Pretoria
General Information
The city of Pretoria is located in the northern part of Gauteng. It is one of South Africa’s three capital cities, serving as the administrative capital of the country. Andries Pretorius, the Voortrekker leader after whom it was named, could hardly have inmagined the small Highveld town, set up in the Apies River Valley as the pride of the Boer Republic would grow more than 900 sqaure kilometers of residential tranquillity, commercial vivacity and political authority.
Graceful, its land surveyed with care by the stalwarts of the Great Trek, the city has housed four governments, weathered controversy and cradled revolution. The residents enjoy its hilly highfield landscape and sweltering summer afternoons. They take pride in their city reflected in the many manicured lawn and gardens of clean, safe suburbs.
50km North of Johannesburg, Pretoria represents a more laidback lifestyle of urban Gauteng but still a crucial centre of embassies, sonsulates and official buildings.
Pretoria has a moderate with similar temperatures to Johannesburg but usually one or tree degrees higher. The warm pleasant climate makes it a great place to stay all year round.
Activities and Attractions
Pretoria offers visitors a wide range of things to do, from malls and shopping to museums, music, restaurants, clubs and even game drives.
A list of malls in Pretoria can be seen below:
- Atterbury Boulevard
- Atterbury Value Mart
- Brooklyn Mall
- Brooklyn Design Square
- Centurion Mall
- Hatfield Plaza
- Irene Village Mall
- Kolonnade Centre
- Mall @ Reds
- Menlyn Retail Park
- Menlyn Park
- Parkview Centre
- Sammy Marks Shopping Centre
- Sancardia Shopping Centre
- Sterland Mall
- Sunny Park
- The Grove Shopping Centre
- Woodlands Boulevard
- Wonderboom Junction Shopping Centre
- Wonderpark Shopping Centre
A list of the city’s nature reserves can be seen below:
- Groenkloof Nature Reserve
- Rietvlei Nature Reserve
- Moreletaspruit Nature Reserve
- Faerie Glen Nature Reserve
- Wonderboom Nature Reserve
Musems and other places of interest in the area include:
- African Window
- Freedom Park
- Kruger House
- Mapungubwe Museum
- Melrose
- Pretoria Forts
- Transvaal Museum
- Van Wouw Museum
- Voortrekker Monument
- Pretoria National Botanical Gardens
- Austin Roberts Bird Sanctuary
- Church Square
- Union Buildings
- Marabastad
- Voortrekker Monument
- Hatfield Square
One of the most popular attractions in Pretoria is the National Zoological Gardens of South Africa. It is an 85-hectare zoo, half of which consists of flat ground while the other half is on the slopes of a hill with the two halves separated by the Apies River. The zoo has over 5 000 species of animals and an aquarium with just under 4 000 species of fish.
Accommodation
A wide range of accommodation is available in Pretoria, including guest houses, self-catering units, bed and breakfasts as well as hotels.
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