Even during a thunderstorm, the view from the Maropeng Hotel pool deck is a beautiful one.

The African Education Week exhibition will be taking place at the Sandton Convention Centre from 20 to 22 June 2013. Maropeng, the official visitor centre for the Cradle of Humankind, will be one of the exhibitors and has the unique task of showcasing the wealth of local heritage it is guardian to, as well as the importance of this in understanding the history of humankind.

Forget the Biker Mice From Mars … recent photos from NASA’s Curiosity Rover show what looks like a squirrel hiding amongst the rocks on the Martian surface!

The exterior of the Maropeng Visitor Centre is a true example of cutting-edge architecture.

The discovery of “liquid blood” in the remains of a woolly mammoth on an island in Russia’s Novosibirsk archipelago, in the Arctic Circle, has reawakened interest in the possibility of cloning these relics of the last Ice Age.

The Kniphofia, also known as the red-hot poker, adds a bright splash of colour to the Cradle of Humankind landscape.

American freelance travel writer Scott Smith recently travelled to Johannesburg for a whirlwind tour which took him to the Origins Centre, Maropeng and the Cradle of Humankind.

On 25 May a colleague and I went on an excursion to the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site. We joined Dr Morris Sutton and others on a walking tour of Swartkrans, a National Heritage Site that bears evidence of early man’s controlled use of fire, and stone and bone tools.

A stay at the Maropeng Hotel wouldn’t be complete without a sundowner on our deck overlooking the rolling hills of the Magaliesberg. Sip on a cocktail, take a dip in the infinity pool and let all your worries melt away.

Today we celebrate World Environment Day, an annual initiative run by the United Nations Environment Programme that aims to inspire people all over the world to take positive action for the planet. This year the focus is on curbing food waste and food loss, under the theme Think. Eat. Save.