PRETORIA / TSHWANE
OLD AND NEW SOUTH AFRICA
Full Day Tour
South Africa’s magical story of transformation from pariah state to a respected member of the world community is a modern fairy story. It is one that gives rise to great pride in all South Africans, we are a passionate and patriotic people. No where is this transformation more evident than in the Capital city Pretoria, also known as Tshwane. The staid, conservative old maid has become a vibrant, exciting new face on the block. What is so intriguing about this is the extraordinary sense of civic pride and inclusivity felt all over the city. People like living here. The past and the present are all part of the new city. Old museums and monuments are being refurbished, the parks are filled with flowers, new shops, new homes, and urban renewal are evident wherever one looks. All this energy is felt on the streets too: sidewalk cafes, street markets, sports events - all have a tremendous vibe. Simply ask politely and people will go out of their way to help. “You are most welcome, sir”!
Having been the capital city for more than a century Pretoria has a large number of official buildings, embassies and historical monuments. Some are naturally inaccessible but a great many are open to visitors, and the officials are happy to help. One of the newest and uniquely South African museums is Freedom Park. This large, multipurpose memorial commemorates all those who died under racial oppression back as far as the 17th century, or fighting for freedom elsewhere. It is arguably one of the most important sites of the new South Africa alongside Robben Island, The Apartheid Museum and Constitution Hill.
Tshwane is a large city and the tour will cover as many of the key sites as possible whilst taking guests to other more particular venues.
From our tour:
"The early years of Pretoria are stongly linked to one man - President Paul Kruger, his Staatsraad, and Church Street. This alone will make a long tour however we will be brief and visit Kruger House, Church Square and with that get a broad view of the first 100 years. The Square itself has numerous buildings of note including the Palace of Justice where the Rivonia Trial was held. Church street is a very long street and being old has many other significant buildings along it, we shall pass by some and stop at others. This encompasses the ‘old era’,
The Union Buildings are a link to the past as much as the present era and situated on the northern perimeter of the city bowl give a very good view across it. Aslo in this area are many Embassies and Consular homes. They all have interest for their style and architecture/gardens we shall pass by several en route to Hatfield. This is the home to the University of Pretoria or “Tuks“ we will get a chance to drive around the main campus but we can also do a campus tour depending on their schedule. Close by is a new shopping precinct with interesting food outlets, shops and open spaces. From here we can arc back past Loftus Versveld rugby stadium to the southern suburbs via Brooklyn, Waterkloof and Groenkloof. Waterkloof has a very popular and excellent restaurant called café 41 where we might stop for refreshment. We go back across the city via Burgers park, Melrose House, Ditsong museum of National Culture, past the old military encampment at Potgieter St to Freedom Park, one of the most important memorial parks in South Africa, Further up the hill is the Voortrekker monument itself an imposing monlithic structure that dominates the southern skyline of the city."
South Africa’s magical story of transformation from pariah state to a respected member of the world community is a modern fairy story. It is one that gives rise to great pride in all South Africans, we are a passionate and patriotic people. No where is this transformation more evident than in the Capital city Pretoria, also known as Tshwane. The staid, conservative old maid has become a vibrant, exciting new face on the block. What is so intriguing about this is the extraordinary sense of civic pride and inclusivity felt all over the city. People like living here. The past and the present are all part of the new city. Old museums and monuments are being refurbished, the parks are filled with flowers, new shops, new homes, and urban renewal are evident wherever one looks. All this energy is felt on the streets too: sidewalk cafes, street markets, sports events - all have a tremendous vibe. Simply ask politely and people will go out of their way to help. “You are most welcome, sir”!
Having been the capital city for more than a century Pretoria has a large number of official buildings, embassies and historical monuments. Some are naturally inaccessible but a great many are open to visitors, and the officials are happy to help. One of the newest and uniquely South African museums is Freedom Park. This large, multipurpose memorial commemorates all those who died under racial oppression back as far as the 17th century, or fighting for freedom elsewhere. It is arguably one of the most important sites of the new South Africa alongside Robben Island, The Apartheid Museum and Constitution Hill.
Tshwane is a large city and the tour will cover as many of the key sites as possible whilst taking guests to other more particular venues.
From our tour:
"The early years of Pretoria are stongly linked to one man - President Paul Kruger, his Staatsraad, and Church Street. This alone will make a long tour however we will be brief and visit Kruger House, Church Square and with that get a broad view of the first 100 years. The Square itself has numerous buildings of note including the Palace of Justice where the Rivonia Trial was held. Church street is a very long street and being old has many other significant buildings along it, we shall pass by some and stop at others. This encompasses the ‘old era’,
The Union Buildings are a link to the past as much as the present era and situated on the northern perimeter of the city bowl give a very good view across it. Aslo in this area are many Embassies and Consular homes. They all have interest for their style and architecture/gardens we shall pass by several en route to Hatfield. This is the home to the University of Pretoria or “Tuks“ we will get a chance to drive around the main campus but we can also do a campus tour depending on their schedule. Close by is a new shopping precinct with interesting food outlets, shops and open spaces. From here we can arc back past Loftus Versveld rugby stadium to the southern suburbs via Brooklyn, Waterkloof and Groenkloof. Waterkloof has a very popular and excellent restaurant called café 41 where we might stop for refreshment. We go back across the city via Burgers park, Melrose House, Ditsong museum of National Culture, past the old military encampment at Potgieter St to Freedom Park, one of the most important memorial parks in South Africa, Further up the hill is the Voortrekker monument itself an imposing monlithic structure that dominates the southern skyline of the city."