“Mommy, it’s dark and I am still outside… is it really past my bedtime?”

“Run, Daddy, the panda is hiding this way. It says so on the map.”

“Haha! Everyone is asleep but I am still awake… in the dark!”
 

It reminded me of the fun we had as children when a "dreaded" (only by our parents) power outage took place. From pretending to be a ground-breaking explorer to an astronaut floating through the darkness of space (don’t think Sandra Bullock in Gravity but more Miss Frizzle in The Magic Schoolbus) it was sheer joy.

Once the initial mild panic subsided, we would be telling scary stories by torchlight and playing hide and seek until (much to our parents' relief) the whirr of electricity signalled that the lights were about to turn themselves back on.

This year, WWF with the support of Virgin Active is once again creating a perfect opportunity to ignite this wonder and excitement on one meaningful night in the year when many of us willingly loadshed ourselves to mark Earth Hour.

Participants in this year’s Earth Hour Adventures (either in the Kirstenbosch National Botancial Garden in Cape Town or the Walter Sisulu National Botanical Garden in Johannesburg) will navigate their way through the gardens after dark with nothing but a torch and a map to find hidden WWF checkpoints.

With WWF’s beloved panda, Chi Chi on hand to entertain the children and dish out the cutest panda stamps, the night is a constant flow of fun and excitement.

This is truly a unique experience that the whole family can enjoy. Look forward to seeing you there. 

Buy your tickets for the event here: Walter Sisulu National Botanical Garden or Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden.

Funds raised go towards supporting WWF’s work to continue conservation efforts for nature for you.