Maropeng holiday highlights: Cooper’s Cave, StarLab and Maropeng Hotel

Visitors enjoy a guided walk at Cooper’s Cave

In an interview this morning, Maropeng’s General Manager Erica Jago told popular talkshow host David O’ Sullivan of Talk Radio 702 about some of the things to do at Maropeng during the holidays.

Maropeng is the official visitor centre of the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site, which is world-famous for the richness of its hominid fossil record, stretching back more than 3-million years.

The interview focused on guided walks to the Cooper’s Cave fossil site in the Cradle of Humankind, which are great for all ages. The walks set out from Sterkfontein Caves, and are restricted to small groups of between 20 and 30 people.

The walk to Cooper’s Cave is about 1.5km, through the beautiful Cradle of Humankind landscape, and is led by palaeoanthropologist Christine Steininger of the University of the Witwatersrand.

Steininger explains human evolution in easy-to-understand language and with the help of some casts of famous fossils found in the Cradle. She is one of the few women in South Africa with a permit to operate a palaeoanthropological dig, which is ongoing at Cooper’s Cave.

Her knowledge of the area’s past and fossil record makes for a fascinating tour, said Jago.

“You stand in the beautiful savannah with Christine, and she’ll tell you what it would have looked like millions of years ago. You go into a cave, where you can literally see fossils poking out of the earth, and you’ll learn to make stone tools (and realise how completely inadequate you are compared to your ancestors),” she said.

The next Cooper’s Caves walks, which are suitable for children as well as adults, take place on December 29, 2010 and January 5, 2011, and cost R350 per person, including a light picnic lunch. Book here online.

Other specials at Maropeng this holiday season include StarLab – great for kids – and an accommodation special, for any night at the luxurious Maropeng Hotel for R940 per person (including bed and breakfast) up to and including January 9, 2011 (subject to availability).

StarLab is a portable inflatable planetarium providing children and young adults with an opportunity to learn more about the fascinating topic of astronomy.

Maropeng’s General Manager Erica Jago was interviewed on Talk Radio 702

It is kindly on loan from the South African Agency for Science and Technology Advancement (SAASTA) from December 11, 2010 until January 9, 2011.

The StarLab is fitted with an overhead star projector, and “passengers” will feel as if the sky has opened up above them.

Maropeng’s resident astronomer, Vincent Nettmann, gives a 45-minute presentation on various astronomical themes at the daily sessions, which begin at 11h00, 12h00 and 14h00. Tickets for the 45-minute “journey” are R25 per person (children and adults), and bookings can be made in advance online or at Maropeng.

Jago said after her 702 interview, “StarLab is a cross between an igloo and a jumping castle. You crawl through the entrance and find yourself in a dome-shaped structure. Vincent, our resident astronomer is ready to take you on a journey of the night skies as he projects them on to the ceiling of the dome. He will tell you about stories of African folklore and many others about the night skies.”

After a great trip to Maropeng and the Sterkfontein Caves, why not indulge yourself by staying over in the superb, boutique Maropeng Hotel?

“Our hotel is the epitome of peace and tranquility,” explained Jago. “As the crowds behave like lemmings, come and enjoy the best views in Gauteng and recharge your batteries for a few days in preparation for the new year. There is so much to do in the Cradle, so why not spend a couple of days and explore your World Heritage Site?”