HECTOR PIETERSON MEMORIAL MUSEUM: (SOWETO TOUR)

In Soweto, South West from Johannesburg, you'll catch a glimpse of the lives of its estimated 3 million residents. This popular tour includes a visit to attractions such as the Mandela House Museum, the Hector Pieterson Museum and Memorial site and the Regina Mundi Church. We also visit a typical shebeen (local restaurant and bar) for refreshments and a chat with the locals. The tour is concluded with a drive past a taxi rank, a squatter camp (informal settlement), Vista University, Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital and Soccer City (home to the opening and closing functions of the Soccer World Cup 2010.

THE APARTHEID MUSEUM: (SOWETO TOUR)

This newly built museum illustrates the rise and fall of apartheid. Visitors walk through the 22 individual exhibition areas, which contain film footage, photographs, text panels and artifacts illustrating the events and human stories behind apartheid. At the end you'll have a far deeper understanding of the why and how of apartheid and the new South Africa of today. 

UNION BUILDING PRETORIA: 

The area at this time consisted of approximately 80 houses with less than 350 residents. This settlement marked the end of the Great Trek inland from Cape Town by the boer's. In 1877, the British annexed the Transvaal, which included the town of Pretoria. The British were later to withdraw during the Transvaal War of independence and returned only after the Anglo Boer War. This British colony then named Pretoria as their new capital.

Market Square was the hub of Pretoria, later to be called Church Square. Open markets flourished and the first church in the Pretoria area was built here. A statue of the then President, Paul Kruger was erected on church square.

In 1910 the Union of South Africa was established and Pretoria became the administrative capital. In October 1931 Pretoria officially achieved city status. In 1961 South Africa became a Republic and Pretoria's status as administrative capital was retained.

Pretoria was also known as the City of Roses. Its' climate was suitable for growing rambler roses. Later to become know as the Jacaranda City after these trees were imported and thrived in the area with a current estimate of the trees in Pretoria to be over 50 000. The Jacaranda tree has now been declared an alien species and not to be planted in the future.

CHURCH SQUARE:

Historic city centre with the statue of the first president, Paul Kruger surrounded by four Boer soldiers. Dating back to the 1850's. With all the buildings surrounding the square of significant historical value and includes the Palace of Justice where the Rivonia Treason Trail of Nelson Mandela and other prominent liberation figures was held.

PAUL KRUGER HOUSE:

 The last house in which President Paul Kruger was to live, between 1883 and 1901, before he left South Africa to go into exile in Europe, the Kruger House Museum lies just a few blocks from Church square, where his bronze statue takes centre stage facing the Palace of Justice.

The beautiful Victorian style home was interestingly built using milk instead of water for mixing the cement as the cement of the time was deemed to be of a poor quality. Paul Kruger's home was one of the first in the city to use electricity, and he had one of the first telephones installed in Pretoria in 1891. The unpretentious home has been refurbished to reflect the time when Kruger and his second wife, Gezina Kruger, lived here and, amongst a number of bits and pieces is a knife that Oom Paul (Uncle Paul), as he was fondly known, used to amputate his thumb after a shooting incident. The lions on the verandah were given to Kruger by Barney Barnato, the mining magnate, as a birthday present in 1896.

Paul Kruger was State President of the South African Republic and was renowned internationally for his struggle for freedom from the British during the Second Boer War (1899 - 1902). Both the Kruger National Park and the Krugerrand coin are named after him, and today pipe manufacturers continue to produce a style called 'Oom Paul', that is similar to the large-bowled, full-bent shape of the pipe with which he was so often portrayed in photographs. Interestingly, the hat he wore on his voyage to Europe is today displayed at the Rijksmuseum in the Netherlands.

SMUTS HOUSE MUSEUM:

In 1948 he supported the Fagan Commission's Report that recommended the relaxation of laws regulating the influx of blacks into the cities. This he believed would not only improve the labour supply but also prevent the social problems associated with migrant labour. The National Party campaigned on just the opposite platform. Smuts lost the election, the National Party ushered in their Apartheid policies, and the rest was history.

He spent the last 40 years of his life at his farm in Irene, called Doornkloof. Here he was able to study what he loved best - botany. It is this modest farmhouse that has been converted into the Smuts House Museum.

MELROSE HOUSE:

Melrose House was designed for Mr. George Heyes by a British architect, W T Vale. The house was in the possession of the family until 1968, when it was purchased by the City Council of Pretoria for use as a museum. The structure of the house remained unchanged through the years and most of the furniture and decorative objects that belonged to the family were bought with the house. Between 1990 and 1992 major restoration work was done on the house and furnishings, showing Melrose House today as it must have looked in the period 1895-1905.

Apartheid (Afrikaans word meaning Separateness)

a system of racial segregation started by the British and enforced by the National Party Government in South Africa between 1948 and 1994.

Prior to the elections of 1994, no casinos were allowed in South Africa. Licenses for casinos were only granted in the so called "Bantustans", such as Sun City. Post 1994, casino licenses were granted only if focus was placed on attracting tourism and stimulating the local economy. Golf Reef City Casino undertook the responsibility to build and run a museum that focused on the historical past of apartheid. Thus the Apartheid Museum.

Several leading architectural firms conceptualised the design with a multi-disciplinary team of curators, filmmakers, historians and museologists. The Apartheid Museum was opened in 2001 and has since been acknowledged as one of the finest 20th century museums in the world and is one of the busiest in Southern Africa.

The Apartheid Museum is one of Johannesburg's leading tourist attractions and is a must for visitors and residents, young and old alike. The museum tells the story of racial discrimination and the struggle by the black majority to triumph over an unjust system. The visitor with a "White" or "Non White" card in hand is taken on an emotional journey through racial classification, segregation, detentions and racial oppression. The displays are incomplete and are therefore ongoing.

Details of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission are still to be displayed and personal stories will continually be updated and included, as is the case with the role of Helen Suzman during the years of apartheid.

Open 10am to 5pm - Tour not available on Mondays.

Perfect tour options to include with the Apartheid Museum to create a full day tour:

                            Gold Reef City - Soweto - Constitution Hill

NATIONAL CULTURAL HISTORY MUSEUM:

Linking the present with the past to offer a better understanding of the diverse cultures and dedicated to the preservation of these cultures and heritage of all South Africans.

CRADLE OF HUMANKIND WORLD HERITAGE SITE:

The Cradel of humankind-Declared as a World Heritage site in 1999 - is a 47 000-hectare area in the western part of Gauteng Province with around 40 different fossil sights where several of the world's most famous and inportant fossils have been discovered.

WONDER CAVES & RHINO AND LION PARK SAFARI:

One of the most beautifully natuarally decorated caves in South Africa.Since its discovery only 100 years ago, few people have entered the caves and it is thus relatively well-preserved and vertiually untouched. The enormous cave chamber with a volume of 46 000 cubic meters is believed to be 2.2 million years old. Hourly tours are conducted on well-lit pathways where no crawling is necessary. Access to theunderground cavern is by means of about 90 steps and then a lift.

Rhino and Lion Park: This 1 200hectare park is home to over 700 head of game including wite rhino, white lion, cheetah, tigers, jaguars, wild dog, buffalo, hippo and crocodile. 

STERKFONTEIN CAVES:

The total of over 700 hominid specimens found here has made Sterkfontein the world’s richest hominid site.

In 1947 a well-preserved skull of a species of early man known as Plesianthropus trasvaalenssis was discovered. The skull became known as Mrs. Ples, dating back 2.5-million years. The total of over 700 hominid specimens found here has made Sterkfontein the world’s richest hominid site. A section of the caves is visited on an hour long guided tour and the excavation site can be viewed. A visit to the newly built Sterkfontein Orientation Centre is also included, displaying information about significant findings, as well as general information on human and cultural evolution.

LESEDI CULTURAL VALLAGE:

If you want to get an idea of traditional South African culture, then the Lesedi multi cultural village, less than an hour’s drive north of Johannesburg and set amongst rocky hills and bushveld, is a perfect outing.

Lesedi, which is seSotho for 'light', was initiated in 1995 as a tourist attraction and today features five traditional dwellings, each representing a South African culture: Pedi, Zulu, Xhosa, Basotho and Ndebele.

Each of these families lives here permanently, looking after cows, chickens and tourists, and tours through their homes offer interesting cross-cultural comparisons of the customs and social organisation of the different cultures.

The idea is quite novel. If you're staying overnight, you are welcomed by the family of the homestead in which you will be staying, and the head of the house then becomes your personal guide for the duration of your stay.

Day visitors too get to experience the origins of today’s colourful South African nation and receive a guided tour of the Zulu, Basotho, Xhosa and Pedi homesteads, after a multi-visual presentation.

                                   

 VOORTREKKER MONUMENT:

The majestic Voortrekker Monument is situated in the northern part of South Africa in the Pretoria (Tshwane) region in a nature reserve. It is a unique Monument which commemorates the Pioneer history of Southern Africa and the history of the Afrikaner and is situated in a beautiful setting. Today it is the most visited heritage site of its kind in Gauteng and one of the top ten cultural historical visitor attractions in the country.

The Monument also manages the Erfenisstigting (Heritage Foundation) and various other monuments and cultural historical sites country-wide.

FREEDOM PARK:

When Nelson Mandela said in 1999 - “the day should not be far off, when we shall have a people’s shrine, a freedom park, where we shall honour with all the dignity they deserve, those who endured pain so we should experience the joy of freedom.” - he was describing the Freedom Park, which today stands on 52 hectares on Salvokop in Pretoria; a monument to democracy.

To provide a pioneering and empowering heritage destination in order to mobilise for reconciliation and nation building in our country; to reflect upon our past, improving our present and building our future as a united nation; and to contribute continentally and internationally to the formation of better human understanding among nations and peoples.

SUN CITY:

                   South Africa’s Kingdom of Pleasure.

Sun City - situated in the Bushveld of South Africa's North West Province, is surrounded by the imposing mountains of the Pilanesberg - draws thousands of visitors each year to its four top-quality hotels, magnificent sporting and recreational facilities including 2 world class golf courses, and the magical Lost City water-park, The Valley of Waves Water World.  Sun City has dazzled the international community with its glamorous casinos, gourmet restaurants, extensive sports facilities & star-studded spectaculars.

OVERNIGHT OPTION:  Overnight packages are available from all four hotels.   

PILANSEBERG NATIONAL PARK SAFARI:

If you don’t have the time for a Kruger Park Tour this is your best alternative - only about two hours from the Gauteng Province.

If you don’t have the time for a Kruger Park Tour this is your best alternative - only about two hours from Pretoria / Johannesburg.  This malaria-free 58 000 hectare park - the fourth largest in South Africa - is situated on the eroded remains of a 1,2 billion-year-old extinct volcanic crater, and is home to the Big Five (lion, leopard, buffalo, rhino and elephant), and more than 365 bird species.  Overnight packages are available from the following lodges: Tshukudu Lodge, Ivory Tree Game Lodge, Kwa Maritane Lodge and Bakubung Lodge.

THE TSWAING CRATER:

Situated just 40Km north of Pretoria lies the Tswaing Asteroid Crater which is believed to have been created when an Asteroid collided with Earth about 200,000 years ago. All that is left of the collision is a crater surrounded by a ring of hill about 100m high and a kilometre across. These hills are believed to have been originally twice this height. Tswaing is the Tswana work for Salt Lake and refers to lake at the bottom of the crater.

The trail is relatively easy and should not take more than 2-3 hours to complete. The trail is about 7,5Km long.

GOLD REEF CITY:

Gold Reef City is a theme park - built around an old gold mine - which shows Johannesburg as it was at the discovery of gold in the 1800's.

Gold Reef City is a theme park - built around an old gold mine - which shows Johannesburg as it was at the time of the discovery of gold. Included in the tour is a journey down the mine shaft (220m), a gold-pouring demonstration as well as tribal dancing, showing various dances from the whole Southern African region. A variety of entertainment is available at the Theme Park.                                                                    

CULLINAN GOLD MINE:

Enjoy a tour of the Premier Mine, opened in 1902, where the world's biggest diamond was discovered.

Enjoy a tour of the Premier Mine, opened in 1902, where the world's biggest diamond (3106 carats) was discovered in 1905. Premier Mine has produced 255 gem diamonds of over 100 carats, and nearly a quarter of the world's gem diamonds of 400 carats and over! This is also the only outlet in the world where you can buy the Cullinan Star Cut diamond – a unique 66 facet cut. Each stone is laser inscribed - your assurance of the stone's uniqueness.

On the surface tour visitors will see the big hole, the shaft and the diamond room where a selection of uncut diamonds and replicas of world-famous diamonds are displayed. It is advisable to wear comfortable shoes as a fair amount of walking is involved.

On the underground tour, tourists are fitted with safety clothes and equipment, and then transported to the mine entrance via tram. We then go 763m underground and view the following: admin offices, workshop, rest area, refuge bay (for emergencies), loading and tipping of ore, crushing of ore and the conveyor belt transporting the ore. Back on the surface you will also visit the lookout point overlooking the big hole, the diamond cutting and polishing workshop as well as the diamond shop. This is a physically taxing tour and only recommended for someone really physically fit

THE ELEPHANT SANCTUARY:

Elephants have returned to the Magaliesberg Mountains. You are hosted in small groups and experienced guides take you through an educationallyoriented elephant experience.

In the early 1900's the Magaliesberg Mountains were rich in wildlife and home to abundant herds of elephants. One hundred years later the elephants have returned to this area, to a special place in the heart of beautiful African Bushveld. You will be hosted in small groups, by an experienced guide who will take you through an educationally oriented elephant experience. Guests are advised to wear comfortable clothing and flat, closed walking shoes... and definitely bring a camera!

DE WILDT CHEETAH CENTRE:

Visit the Rare and Endangered Species Captive Breeding Centre and see, amongst others, wild dogs, vultures, king cheetahs, hyaenas, vultures and owls.

The De Wildt Cheetah and Wildlife Centre lies nestled in the foothills of the Magaliesberg, presenting a landscape of open African veld, many indigenous trees and a panoramic view of the north. De Wildt is renowned for its breeding success of rare and endangered species. The very rare King Cheetah was first bred here and similar success was achieved in breeding Wild Dog, Brown Hyena, Blue Duiker, Suni Antelope and various species of vultures. The tour coincides with feeding time, so you'll be able to observe these animals feeding in a natural, but controlled, habitat. Advanced booking is recommended. No children under 6 are permitted.

The Cheetah Run: The ambassador cheetahs at the Centre are exercised three times a week as part of an enrichment programme. This entails the cheetahs chasing a high speed lure and visitors are able to witness the cheetah moving at speed. This activity offers some excellent photographic opportunities.

Due to the many lectures and demonstrations we offer to schools, beauty schools, technikons, garden clubs etc, we are only open to the public on a Wednesday 8.30 a.m. to 4.00 p.m. The restaurant, shop, tea garden, nursery and fairy gallery are all open on Wednesdays. 2010 brings new lectures and open days - be sure to book in advance and confirm nearer the time.