Standing on the restaurant balcony at Maropeng it is difficult to imagine that the magnificent rolling hills were formed by the impact of the Vredefort meteor two billion years ago when a piece of rock the size of Table Mountain blasted into our planet at a speed estimated up to 200 000km an hour.
Today, the 47 000 hectares encompasses the World Heritage site, the Cradle of Humankind. It gained its status through the area’s exceptional contribution to our understanding of humankind’s history and development over more than three million years.
We had set out on a tour of The Cradle as locals call it and made Maropeng our starting point, a difficult choice in that the area boasts nearly 400 tourism attractions with some 175 places to stay and over 100 restaurants to choose from.
The drive to Maropeng from Joburg took 45 minutes – but the tour into the exhibition hall (which resembles a massive flying saucer) took us on a journey going back many millions of years. This experience, which goes to the very roots of our species, is nothing short of spectacular and, to do it justice, you should allow between two and seven hours for a self-guided tour.
Three hours sufficed for us but for those with a greater interest in paleontological digs, some 1 000 hominid fossils have been found in the area – more than any other place on Earth – and the Swartkrans walking tour will give you a rare opportunity to explore an l.5-million-year-old fossil site.
Our visit concluded with a quick tour of the facilities with the head of Maropeng, Tony Rubin, at the helm. We had been through the award-winning visitor centre, so he took us to see the 24-bedroom 4-star hotel, conference facilities for smaller niche corporate groups, an outdoor amphitheatre housing up to 10 000 people, budget accommodation at the Hominid House, and four restaurants.
By now the sun was low over the African veld and we set off for Kloofzicht Lodge about 15km away in the foothills of the Zwartkops Mountains. The winding road from the entrance gate takes you past stretches of water with dams finally lapping on the base of the mountains. The lodge is home to some of the best fly fishing in South Africa but during our overnight visit we were content to stroll around and absorb the serenity.
Kloofzicht comprises 18 deluxe superior suites, 10 superior suites, 20 executive suites and 12 family/executive twin suites, with heart-stopping views of the Zwartkops gorge and mountain. We wasted no time heading for the spa where we ironed out the day’s wrinkles.
We were intrigued by the variety of wildlife on the nature reserve surrounding Kloofzicht, which is home to kudu, impala, blue wildebeest, eland, red hartebeest, springbok, gemsbok, zebra as well as a fascinating array of bird life and the Bell’s Fly Fishing Academy.
Early in the morning, we moved off to the Rhino and Lion Nature Reserve. The 16 000ha reserve caught our attention because of the wide variety of predators and herbivores that roam its savannah countryside. We learned that the predators eat nine tons of meat a month.
Rare white tigers, Siberian tigers and Bengal tigers are toothy imports while an active breeding programme exports zoo animals globally. There are 25 species in the 600 head of wild game, while 20 different herbivores, including blesbok, black wildebeest, gemsbok, impala, springbok and white rhino are represented. Around 300 Cape vultures fly in from the Magaliesberg Mountains for the daily feed; other birds include the Black Eagle, Black Shouldered Kite and the ostrich.
We enjoyed coffee in the pub that overlooks the watering hole with its crocodiles and we realised it would take several days to do the place justice. Danielsrust Horse Trails organises rides in the conservancy for great game spotting from the saddle, while kids can pet cute lion cubs in the Animal Crèche. Apart from the normal game drives there is an observatory, hiking trails, 4x4 adventures and a full range of amenities.
It was then on to Glenburn Lodge which is in the Zwartkops Mountains and nestles on the banks of the Blaauwbank and Crocodile Rivers. While the Lodge obviously caters for weddings (four venues) and conferences (eight rooms seating up to 600 delegates) we took the opportunity of checking out the walks, rides and other entertainment. There are three hiking trails of between 1.5km to 7km taking one over rivers, across mountains and through the heavily treed and bush area.
The warmth of the reception and general helpfulness created a lasting impression as we enjoyed a superb meal of stuffed rainbow trout and vegetables as a main course on our menu. Well-appointed rooms saw us comfortably through the night and, up early, we strolled along the river banks, through the wedding venues and finally zeroed in on breakfast.
Before moving off for our day’s programme we enjoyed a foot massage in the newly appointed spa at the Lodge… something well deserved after all the walking of the past two days.
Later that day, we set out for the Askari Game Lodge situated on the Plumari Africa Game Reserve in the Magaliesberg – and where we hoped to see the Big Five.
The reserve is set in a pristine wilderness area of over 4 000ha with African bushveld and an abundance of flora, fauna, birdlife and wildlife. The main lodge overlooking the Elephant dam is the old Bodenstein family farmhouse.
The moment we entered the gates it was like stepping back in time. A collection of old wagons stretched across the lawns and into the museum. We walked through the main building admiring antiques from the 1800s such asslipper baths, a coal stove, wash stands and luggage chests. Antique Oregon pine cupboards and tables added to ambience of the four-star surroundings.
The following morning we were unlucky to miss the lions on the game drive but saw the rest of the Big Five and a fair amount of other game. The route took us past the most amazing wedding venue which nestles in a tree plantation of the Lodge’s estate.
Next stop was Rothbury Lodge which offers a Thai experience, including meditation and chanting with monks.
En route, the Auto Café caught our attention and we pulled in to test their coffee. Our breakfast was hardly settled but we could not resist the cream scones.
Rothbury Country Lodge features the Kai Thai Wellness Spa, a beautiful sanctuary dedicated to the rejuvenation of the human mind, body and spirit. We went for broke with the spa package based on Thai massages and luxuriated in the Jacuzzi to get the final creaks out of our joints.
The robed initiates are all from Thailand and take turns in spending time at Rothbury where, under the auspices of the Johannesburg Meditation Centre, they are building a temple as well as ministering to the local Thai population and conducting (non-secular) meditation. It is necessary to pre-book all spa treatments as well as accommodation, which is limited to four suites.
On the road again in the afternoon I gave my son Baras (a coffee fanatic) the surprise of his life. I promised him a “good” cup of coffee and pulled over to park in front of the Broederstroom Butchery. I have for many years enjoyed their excellent meat but, uniquely, there is also a coffee bar in the establishment. We had a double espresso (brilliant!) before moving on to the Welwitschia Country Market close to Hartbeespoort Dam.
The market has a great feel of Africa and one can wander along the brick paved streets of the village, which allow pleasant meandering through the stalls and shops. The place is a kaleidoscope of colour and movement reminiscent of remote and exotic places in Africa. It would take one more than a day to peruse the wood and stone carvings; metal worked art indigenous to South Africa; traditional clothing; beadwork; fruit stalls and souvenir offerings. In addition, there is the heart-stopping experience of a close encounter with an elephant in the Elephant Sanctuary and a great treat for kids at the Monkey Sanctuary.
And that little tour barely scratched the surface of what there is to see and do. In the next few weeks, I shall be writing more about this wonderful area.
l Further information on Maropeng, the Cradle of Humankind and the stopovers can be found on: www.mi5.co.za in the Cradle Ambassador 2012 section. - Saturday Star