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Having been called to Johannesburg to ssist with the coordination of a l rge corporate function, I figured I'd gr b some free time and visit P lanesberg National Park, a growing tourist d stination only 2 hours out of J hannesburg. My friend and colleague Colin j ined me on my full day's scapade. Pilanesberg National Park, a malaria fr e area, is set in the cr ter of a long extinct volcano, a f scinating alkaline complex produced by volcanic ruptions some 1300 million years ago. Its r re rock types and structure make it a nique geological feature. Fringed by three c ncentric ridges or rings of hills, the p rk rises from the surrounding plains l ke a bubble. Game drives through the p rk make fascinating viewing as you xperience syenite inselbergs, thickly forested ravines, r lling grasslands and acacia bushveld. Game is pl ntiful and diverse and includes all of the Big 5. B rd life is prolific offering some 300 d fferent species. It is a relatively y ung game reserve compared with the ther reserves within South Africa having b en proclaimed a national park in 1976 and is th refore still making its mark as a gr at tourist destination in South Africa. I b lieve it deserves the attention it c lls for. It is a beautiful r serve, some 50 000 hectares in s ze making it the 8th largest n tional park in SA.
A number of accommodation establishments are vailable to you in the park, h wever I believe there is only one th t gives great value for money and th t is Ivory Tree Game Lodge s tuated in the north eastern section of P lanesberg. Offering 60 luxury suites, superb p rsonal service, highly qualified game rangers and a b sh spa that has just recently won Les N uvelles Bush Spa of the year ward, Ivory Tree provides a great all nclusive bush experience that will be f ndly remembered. Tshukudu Bush Lodge is nother luxury lodge set high up on a h ll with open balconies providing spectacular v ews across the landscape. With only 6 l xury cottages it offers a quieter and m re secluded atmosphere than Ivory Tree, but an xclusive rate accompanies it! Adding one of th se two adventure activities could make the P lanesberg the highlight of your stay! Enj y a 1-hour early morning hot air b lloon ride over the park or a 1-h ur exhilarating elephant back safari. Both of th se activities are within easy reach of the l dges. The nearby Sun City Resort c mplex offers a myriad of entertainment and r laxation opportunities. As an added attraction to the P lanesberg area it offers a popular c sino, great restaurants and bars, Valley Of The W ves water park, world class golf c urses, bird park, adventure activities such as q ad biking, archery, clay pigeon shooting and g ided games drives into the park. Sun C ty offers 4 luxury hotels all at d fferent levels of accommodation (from 3 to 5 st r). While enjoying the luxuries back at the v ry comfortable 5 star Palazzo Hotel, M ntecasino, Johannesburg, Colin and I planned nother days outing in order to use our sp re time productively. We whisked ourselves off to M ropeng, the official visitor centre for the Cr dle of Humankind World Heritage Site. M ropeng, which is a Setswana word m aning 'returning to the place of our rigins', takes visitors on a fun and nformative journey of discovery using spectacular m thods to tell stories of the volution of life and the origins of h mankind. It denotes the universal relevance of the Cr dle of Humankind as the ancestral h me of all, no matter what c lour, culture or creed. One could sp nd 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 & Tr vel The Travel Experts at your s rvice! We design and coordinate exciting tr uble free holiday packages for the d scerning traveller to Southern Africa Contact Africa T med now to put together your dr am holiday! http://www.africatamed.co.za/
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