Cradle of Humankind: North-West of Johannesburg

Explore the secrets just outside Johannesburg and capture unforgettable memories. Secret exciting discoveries in the World Heritage site, Cradle of Humankind.

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Cradle of Humankind – Maropeng and Sterkfontein Caves

Covering 47 000 hectares the Cradle of Humankind was declared a World Heritage site in 1999. From the evidence of fossils and limestone caves, this area is imperative to mankind’s knowledge of where, why, and how. Displays are inviting to the eye and exciting to the mind captivating your imagination and you most certainly come out wiser!

How weird does this grass dome look? I thought so too until I went inside! This is Maropeng! If you place our history on a glass slide and clip it on stage clips to observe under the microscope, this is the viewing you will see inside.

How did our world begin more than 4.6-billion years ago? This is extremely fascinating! “Watch an exciting display of tectonic shift and how the Earth took its current shape at Maropeng.”

Did you know Africa is where the first Hominids came from? What is the difference between Hominids (ancestors of modern humans) and hominins? Our species Homo sapiens that we belong to evolved over 200 000 years ago.

Learn about Charles Darwin’s theories of evolution, incorporating remains of animals and plants, which have been found in sedimentary rocks and are known as fossils.

“The age of fossils can be determined using radio-isotope dating on rocks close to them. Some chemical elements occur in slightly different forms called isotopes, and some of these isotopes found in rocks are unstable and decay over millions of years at a set rate.“

Fascinating fossils have been found in South Africa, such as the Taung Child, who had human-like teeth and an ape brain. Found in the North West Province of South Africa.

The most complete skull of an Australopithecus africanus was “Mrs Ples”. Who knows she could be Mr Ples! And so the fossil selection continues and I could not believe fossils could be so captivating!

Maropeng is a Setswana word and it translates into English, as “returning to the place of origins”. You will learn about the origins of humankind in a very exciting way, visually and through stories!

Maropeng Boutique Hotel

Open your door from your beautifully decorated room and relax on your verandah at sunset and gaze out at the South African grasslands, Magaliesburg and Witwatersberg Mountains. Birdlife is alive and the calls of nature in the early mornings is wonderful! Spectacular view, 4-star comfort!

In total there are 24 rooms, each one immaculate! Refresh your soul and delight yourself with a delicious breakfast, then later, have lunch and dinner in the restaurant and stroll over to the Maropeng Visitor Centre for a couple of hours of viewing. The Sterkfontein Caves are only 10 minutes away. I do recommend the Maropeng Boutique Hotel!

Sterkfontein Caves an underground fossil haven

Make sure you have a guide to fill you in with all the fascinating facts on fossils, stalactites, and stalagmites. How do you remember which one is which? StalaCtite has a “c” for “ceiling”. StalaGmite has a “g” for “ground”.

Make sure you see the underground lake! The tour will take approximately 45 minutes and you will be going down on your hands and knees in certain spots. There are exhibition guides on display. Make sure you do have comfortable shoes for walking. =

I suggest KEEN Women’s Targhee 2 Low Height Waterproof Hiking Shoe. I have a pair, so they are proven to be very comfortable. My left ankle is not so strong, but with these shoes, I do not have a problem at all! I am getting the relevant support.

Your type of socks is also imperative as you need the reinforced toe and heel, especially as you get older. I do not like long socks so the Merrell women’s 1 Pack Zoned Low Cut Light Hiker is perfect. Others prefer longer socks for hiking and adventure, I recommend DANISH ENDURANCE Merino Wool Hiking & Walking Socks. Three in a pack, each provides protection, and ventilation and assists with the prevention of blisters, giving you a perfect cushioning effect. I have been advised that if walking in the South African grassland, you should wear the longer sock.

Before going down the caves, or any hike, even if not long, I have my backpack. This must be comfortable on my back, be able to stay on my back and I always consider safety, in whatever country I am in. It must also be able to hold an easily accessible water bottle as I do drink a great deal while walking. Tzowla Business Laptop Backpack Water Resistant Anti-Theft College Backpack with USB Charging Port. The USB charging port is vital these days as our phones seem to go flat when least expected.

Your water bottle is also very important. Firstly it must not leak, and when I am finished, I like to fold it up so the extra weight or space does not irritate me. Vapur Flexible Water Bottle – with Carabiner is a good choice and does come in various colors.

In your backpack, carry wet wipes, and maybe some gum sweets when you need that extra sugar. A light jersey or hoody (a practical color for outdoors) if it gets a bit chilly and extra underwear. An odd thing to pack, but I have always done so. Walking and climbing you can perspire and a change of underwear afterward in the bathroom, makes you feel all new once again.

A little medical aid kit, if you get a headache or cut a finger. I also take some toilet paper in case I need it and a little bottle of liquid soap and a hand sanitizer. Going down caves, although not a hectic climb, your hands do get dirty.

Hot Air Ballooning over the Cradle

Now, this is what I call an adventure! The best way to view the awesome scenery of the Cradle is to go up in a hot air balloon! Don’t be scared AirAdventures who I recommend you book with, are experienced, have done this for years, and know what it is all about. What a fantastic guy Adam Fillmore is, the owner! Air Ventures has 7 balloons. It is a safari you will never forget and to experience it in South Africa, will give you forever inspiration!

Two types of flights are offered. The Classic and the Safari. I totally recommend The Safari! Capture 4 hours of the most amazing voyage of your life! You need to wake up very early and dress in a couple of layers of clothes, so you can peel off as the temperatures rise with the sunset. Make sure you wear long pants, and flat shoes are preferable. If you have any health issues, make sure AirVentures know about them. Remember you will be standing throughout the flight.

At the crack of dawn, you will meet at a 5-star lodge, then you will be escorted to the game reserve. By this time you will appreciate that coffee or tea! From here you will soar up, into heaven, at a slow pace, and continue flying alongside the winged companions for about an hour. Oh smell that freshness and see game galloping along the plains! If you listen carefully, maybe you can hear the trumpeting of the elephant as he observes you flying over! Feel your heartbeat as the lakes lie still and shimmer in the early morning!

Time to go back to earth! It is over, how very sad! Relish in the champagne and orange juice and let your heart rate settle from the excitement of the morning. You will then be taken back to the lodge for a scrumptious, well-deserved breakfast. Now that is a perfect adventure, isn’t it?

The Lion & Safari Park – an eye view of Africa

“It’s a mystery,” replied the Lion. “I suppose I was born that way. All the other animals in the forest naturally expect me to be brave, for the Lion is everywhere and thought to be the King of Beasts. I learned that if I roared very loudly every living thing was frightened and got out of my way.”

L.Frank Baum

Just 40 km outside Johannesburg and only 13 km from Lanseria Airport you can have a true bush encounter. The Lion & Safari Park is exquisitely designed, bringing the buildings, restaurants, pathways, and gift shops back to a natural encounter. Observe animals such as Lion, Leopard, Cheetah, Wild dogs, Kudu, Hyena, Ostrich, Buffalo, and many more. You have the opportunity to view these wild creatures in their natural habitat. Have close encounters with many, feed the giraffe and ostrich by hand, and breathe the wild!

Go on a guided tour as the game ranger guides will share so much relevant information with you about each animal you spot. Hidden in the wilderness, they know where to find the White or Brown Lions, Leopard including the Black Leopard and you will find the tours fascinating! The Full Safari Tour takes about 3 hours but gives you time to take photos, ask all those questions you will have as you travel, and watch quietly as you meet the creatures on the 600-ha safari park.

After your brush with these magnificent creatures, relax at one of the two restaurants. The Wetlands Restaurant allows you to look out at the bushveld and is a more informal restaurant, whereas the Bull ‘n Buck grill is a principal eating concurrence. Wine and dine with a taste of Africa – in style!

As you leave to go, meander through the 5 domed gift shops, you will encounter beautiful products proudly made by South Africans with detail and incredible skill. Take a piece of Africa home with you and support the creators of South Africa.

Lesedi Cultural Village and Hotel

Just up the road from The Lion & Safari Park, also in the Cradle of Humankind, is Lesedi Cultural Village. Lesedi means “light” in Sesotho. The Sesotho or rather Sotho originated in South Africa and Lesotho. At the village, you will be able to foretaste some tribal cultures that reside in South Africa, such as the Zulu, Pedi, Ndebele, Basotho, and Xhosa. There are five different homesteads representing each tribe.

Lesedi Cultural Village and Hotel, owned by the aha group of hotels, offers you an opportunity to have a true feel of staying in a cultural homestead with added luxuries. What a broader understanding you will have after one night! Participate in song, dance, and cultural cuisine and have a hands-on grasp of South Africa and its people.

Best Accommodation in the Cradle of Humankind

There are numerous magnificent places to stay in the Cradle of Humankind. Escape from the city, relax and appreciate yourself and your surroundings by booking in. Take daily outings to view what the Cradle has to offer, but make sure you take the time to accept all that the accommodation has to offer you.

Glenburn Lodge is my Favorite

Why is this Lodge my best? Even when you drive in you get an aura of escape. The whole ambiance of the grounds, room, and dining fills you with peace. Yes, that is what I absorb here, true peace! Situated alongside the Crocodile and Blaauwbank Rivers within the Zwartkops Mountains.

Firstly, before I forget to mention, you have to be here on a Sunday. The lunch a la carte spread is the most jaw-dropping and appetizing I have ever experienced! They get booked out for months ahead!

I have never fathomed out why Glenburn Lodge is only a 3-star hotel. Practical for your pocket as the rates are 3-star, but the service and luxury are as good as a 5-star!

Located within a private reserve, and even as you enter you will spot a selection of buck and zebra. Glenburn is one of my beloved locations for bird watching. Walks along the river amongst the indigenous trees echo with the cries of a spectacular variety of birds. Don’t forget your binoculars!

Your room choice is wide. All rooms come with standard luxuries. You can choose between:

• The Hotel Suite – is fabulous as the size is enormous and you have a patio that overlooks the pools, gardens, and mountain
• Garden Suites – lovely and 11 of the 18 overlook the river
• Standard Room – a picturesque view of the tranquil gardens and rock pools and a patio
• Family Room – most certainly perfect for a family as the two rooms have a connecting room
• Wheelchair-Friendly Room – there are two of these beautifully decorated rooms which are on the ground floor and with a private patio
• Chalets – either 2 or 3-bedroomed with kitchen, lounge, and all the facilities to allow you to hibernate or provide for yourself or if you are with a group. Easy access to the dining hall

Water, water everywhere! Rivers, waterfalls, stunning rock pools, and a swimming pool. I find water very therapeutic and to take a blanket, book, and emotions and place them on the soft, cushioned green grass is so renewing.

Activities for you to do at Glenburn are numerous. other than the best bird-watching ever, the guided walks or strolls in every direction cannot be missed. You can go on Mountain Hikes, ranging from 45 to 2hr hikes. There is putt-putt, swimming, or hiring a mountain bike and going on a trail.

Glenburn Spa is a self-spoiling that cannot be missed. Private, luxurious, and pampering! Lunch at the Spa is divine and there are a total of 10 different treatment rooms. Relax for a buffet lunch on the terrace or settle down in the Spa lounge.

Kloofzicht Lodge – luxurious & comfortable

“Luxury is attention to detail, originality, exclusivity and above all quality.”

Angelo Bonati

Water is the voice of what we cannot always say! At Kloofzicht Lodge there are numerous dams, where many guests escape the hustle of the city and come and fly-fish. If you sit on your patio or on the balcony of this gorgeous hotel, you will overlook the water. There are 60 suites and all look out across the dams of which there are 6.

In addition, sunsets and sunrises create a portrait of scenery that makes you gasp. When there is a full moon, it reflects in the water and shadows bounce from the side. Not often are you able to feel this original canvas captured as it is at the Lodge.

“They both listened silently to the water, which to them was not just water, but the voice of life, the voice of Being, the voice of perpetual Becoming.”

 Hermann Hesse

Located in its own nature reserve, perfect for a long or short hike, it allows guests to wander past zebra, impala, kudu, gemsbok, blue wildebeest, eland, red hartebeest, and springbuck. Around the dams, there is a huge array of birdlife, revealing itself early in the morning as you stretch and go outside, you can hear the high cry of the eagle.

AirVenture Hot Air Ballooning often takes off from this venue. Another stunning sight at the crack of dawn. Or an adventure you can partake of.

Restaurants to suit any appetite! During the day relax and have tasty food and peer out over the dam. Oevermeer Bistro has a chilled atmosphere, with upmarket decor. In the evenings “go on an outing” and treat yourself to an a la Carte grand, stylish dinner with a highly skilled culinary team.

The accommodation at Kloofzicht Lodge and Spa blends with the theme of bush and luxury. In total the 60 rooms are made up of the following:

• 12 Family rooms – all leading onto a private deck and perfect for those who like to share a room
• 19 spacious Executive Suites
• 10 Superior Suites – each one is on a split level and has its own lounge
• 18 Deluxe Suites – so spacious and are on one level
• 1 Royal Suite – total privacy and allows one to have seclusion, space, lavishness, your own private garden and gives you a feeling you are staying with royalty

Bush Babies Monkey Sanctuary – close to Hartbeespoort Dam

Also in the North West close to Hartbeespoort Dam, and in one of the kloofs of the Magaliesburg Mountains, on 7 ha, you will discover the privately-owned Bushbaby Monkey Sanctuary. They say that chimps provide a fascination of others, other than examining ourselves!

They are scheming, caring, passionate, and can be aggressive. Why is it that we can watch them for hours, maybe revealing fascinating traits of ourselves within their behavior and actions?

These primates are given freedom in their natural habitat. When you go into the sanctuary, you need to watch your handbag and pockets, as they have no misconception that you carry exciting things.

I so adored the monkeys and did not panic when one decided my hair was good to deflea. Walking amongst these beautiful trees and vines, on bridges so you are up with the primates in the trees and stopping every now and then while the guide informs you about the monkeys.

Before you visit, read up on the Bushbaby & Monkey blog. It helps to know a bit about the primates you are about to see. When you spot one that you have personally read about, you feel as if you have met a kindred spirit. Oh yes, when you go in, don’t wear a hat or cap, they love these!

“Bushbabies Monkey Sanctuary recognizes the importance of community education. Not only are our tours highly informative, but we strive to create awareness toward the benefit of releasing primates into sanctuaries such as our own. Guests leave our tours with the understanding that monkeys do not make good pets, and that they are better suited to a natural, free-living environment.”

Bushbaby & Monkey Sanctuary

Elephant Sanctuary – a walk with a companion

Friendship by Tim Smith

" You said age's only a number, beauty's skin deep 
Wise words to live by, now if I could only sleep 
Humor never can be taken away, have no regrets 
Live like there's no tomorrow, an elephant never forgets 

Since the day we met, things have been so right 
Thankful for our meeting, making spirits bright 
No more feeling lonely, no more feeling stressed 
Friendships have started, I am feeling blessed 

Not a day has passed without a smile on my face 
Feeling happy has now become commonplace 
Brought together by chance or was it by fate 
Any way you put it, my friend, you are truly great"

Walk with the elephants, hold their trunks, and feel their souls! What an emotional encounter! The elephants at the sanctuary are a “halfway house” and a safe place for these elephants. Training is done by positive reinforcement by dedicated hands-on staff who love these giants. Make sure you have comfortable walking “takkies”, sunblock, a camera, and a sunhat. (The sanctuary is right next to the Bushbaby Monkey Sanctuary.)

Discover so many interesting facts about these creatures, that you did not know before. After your encounter, relax on the deck in the woods and have a coffee, tea, or cool drink. This will allow you to share your experience with others and just to take a breath.

Ama Zwing Zwing Zipline Tour – trembling I went

I actually DID THIS! I cannot believe I had the courage to do so. I am petrified of heights but loved every minute! Due to my fear, I had an experienced gentleman come behind me and was so thankful to him for his understanding of my phobia.

At the top of the highest platform, which you climb up to, you initially relax with some refreshments before you begin your challenge. When you have finished at the bottom, they bring you back up to the office.

This Zipline is made of 10 platforms and 7 slides. It took a while to complete the lining. By the time I had finished, I wanted to do it all again! The views were specular and I felt like a bird, high in the sky, hovering down into the valley! We saw some zebra and on the way back some buck. Even appropriate for seniors. What an adventure!

Ox wagon Lodge

What? Yes, that’s right, you sleep in an ox wagon. This is a totally unique occurrence. The wagons have been totally restored and are cozy and I would suggest staying over for one night to face this totally irreplaceable, once-off day and night. Your friends would never believe that you did so!

The Oxwagon restaurant serves traditional South African dishes and homemade bread that is fresh and lingers on the tongue. Visit the Ox Wagon Museum and find out about the last 100 years in South Africa and how technology has advanced. Interesting? Most certainly!

“Oh, happy day! A day to make hay! And when it is midday, think about the day! And when you think about the day, don’t forget the hay! Oh, happy day! A day to make a hay!” – Ernest Agyemang Yeboah

Who said that Gauteng is not an exciting place? So much more to discover. I know you will enjoy all these places! If you would like to see what to do in Johannesburg, read my article Johannesburg – E’Goli, the “city of gold”

Do you recommend other fabulous places just outside Johannesburg? Let our readers know in the Comments Section.