Pretoria Travel Guide, South Africa

Pretoria is an important town lying at the foothills of Magaliesberg Range in the valley of the Apies River. It is one of the three capital cities of South Africa. It is the administrative and de facto national capital alternating with Cape Town and Bloemfontein. The city was founded in 1855 by the Boer general Marthinus Wessel Pretorius. It mostly comprises of residents of blue collar servants and diplomats. It has the most impressive parks and gardens. Pretoria is an industrial town covering a large area. The prominent industries over here are that of iron and steel, automotive and cement. The University of Pretoria, founded in 1930 is the largest Open University having over 100,000 students enrolled.

The temperature over here drops during May-August and rises during September-April.

The population of the city is approximately 1 million and apart from English other languages spoken are Tswana, Afrikaans and Ndebele.

This enthralling city has numerous museums, historic buildings and well kept parks and gardens. The city is a pleasure to visit during October when the mauve colored Jacarada trees are in full bloom. The city’s layout is like a checkered board and it is not difficult to find destinations here. However, the distances between the two destinations can be quite long.

The city boasts of many tourist attractions. If you are on a short holiday, then you must include National Botanic Gardens (where you have hiking opportunity), Melrose House (A Victorian Architecture), Transvaal Museum of National History, National Zoological Gardens of South Africa, Union Buildings which are the Government or the institution buildings, Voortrekker Monument and Hartbeespoort Dam.

Other popular suburbs of Pretoria are Arcadia, Brooklyn, Brummeria, Clydesdale, Equestria and Colbyn.

However, people who are on an extended vacation can also visit the nearby Cullinan village where you can find diamond cutting industries. The Premier Diamond mine is a superb mining attraction. Similarly the nearby Doornkloof town is known for its historical sites and museum. The Wonderboom Nature Reserve is a must visit. It is a natural wildlife area with a bird sanctuary. Another small town Rustenburg also encompasses a huge wildlife area. You can go on a hiking activity over here. Papatsao is a craft center near Pretoria and a great marketplace. The Lesedi Cultural village nearby, has ethnic people having rich customs and traditions. Here you will find a concert hall having different types of musical activities.