In celebration of Heritage Day on the 24 September, Ditsong Museums of South Africa invites you participate in Hiking and Braai at Tswaing Meteorite Crater in Soshanguve.
Enjoy the day with your family and friends and walk in nature as you contemplate an outdoor adventure.
Located forty kilometers north of Tshwane , Tswaing Meteorite Crater has a ring of hills that measures a mile in diameter and 100 meters in height. These hills are the walls of an impact crater left by an asteroid that hit them some 200 000 years ago.
There is a strong similarity between the size of the Tswaing crater and that of the well-known Barringer meteor crater.
The crater is called Tswaing in seTswana, the local language of the area, or Soutpan in Afrikaans. Both names mean Salt Pan and this derives from the lake of salty water that fills the centre.
There is a museum adjacent to the crater. A path leads from the museum to the crater, along the rim, and down to the central lake. The crater is covered with indigenous trees and bushes and attracts a variety of bird life.
The name “Tswaing” means place of salt in Setswana and refers to a saline lake that covers the crater floor. From 1912 to 1950, an industry producing soda ash and salt operated at the crater.
Tswaing Meteorite Crater offers hiking trails where you can support your healthy lifestyle goals while enjoying the scenery and watching Zebras.
Local communities have already benefited from the Museum project through job creation, skills training, environmental education, income-generating projects and tourism.
