Pretoria
is a microcosm of culture and a veritable window on Africa, and could
aptly be described as a country in one city. Built on a colourful yet
controversial past and evolving into a dynamic future, the jacaranda city
(so nicknamed after its famous blossoming jacaranda trees) offers a
treasure-trove of breath-taking adventures, new and exciting experiences
and unforgettable memories.
Pretoria
boasts a strategic location, within easy reach of Johannesburg
International Airport, and is a gateway to many favourite tourist
destinations, from the Kruger National Park and other popular game lodges
to the beaches of Kwa-Zulu Natal.
The
city enjoys a warm pleasant climate, with an average of nine hours of
sunshine per day for 300 days a year. The area experiences stunning
sunsets and impressive thunderstorms during the summer. Winters are mild
with temperatures averaging between 6 and 23 degrees Celsius (40 and 70
degrees Fahrenheit) while in summer they range between 15 and 28 degrees
Celsius (60 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit).
Pretoria
offers many options to those in search of entertainment and recreation.
For
the sports enthusiast, the city is a haven for both local and
international sporting events. World-class stadiums cater for a variety of
sports, and health clubs, gyms, swimming pools and lush green golf courses
abound. There is also a wide variety of adrenalin-pumping activities to
choose from, such as water sport, sky-diving and hot-air ballooning.
The
city is renowned, both locally and internationally, for having some of the
top award-winning restaurants in South Africa. The choice ranges from a la
carte, buffet, international, traditional South African and African
cuisine to family restaurants, steakhouses, diners and fast-food outlets.
A
modern State Theater, with acoustics comparable with the best in the
world, stages musicals, operas, ballets and drama on a regular basis.
Popular alternative venues cater for cabarets and township jazz.
The
city also boasts numerous cinemas, offering the latest box-office hit
releases as well as films for the discerning viewer. A variety of pubs and
clubs awaits discovery, the Carousel Casino is less than a hour's drive
away and the Sun City entertainment complex a two-hour drive away.
Pretoria
is also the starting point for the world-famous Blue Train as well as the
Rovos Rail luxury steam train trips.
Upmarket
shopping centers, flea markets and ethnic sidewalk vendors clamour for the
visitor's attention. From the glitter of diamonds and gold to fascinating
tribal beadwork and artefacts, there will be something just right to
recall those special memories.
Although
Pretoria is a bustling city, it is in tune with nature, with beautiful
gardens and jacaranda-lined streets. It is home to variety of nature
reserves, including the National Botanical Gardens and the National
Zoological Gardens, which houses a host of indigenous and exotic bird and
animal species in spacious surrounds.
For
the energetic, hiking trails are within easy reach. Several game lodges
are located within the short distance from Pretoria, offering the
opportunity to view buffalo, elephant, lion rhino and leopard in their
natural habitat. The area is renowned as a hunter's paradise, with many
hunting venues within easy reach of the city.
Pretoria
is not only the seat of executive power in South Africa but also a display
cabinet of the country's cultural heritage. The culturally minded visitor
has a choice of 35 museums, housing displays which rage from pioneering
traditions, colonial and classical European culture to mystical eastern
and colourful African cultures, as well as agriculture, forensics, science
and history. Art routs, galleries and art museums feature a selection of
both local and international works of art. For those with more time to
spend, there are diamond mines, wine estates, herbal and health farms to
visit.
The
city caters for all forms of tertiary education at its four universities-
the University of Pretoria, the University of South Africa, Vista
University and the Medical University of South Africa (Medunsa). Pretoria
also offers a selection of technical colleges, a teachers training college
and a technikon.
A
conference city of international repute, Pretoria has some 200 conference
facilities. Facilities range from formal auditoriums to intimate and
picturesque venues, offering something to suit all tastes and pockets.
A
variety of accommodation options is available to the overnight visitor,
from top class hotels, quaint home-from-home guest houses and lodges,
furnished apartments, resorts and youth hostels.
Pretoria
offers the opportunity to walk in the footsteps of colourful heroes,
follow the track of game, dance and gamble the night away or sip cocktails
amidst breathtaking scenery. Whatever the fancy of the visitor, Pretoria
has it all.
