North West Province

In a Nutshell
Not far from Johannesburg and Pretoria, the sprawling North-West Province is a haven for city-dwellers and holidaymakers in search of sun, water, the bushveld or, at Sun City, the high life of an internationally famous golfing and gambling resort.

Area 116,320 sq kms

Population 3,6 million

Regions

• Eastern Region - situated 1-15 to Gauteng and including Hartbeespoort Dam, the Magaliesburg and Sun City, this scenic region is a paradise for outdoor adventurers, bird and wildlife enthusiasts, golfers, gamblers and water sports-lovers

• Central Region - Mafikeng, capital of the province, is the major town of the region, which is the heartland of the Tswana people. The historic and fertile Marico district is famous in Afrikaner folklore.

• Southern Region - the principal towns of this region are Potchefstroom and Klerksdorp, both thriving educational, agricultural and industrial centres.

• Bophirima - The farming town of Vryburg is the centre of this large, flat, dry agricultural region

Top attractions

• Sun City and the Lost City - where Las Vegas meets Disneyland in the heart of the Bushveld. This top flight international gambling resort, containing four hotels to suit all pockets, offers an endless variety of entertainment from golfing, swimming and surfing, to hot-air ballooning and parasailing, from bird and game-watching to film and cabaret-going. Children are especially well catered-for.

• The Pilanesberg National Park. 40 kms north of Rustenberg and close to Sun City, offering excellent accommodation, good game viewing, ancient rock art sites and unusual rock formations, in less than 90 minutes' drive from Johannesburg

• The Magaliesberg, a beautiful range of mountains, hills, cliffs, waterfalls and forests, well stocked with flora and fauna and a short distance from Pretoria

• Hartbeespoort Dam, between Pretoria and the Magaliesberg, the hugely popular watersports and out door playground for Gautengers.

• Madikwe Game Reserve, on the Botswana border, one of the country's newest and largest reserves. Good accomodation is available

Hartbeespoort Dam is a 90-minute car drive from Johannesburg and 15 minutes from Pretoria.
Sun City, and the Pilanesberg may be reached via Rustenberg, about 100 kms west of Pretoria, or directly by car or tour bus.
Impala Rand Tours offer a daily bus service from Johannesburg (011 974 5651). SunAir has a daily flight to Sun City from Johannesburg and thrice weekly flights from Cape Town and Durban (011 397 2244)

Visitor Information

North West Parks and Tourism 018 386 1225
Rustenberg Tourism 014 597 0904
Pilanesberg National Park 014 555 5351
Hartbeespoort Info Shop 012 253 0266
Madikwe 018 3672 ext 2411

Useful numbers

Sun City Central Reservations 011 780 7800
Computicket (for Sun City bookings) 011 4458100

Links to Useful Sites

www.tourismnorthwest.co.za

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