Maropeng Hotel Magaliesberg Mountains

The Maropeng Hotel in South Africa's Magaliesberg features an outdoor swimming pool with a sundeck.

The magnificent Maropeng Conference Centre is located inside the iconic Maropeng Visitor Centre in the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site, a mere hour’s drive from Pretoria or Johannesburg.  The location is perfect for an intensive strategy session or a small executive getaway close to the city.

This state-of-the-art conference centre is just a short walk from the elegant boutique Maropeng Hotel, which offers guests and delegates some of the best views in Gauteng, attentive four-star service, and a fabulous dining experience.

The conference team at Maropeng is committed to ensure that conferences or team getaways are a memorable experience and they offer a range of additional services to meet clients needs. Whether clients need to be collected or dropped off, or would like to meet some of the world-renowned scientists and hear some of their stories over a relaxed dinner, it can all be arranged.

At the Maropeng Conference Centre a dedicated events team is available who are experienced at turning conferences, strategy sessions or team-building events into an unforgettable experience. With a variety of seating options, state-of-the-art facilities and full catering amenities, the venue is ideal for a small, intimate meeting or an event hosting up to 500 delegates.

Maropeng specialises in small getaways that include a night or two away from home, in the 24-room Maropeng Boutique Hotel. In addition to the sophisticated conferencing facilities and luxurious hotel, a host of activities are available to keep guests entertained either before or after conferences.

For those with an interest in human development, the Maropeng Visitor Centre invites guests to go on an adventurous journey of discovery through ancient times, and to consider the journey that humankind and our ancestors have taken over the past 7-million years or so. In addition, the Sterkfontein Caves – the most significant hominid fossil site in the Cradle of Humankind – is just a short drive away. They also offer guests walking tours to active digs providing an often exciting, first-hand experience of a palaeontological dig.

Alternatively, one can treat conference delegates to a breathtaking hot-air balloon ride over the beautiful Witwatersberg and Magaliesberg mountains, or simply relax after a productive day of meetings while sipping cocktails on the deck and watching the sun slip behind the mountains.

Conference facilities at Sterkfontein Caves

In addition to the state-of-the-art conference facilities for up to 500 delegates at Maropeng, conference groups also have the option of using the conference venue at Sterkfontein Caves for groups of up to 120 delegates. This venue is located within the recently upgraded facilities at Sterkfontein Caves, the most significant hominid fossil site in the Cradle of Humankind.

Different types of room set-ups are available including U-shape seating 36 delegates, school-room style seating 96 delegates, theatre style for groups of up to 120 delegates and banquet style for 100 delegates. Standard conference equipment provided includes an LCD data projector, television monitors, VCR, fixed audio equipment in the ceiling including a microphone, speakers and an overhead projector, a slide projector, laser pointer, flipcharts, white boards and markers, and a lectern.

Executive Conference Packages at the Maropeng Hotel

Half-day Conference Package

Maropeng is just an hour’s drive from both Pretoria and Johannesburg, which makes it the perfect location for a half-day conference or strategy session in the heart of the Cradle of Humankind. The half-day conference package includes the use of the state-of-the-art conference centre for half a day, refreshments on arrival, tea and a delicious buffet lunch on the deck overlooking the magnificent Magaliesberg Mountains.

Full-day Conference Package

The full-day conference package at the Maropeng Conference Centre offers good value for money with full use of the conference centre and all its facilities. This package includes refreshments on arrival, morning and afternoon tea, as well as a delicious buffet lunch at the Tumulus Restaurant, with its impressive views across the Cradle of Humankind.

24 hours at Maropeng

The 24-hour Maropeng package is ideal for companies or organisations looking for a unique conference experience close to the city. This package offers conference delegates full use of our state-of-the-art conference facilities as well as refreshments on arrival, morning and afternoon tea, and a buffet lunch at the Tumulus Restaurant. In addition, this package also includes one night’s accommodation at the luxurious Maropeng Hotel, including a delicious dinner and breakfast prepared by our executive chef.

24 hours at Maropeng including a Maropeng tour

The 24-hour Mropeng package is the perfect option for companies or organisations looking for a conference experience with a fun team-building element.

This package includes full use of the conference centre, refreshments on arrival, morning and afternoon tea and a delicious buffet lunch at our Tumulus Restaurant. In addition, guests spend one night at the elegant boutique Maropeng Hotel and are treated to a tasty breakfast, dinner and a guided tour of the Maropeng Visitor Centre, to learn more about human development.

36 hours at Maropeng

This package is ideal for companies or organisations that are looking to host a one and a half day conference with exclusive use of the Boutique Maropeng Hotel and two delicious meals prepared by the executive chef.

This package includes conference centre facilities for one and a half days including welcoming refreshments, tea and coffee and two delicious buffet lunches at the Tumulus Restaurant.

Combined tour package

Are you looking for a unique conference itinerary that combines a traditional conference and a fun activity? Then the combined tour package is the perfect option for your business or organisation.

This package combines the use of the conference facilities for one and a half days, plus one night’s accommodation at the luxurious Maropeng Hotel. Guests are then taken on an informative tour of the Maropeng Visitor Centre, as well as a tour of the Sterkfontein Caves, the most significant fossil site in the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site.

Sundowners package

The sundowners package offers conference delegates a fantastic full-day conference experience just a short drive from the hustle and bustle of Johannesburg and Pretoria.

The sundowners package includes the use of the fully equipped conference venue plus refreshments on arrival, morning and afternoon tea, and a delicious buffet lunch at the Tumulus Restaurant. Delegates can then relax while sipping on cocktails and watching the sun set over the beautiful Cradle of Humankind.

Stargazing package

After a full day of interesting discussions at Maropeng’s fully equipped conference venue, the stargazing package provides delegates with an educational yet entertaining presentation on the southern skies by our resident astronomer, Vincent Nettman. Thereafter, guests can enjoy drinks and a scrumptious three-course dinner at the restaurant in the boutique Maropeng Hotel.

This package includes refreshments on arrival, morning and afternoon tea, a delicious buffet lunch at the Tumulus Restaurant as well as dinner and overnight accommodation at the boutique Maropeng Hotel.

Sundowners and tour package

Need to unwind after a productive day of conferencing? How about sundowners and tour package that allows delegates an opportunity to network or simply have fun, while learning about the history of humankind during a guided tour of the Maropeng Visitor Centre?

This package also includes all conferencing requirements – refreshments on arrival, morning and afternoon tea and a delicious buffet lunch – plus sundowners as you watch the sun set behind the beautiful Cradle landscape.

Go deep into the Sterkfontein Caves and discover the secrets of our past.

Stone’s throw away:

Just an hour’s drive away from Johannesburg and Pretoria.

Groundbreaking:

Site of dramatic discoveries that changed the way we view humanity and the history of human development.

World-renowned:

Declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco in 1999

Famous names:

New scientific exhibition showcases the finds of hominid fossils “Mrs Ples” and “Little Foot”

The exhibition

An hour’s drive from Johannesburg and Pretoria, are the Sterkfontein Caves, world famous for their fossil finds and a well-known visitor destination. After an extensive face-lift in 2005, the Sterkfontein Caves is now home to a top restaurant, conferencing facilities, improved access into the caves, new walkways and a boardwalk past the excavation site where world-acclaimed fossils have been discovered.

The scientific exhibition centre showcases a reconstruction of a mined cave – versus a pristine cave – cave formations and geology, early life forms, mammals and hominid fossils, among other topics. It describes in detail important finds such as “Mrs Ples”, the “Taung Child” and “Little Foot”, as well as providing information about fossilisation, palaeobotany and landscapes.

World-acclaimed and award-winning palaeoartist, John Gurche, whose exhibits can be seen at the Smithsonian Institute, the Field Museum and the American Museum of Natural History in New York and who worked on the film Jurassic Park, has produced all the lifelike hominid illustrations, from the 7-million-year-old Toumai fossil from Chad, through to modern humans.

The Sterkfontein Caves are owned by the University of the Witwatersrand, whose scientists have been responsible for the main excavations of the World Heritage Site. They are credited with many of the famous discoveries including the world famous “Mrs Ples” and “Little Foot”, an almost complete Australopithecus skeleton dating back more than 3-million years.

The tours at the Sterkfontein Caves, which start above ground and then take visitors deep into the caves, run every half hour, seven days a week.

The caves

Within the caves, scientists have discovered many hominid and other animal fossils, dating back more than 4-million years, to the birth of humanity. The most important and most famous of these fossils are “Mrs Ples”, a 2.1-million-year-old Australopithecus skull, and “Little Foot”, an almost complete Australopithecus skeleton that is more than 3-million years old.

These fossils, both found in the Sterkfontein Caves in the Cradle of Humankind, tell us much about the precursors of modern humans, Homo sapiens.

Archaeological finds within the Cradle of Humankind also include 2-million-year-old stone tools. The oldest recorded, at Swartkrans, near the Sterkfontein Caves, is a collection of 270 burnt bones that reveals how our ancestors learned to master fire more than 1-million years ago – a significant development and an early technological innovation. T

he ability to do this has taken us from the basic skills needed to keep ourselves warm and to cook our food, to being able to control and harness the power of fire to the extent that we can now create and burn rocket fuel to reach space and beyond.

The Sediba fossils are from a new species of hominid, Australopithecus sediba, the remains of which are almost two million years old. The species was discovered in the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site.

The species has long arms, like an ape, short, powerful hands, a very advanced pelvis and long legs. Through a combination of faunal, U-Pb and palaeomagnetic dating techniques, the age of the rocks encasing the fossils has been determined at 1.95- to 1.78- million years old.

Sediba, which means natural spring, fountain or wellspring in Sotho, one of the 11 official languages of South Africa, was deemed an appropriate name for a species that might be the point from which the genus Homo arises.

Fossil preparers worked to extract the bones from the rock in which they were discovered. Almost 60 leading scientists from around the world and many students have had the opportunity to work on these precious fossils. The most sophisticated scanning technology has been used to attempt to unveil the secrets they may hold. The site continues to be explored and without a doubt there are more groundbreaking discoveries to come.