This month marks the celebration of World Environment Day on June 5 and Maropeng would like to encourage you to take action in preserving the environment. According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), World Environment Day takes place annually and is “aimed at being the biggest and most widely celebrated global day for positive environmental action”.

With this in mind, Maropeng hopes that efforts to make our operations at the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site more environmentally friendly will inspire others in the tourism industry to do the same.

According to Maropeng's maintenance manager, Mark Fouché, hundreds of trees were planted at the Visitor Centre when it opened in 2005. “We wrap all young trees in winter to help increase their chances of survival, but due to the extremely cold winters, only a few of these have survived. This is not due to failure on our part, but nature’s way of ensuring that only the strongest plants continue to reproduce.”

The 2011 theme for World Environment Day is “Forests: Nature at Your Service” which is fitting considering that according to Greenworks, deforestation is a major threat to the Earth’s existence. At Maropeng we are doing our part by annually planting indigenous trees for Arbor Day and focusing on conserving the surrounding natural environment.

Read more about the UNEP’s World Environment Day initiative and work together with your colleagues and friends to play your part in reducing carbon emissions.

Below is a list of trees which have been planted at Maropeng over the past five years:

• Acacia caffra, common hook thorn
• Acacia karroo, sweet thorn
• Celtis africana, white stinkwood
• Combretum erythrophyllum, river bushwillow
• Cussonia paniculata, mountain cabbage tree
• Euclea crispa, Guarris
• Kiggelaria africana, wild peach
• Olea europaea, African olive
• Rhus leptodictya, mountain karee
• Ziziphus mucronata, buffalo thorn

Cooper’s Cave picnic and walking tour: June 4

Join Maropeng and palaeoanthropologist Christine Steininger at Cooper’s Cave for a delicious picnic and walking tour. Spend the morning exploring caves, and visit an active excavation site which is full of a diverse range of animal fossils. You can also learn to make stone tools.

Book online for the following dates: June 4, July 2 and August 6.

Swartkrans picnic and walking tour: June 18

Enjoy the exclusive opportunity of exploring an active palaeontological dig at Swartkrans, which is usually closed to the public, with scientist Morris Sutton. Swartkrans is well known for being the location where fossils of Paranthropus robustus were discovered. Follow this exciting walking tour and informative discussion with a delicious picnic lunch.

The tour begins at Maropeng, conveniently located within an hour’s drive from Johannesburg and Pretoria.

Book online for the following dates: June 18, August 20 and September 17.

Stargazing talk: Galileo, the man who changed the world: June 25

This month’s popular stargazing event at Maropeng is all about Galileo Galilei, who is widely regarded as the first modern day scientist. Join Maropeng’s resident astronomer Vincent Nettmann as he tells the story of Galileo and shows you the darling of astronomy, the planet Saturn.

The evening begins at 18h00 with welcome drinks and a delicious three-course dinner at the Maropeng boutique hotel. Dinner will be followed by an illustrated talk and will end off with a chance to gaze at the stars through large-aperture telescopes.

Book online for the following dates: June 25 and July 9.

Weekend accommodation specials

Remember that you can also combine one of these specials with an overnight stay at the luxurious, award-winning Maropeng boutique hotel. Spend a restful night and wake up to breakfast on the terrace with spectacular views of the Cradle of Humankind.

Book online for the following dates: Cooper’s Cave June 4, Swartkrans June 18 and Stargazing June 25.

Spoil your dad and enjoy a family day out in the Cradle of Humankind this Father’s Day on June 19. Book a delicious carvery lunch at the Tumulus Restaurant for R180 per adult (including a surprise gift for Dad). Kiddies' options are R90 per child (5 – 12 years old) for the carvery lunch or R50 for the kiddies' menu option (5 – 12 years old).

Maropeng is also running a great hotel accommodation special if you want to make Father’s Day a fun family weekend event. Book for dinner, bed and breakfast for your family and enjoy a relaxing getaway only an hour from Johannesburg and Pretoria.

Book online for the Father’s Day carvery lunch and the Father’s Day accommodation special.

At Maropeng we are committed to reducing our carbon footprint. With this in mind, we have created a specific section on our website where you can read all about our “green” efforts. Find out more about what strategies are being implemented at the Cradle of Humankind to reduce our carbon footprint.

Click below to read some of our latest “green” stories:

• Maropeng teaches learners about our home planet
• Greening Maropeng: A group effort
• New water conservation technology at Sterkfontein Caves
• Maropeng brings you tips on how to save water
• South Africa’s water crisis: Maropeng takes on the challenge
• Water and the evolution of humankind
• Maropeng celebrates World Wetlands Day 2011

Looking for somewhere unique and special to host your corporate event? Look no further than the Tumulus building at the Maropeng Visitor Centre. Recently nominated for the 2011 South African Tourism Welcome Awards, the conference facilities at Maropeng are world-class and offer a uniquely African setting.

With the Maropeng boutique hotel only metres away, you can also book fantastic accommodation in the Cradle for your conference delegates. Read more about the conferencing packages we offer on our website.

In case you haven’t already noticed, we thought we would let you know of the exciting opportunity you have to win with Maropeng in our weekly competitions. Visit our Facebook page every Wednesday morning for details on how to win. The competition is also being run on the www.joburg.co.za and Maropeng websites.

Previous winners include Stephan Laubscher, Colleen Walsh and Ian Jones. Make sure that you “like” the Maropeng Facebook group in order to receive competition details, and your name could appear here as a winner next month!
 

The winter school holidays are upon us and if you’re in Gauteng, make sure that you visit Maropeng for a seriously fun family getaway. The school holiday special, running from June 24 - July 17 includes dinner, bed and breakfast at the luxurious Maropeng Hotel and a tour of the Maropeng Visitor Centre. 

The cost is R1 050 per adult sharing and R940 per child per room. For adults not sharing the cost is R1 450. Book this special now and make this school holiday one to remember for you and your family.

Book online for the school holiday special.