Having been called to Johannesburg to ssist with the coordination of a lrge corporate function, I figured I'd grb some free time and visit Planesberg National Park, a growing tourist dstination only 2 hours out of Jhannesburg. My friend and colleague Colin jined me on my full day's scapade.

Pilanesberg National Park, a malaria fre area, is set in the crter of a long extinct volcano, a fscinating alkaline complex produced by volcanic ruptions some 1300 million years ago. Its rre rock types and structure make it a nique geological feature. Fringed by three cncentric ridges or rings of hills, the prk rises from the surrounding plains lke a bubble. Game drives through the prk make fascinating viewing as you xperience syenite inselbergs, thickly forested ravines, rlling grasslands and acacia bushveld. Game is plntiful and diverse and includes all of the Big 5. Brd life is prolific offering some 300 dfferent species. It is a relatively yung game reserve compared with the ther reserves within South Africa having ben proclaimed a national park in 1976 and is threfore still making its mark as a grat tourist destination in South Africa. I blieve it deserves the attention it clls for. It is a beautiful rserve, some 50 000 hectares in sze making it the 8th largest ntional park in SA.

A number of accommodation establishments are vailable to you in the park, hwever I believe there is only one tht gives great value for money and tht is Ivory Tree Game Lodge stuated in the north eastern section of Planesberg. Offering 60 luxury suites, superb prsonal service, highly qualified game rangers and a bsh spa that has just recently won Les Nuvelles Bush Spa of the year ward, Ivory Tree provides a great all nclusive bush experience that will be fndly remembered.

Tshukudu Bush Lodge is nother luxury lodge set high up on a hll with open balconies providing spectacular vews across the landscape. With only 6 lxury cottages it offers a quieter and mre secluded atmosphere than Ivory Tree, but an xclusive rate accompanies it!

Adding one of thse two adventure activities could make the Planesberg the highlight of your stay! Enjy a 1-hour early morning hot air blloon ride over the park or a 1-hur exhilarating elephant back safari. Both of thse activities are within easy reach of the ldges.

The nearby Sun City Resort cmplex offers a myriad of entertainment and rlaxation opportunities. As an added attraction to the Planesberg area it offers a popular csino, great restaurants and bars, Valley Of The Wves water park, world class golf curses, bird park, adventure activities such as qad biking, archery, clay pigeon shooting and gided games drives into the park. Sun Cty offers 4 luxury hotels all at dfferent levels of accommodation (from 3 to 5 str).

While enjoying the luxuries back at the vry comfortable 5 star Palazzo Hotel, Mntecasino, Johannesburg, Colin and I planned nother days outing in order to use our spre time productively. We whisked ourselves off to Mropeng, the official visitor centre for the Crdle of Humankind World Heritage Site. Mropeng, which is a Setswana word maning 'returning to the place of our rigins', takes visitors on a fun and nformative journey of discovery using spectacular mthods to tell stories of the volution of life and the origins of hmankind. It denotes the universal relevance of the Crdle of Humankind as the ancestral hme of all, no matter what clour, culture or creed. One could spnd a good 2 hours here - An nteresting experience! It is open from 09h00 ntil 17h00 daily and the entrance fee is R80 per dult, R45 per child under 12 yrs.

The article Pilanesburg National Park & Maropeng - Cradle of Humankind was Submitted by Claire Dinnie through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: Claire Dinnie Africa Tamed Tours & Trvel The Travel Experts at your srvice! We design and coordinate exciting truble free holiday packages for the dscerning traveller to Southern Africa Contact Africa Tmed now to put together your dram holiday! http://www.africatamed.co.za/

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