5 reasons to visit Maropeng during the school holidays

The school break has started, and Harry the Hominid knows that you don't want to squander those free hours in front of the TV. So here are five reasons why you should rather enjoy the best of indoor, outdoor and underground fun at a World Heritage Site.

1. Your inner Indiana Jones will come to life in our underground caves

Did you know the Sterkfontein Caves at Maropeng is one of the richest fossil sites in the world? These limestone caverns are believed to have been formed as many as 20-million years ago. One of the most important discoveries here was a 2.1-million year-old Australopithecus africanus skull, dubbed “Mrs Ples”, which shed light on the branches of the tree that would eventually lead to modern humans. The site is so rich, that excavations are still under way there. Who knows, maybe you'll bump into a famous scientist.

Don’t forget to wear comfortable shoes!

2. Who needs a time machine? We can take you time travelling in a boat!

Step into a boat and get a whirling taste of the beginnings of the planet, more than 4-billion years ago, from the frost of the Ice Age to the steaming, shifting plates that would form the continents as we know them. Then walk through a vortex into an exhibition that will tell you about how humans came to be. How did we come to walk on two feet? How did our diets change our brains? How did we develop language?

It’s not just a perfect place for inquiring minds, it will get young minds to start making inquiries.

3. Where else will you find a dodo (or a quagga or a rhino) on the other end of a phone?

We have interactive games based on fascinating subjects such as genetics (how did you end up with such a great singing voice?) and the different species (where do you fit into the grand scheme?). Possibly best of all, you can pick up a telephone and hear from animals that are no longer with us – like the dodo!

When you reach the end of our exhibition you will hopefully understand why Marshall McLuhan once famously said: “There is no space for passengers on spaceship Earth. We are all crew.”

4. You can put your hands in the handprints of greatness

The handprints and footprints of some of the greatest leaders in the world, from Nelson Mandela to Kofi Annan, have pride of place at Maropeng. You can put your hands into Madiba’s handprints at the end of the exhibition, and see how your digits measure up to his.

5. And then round the day off with a treat

Get your folks to book a table at the Tumulus Restaurant and treat your taste buds, or grab a bite at the Market Place Restaurant before picking up a souvenir to remember your special day.

Keen to come and spend the day with us? Book your tickets here!