In celebration of Heritage Month, Maropeng will be launching a new fossil display on September 2 at 13h00.

The display, Evolution: digging for an understanding, covers a wide range of topics, from Darwin to gorgonopsians, presenting real evidence that demonstrates the theory of evolution and that all life on Earth evolved from a common ancestor.

Maropeng is famed for its exhibits of original fossils that shed light on our distant past and where we came from. But for scientists to truly understand and explain the fossils, they have to rely on an overall framework of thought – and that is what we call the theory of evolution.

To read more about the display, please click here.

Maropeng and the Cradle of Humankind will be celebrating Heritage Day in style this year at The Great Escape Magaliesberg Country Classic Festival.

Hosted at Bekker Schools from 09h00 to 17h00 on September 24, the festival will show the best that Magaliesberg has to offer.

The Johannesburg Youth Orchestra will provide light entertainment while you browse through the organic Green Kitchen Market. If you require some relaxation, Just Haven and Mount Grace will be providing outdoor spa treatments. And the Maropeng stand will indulge you further with chocolate and champagne.

Staff members of Maropeng and the Cradle of Humankind Management Authority will be on hand to answer all your questions.

To read more about the festival, please click here.

Maropeng is giving away five double tickets to the festival.

To win this amazing prize all you need to do is send an e-mail with your details to info@maropeng.co.za. The first five e-mails received will win the tickets.

The month of September sees Maropeng offering an amazing accommodation special!

Our weekend specials will run as normal, but we are have an amazing special that will run over the entire month of September.

Escape the fast-paced city grind and treat yourself to a break at our exclusive four-star boutique hotel.

Less than an hour’s drive from Johannesburg and Pretoria, the Maropeng Hotel is the epitome of luxury, allowing its guests to escape to the intimacy, peace and tranquillity of the countryside.

Maropeng is a Setswana word meaning “returning to the place of origin” and this was kept in mind when the interiors of the hotel were designed. The four elemental forces of nature – earth, fire, water and ice – that kick-started our planet some 3-billion years ago feature prominently in the overall look.

Enjoy a peaceful night in one of our 10 luxurious king rooms, while the children watch television in one of the 13 twin rooms. There is room for the whole family as the hotel can accommodate 48 people.

The hotel is a mere five-minute walk from the Maropeng Visitor Centre and 10 km (6 miles) from the Sterkfontein Caves.

To read more and to book online for the Heritage month special, please click here.

To celebrate Heritage Day on September 24, the Tumulus Restaurant will be offering its amazing carvery lunch. This is the perfect opportunity to bring the whole family to Maropeng and go on a tour to learn more about your heritage, topping it off with a delicious lunch. For more information and to book online please click here.

For those in search of a relaxing afternoon to celebrate Heritage Day, Maropeng has not forgotten about you. The Maropeng Hotel will be offering a soulful jazz lunch, in the beautiful setting of the Magaliesberg. For more information and to book online, please click here.

The Maropeng website is set to launch a new and exciting feature, a weekly photo essay, tomorrow.

Every Wednesday the website, Facebook and Flickr group will feature a photo essay, which is a collection of striking photographs taken in and around Maropeng and the Cradle of Humankind.

These photo essays will showcase the beauty of the landscape, wildlife and daily routines at the Cradle of Humankind.

We are inviting everyone to submit their photographs – anything from amateur snaps taken on a family weekend out to professional photos taken by experienced photographers.

We are looking for photos of the Maropeng exhibition centre, the area surrounding the exhibition centre and even photos from the Sterkfontein Caves , so if you have taken some beautiful photos submit them and you may see them up on the site.

Each photo essay will follow a theme, so we encourage you to get involved and to send us your photos.

Being outside the buzzing metropolises of Johannesburg and Pretoria has its advantages. One of these is seeing the magnificent night sky in its full glory. One of the best star-viewing venues is the Cradle of Humankind, which hosts monthly stargazing evenings.

Due to popular demand, Maropeng will be holding two stargazing events in September.

Maropeng’s resident astronomer, Vincent Nettmann, host of the evenings, amazes his audiences with his use of the “wow factor”, adding in mind-boggling facts and amusing bits of galactic trivia.

After the presentation, the audience will be able to put their new-found knowledge into practice, gazing through a range of large-aperture telescopes. Many of the sky’s wonders will be visible through the telescopes.

Each stargazing evening has a different theme.

Guests attending stargazing on September 19 at the Maropeng Hotel will take the same journey Galileo did in 1609, as he was the first to observe Jupiter through a telescope.

Galileo Galilei is known as the “father of modern observational astronomy”. His fascination with the heavens led him to improve the design of the telescope so he could learn more. For more information and to make a booking, please click here.

Guests attending stargazing on September 26 at the Tumulus Restaurant in the Visitor Centre will embark on a brief journey through the time and space of our universe.

This informative overview of astronomy presented by Vincent will tie in to the International Year of Astronomy 2009 theme. Declared by the United Nations as an official celebration of the wonders of the universe, it aims to create worldwide interest in astronomy and science. It also marks the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei’s first telescopic observations. For more information and to make a booking, please click here.

The event includes a delicious three-course meal prepared by the talented Maropeng chefs.

The Maropeng Hotel will be running accommodation specials at the time of the stargazing events. Why not spend the night in a luxurious room after an evening under the stars?

Please note: Telescope viewing is weather dependent.

Other stargazing events will take place this year:

• October 3 at the Maropeng Hotel – Neil Armstrong’s historical lunar landing
• October 17 at the Tumulus Restaurant – Living amongst the stars
• November 14 at the Maropeng Hotel – An introduction to our summer skies
• November 21 at the Tumulus Restaurant – Astronomy in South Africa: a brief history of astronomy and astronomers.

Mark Fouché might be new to Maropeng, but his history has been linked to the Cradle of Humankind since before he even set foot in the door.

After living in New Zealand for seven years, Mark decided that there was no place like home. Coming back to South Africa, he started scanning the classifieds for jobs. He came across an advertisement for a position as maintenance manager at Maropeng and applied.

Read the full story here.  

Want to learn more about the Maropeng family? Why not visit our staff page?

You'll get to know the tour guide who took you through the wonders of Maropeng with bright enthusiasm, the chef who delighted your taste buds, and many more of our people.

Get to know the Maropeng family by clicking here.