A Day with a Difference – Digging De Hoop 2026
The De Hoop Collection offers a range of accommodation and outdoor experiences, one of the best spots for land-based whale watching in South Africa, a 19 km Ramsar-listed vlei, rare indigenous plants, diverse animal and bird life and the ‘Origins of Early Southern Sapiens Behaviour’ exhibition.
Join us for a day where weekend guests and day visitors can escape the ordinary and embrace the extraordinary!
The Itinerary
10h00-17h00: Fire experiments –using heat to prepare materials (ochre, ostrich eggshell, stone etc) used in the production of tools – Marzena Cendrowska & Maciej Ehlert (Boma)
10h00-17h00: Bare Bones – learn about identifying animals from their bones – Asia Alsgaard & Alexandra Pearson (Boma)
10h00-17h00: Stone Tools – try your hand in making stone tools the prehistoric way – Maciej Ehlert & Antoine Muller (Boma)
10h00-17h00: Making tools and ornaments the prehistoric way – learn to recognise different types of use/wear using a microscope and what it can tell us about the past – Marzena Cendrowska
10h00-17h00: Exploring the semi-arid Klein Karoo landscape – learn how it shaped past human mobility – Kurt Wogau
12h00-13h00: a guided tour of the “Origins of Early Southern Sapiens Behaviour” – “Mother Africa – Welcome Home”exhibition. Meet the scientists and ask them questions – various scientists (Exhibition)
14h30-15h00: Lecture: “Food for the braai: Life along the coast during the Later Stone Age” from shellfish to tortoises, the inhabitants of Klipdrift Cave had a variety of animals to cook on the fire. This talk will discuss how their preferences changed as they adapted to changing sea levels and coastlines between 11 000 and 17 000 years ago – Asia Alsgaard (Origins Room)
17h00: Lecture by Prof Christopher Henshilwood (Origins Room)
18h00: Boma Dinner (R325 for non-inclusive guests) (Vlei Deck)
Digging De Hoop 2026 Weekend Package
Dates: Friday 6 March – Saturday 7 March 2026
Price: Guests can book and pay to stay -non-inclusive guests can join the Boma Dinner on Saturday night (R325 per person)
Terms and conditions apply. Booking is essential. To make your reservation email Samantha res@dehoopcollection.co.za