have been discovered.
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.
Within the Sterkfontein Caves, scientists have discovered many hominid and other animal fossils, dating back more than 4-million years, to the birth of humanity. The most important and most famous of these fossils are “Mrs Ples”, a 2.1-million-year-old Australopithecus skull, and “Little Foot”, an almost complete Australopithecus skeleton that is more than 3-million years old. These fossils, both found in the Sterkfontein Caves in the Cradle of Humankind, tell us much about the precursors of modern humans, Homo sapien
The Sterkfontein Caves, situated in the Cradle of Humankind, represent one of the world's richest fossil sites, and discoveries there continue to astound the international scientific community. Here is a collection of sometimes surprising facts about the caves.
In the late 1890s gold miners dynamited the Sterkfontein caves in search of limestone which they converted into the quick lime required for processing gold. Their explosions revealed entrances to the cave system.Around 2.5-billion years ago, the area now known as the Cradle was a shallow inland sea.
An estimated 40% of all the world's human ancestor fossils have been found in the Cradle.The Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site has become a major international tourism destination with close to 400 tourism attractions, including 91 graded establishments.
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Bone Detectives at Sterkfontein Caves
Join Maropeng and Wits scientist Brendon Billings on a new tour of discovery at Sterkfontein Caves. Aptly named Bone Detectives, the tours investigate the seven-million-year evolution of humankind by looking for evidence in the many fossils found in the area. As Billings says, Bones provide clues and make it possible for us to piece together the evolutionary story. Afterwards, go on a tour through Sterkfontein Caves with award-winning guide Reuben Tsime. Visit maropeng.co.za for more information.
Swartkrans walking tour: Book your place today
Swartkrans, one of the richest fossil sites in the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site, is usually closed to the public. But on these walking tours, small groups will have a rare opportunity to observe an active palaeontological dig and will be guided around the site by scientist Dr Morris Sutton, who is currently excavating there.
To book your place visit
Welcome to Maropeng
Welcome to Maropeng (the official visitor centre of the Cradle of Humankind) and the Sterkfontein Caves.
Maropeng means “returning to the place of origin” in Setswana, the main indigenous language in this area of South Africa. The Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site is an easy drive of about an hour from Johannesburg or Pretoria. Our ancestors have lived in this area for more than 3-million years. By coming here, you are coming to the birthplace of humanity. Welcome home!
For more info, visit
Maropeng Visitor Centre #GPShotLeft