Pretoria
Description
Pretoria, known as the “Jacaranda City" due to its mauve blossomed tree-lined streets, is a quiet city in Gauteng. It features a number of natural and cultural attractions as well as significant old buildings and museums that are well worth exploring. Allow yourself enough time to see all that there is on offer by booking a stay at one of our top class Pretoria accommodations.
Pretoria was originally called Pretoria Philadelphia, which means "Pretoria of Brotherly Love". It was founded in 1855 by Marthinus Pretorius, one of the leaders of the Voortrekkers, who named it after his father Andries Pretorius. Pretoria’s controversial name change to Tshwane was approved by the names’ council in 2005 but, still lacking endorsement by the Minister of Arts and Culture, remains “under consideration". Today, Pretoria is one of the country’s three capital cities, serving as the administrative and judicial national capital of South Africa.
The town of Pretoria is often thought of as the quiet sister to nearby bustling Johannesburg. However, don’t let the sleepy nature of the city fool you. Pretoria has a beauty of its own and the slower pace of life is regarded as a bonus by residents. The city lies in a sheltered valley surrounded by the hills of the Magaliesberg range ensuring Pretoria’s temperatures are always a few degrees warmer than Johannesburg. Enjoying a subtropical climate with hot, rainy summers and cool, dry winters, Pretoria offers the perfect holiday destination.
Pretoria’s centre is laid out in typical city fashion on a grid of wide roads, making getting around quite simple. The Gautrain provides easy access to a variety of locations in Pretoria, ensuring safe and efficient delivery to a number of attractions.
A number of art galleries and museums bear witness to Pretoria’s condensed history. The Transvaal Museum has natural history displays and is the home of Mrs Ples (the hominid fossil found at Sterkfontein in the Cradle of Humankind). Also worth visiting are the Pioneer Museum, the Cultural History Museum, Kruger House Museum, and the Museum of Natural History.
Other places of historical interest in Pretoria include the Voortrekker Monument, Freedom Park, and the Union Buildings. A number of forts have been built throughout the city just prior to the Second Boer War, and although some of these forts in Pretoria are in ruins today, many of them have been preserved as national monuments.
Nature lovers will love visits to the Pretoria Botanical Gardens, National Zoological Gardens of South Africa, Wonderboom Nature Reserve, Groenkloof Nature Reserves, Austin Roberts Bird Sanctuary, Rietvlei Nature Reserve, and Faerie Glen Nature Reserve.
Pretoria boasts a variety of activities such as horse riding trails at the Voortrekker Monument, game viewing at Premier Gamer Reserve, and tandem skydiving at the Pretoria Skydiving Club; the largest in the country. Visitors to Pretoria should also stop by Hatfield Flea Market, Ludwig's Roses and Butterfly Garden, and the famous Loftus Versveld Stadium.
Make the most of your stay by booking one of the following Pretoria accommodations. As jy in Afrikaans wil bespreek, kan LekkeSlaap jou help. Soek vir Pretoria akkommodasie.
