Discovering the North West Province

Hot Air Balloons

The North West Province is close to the urban sprawl of Johannesburg and Pretoria. Unlike those bust­ling cit­ies, much of the North West Province is devoted to agri­cul­ture and to min­ing, but oppor­tun­it­ies and des­tin­a­tions for tour­ists also abound.

On a grand, com­mer­cial scale, there is the Sun City and Lost City com­plex. A man­u­fac­tured enter­tain­ment and hotel com­plex, it offers gambling, the arti­fi­cial beach of the wave park, horse rid­ing, and two fam­ous and excel­lent golf courses, in addi­tion to fine din­ing, spa treat­ments and more. In fact, an entire hol­i­day could be spent at this enter­tain­ment hub without get­ting bored.

Less com­mer­cial are the small towns, such as Groot Marico, home to the late great South African author Herman Charles Bosman. The town has become some­what of a trib­ute to this great man, with oppor­tun­it­ies to visit the bar his stor­ies were set in, or sample the fiery Mampoer that fea­tured in his prose. The Eye of Marico is a spring which is also worth a visit in the town.

At the top of the North West Province bor­der­ing on Mozambique is the Madikwe Game Reserve, home to a pro­lif­er­a­tion of anim­als includ­ing the African wild dog and the Big Five Game drives are a pop­u­lar choice here and there are many accom­mod­a­tion options in the area.

The Pilanesberg Nature Reserve on the other hand, is loc­ated in the crater of an extinct vol­cano, and while game view­ing and bird watch­ing are cer­tainly also on the cards here, it’s the hot air bal­loon rides over the reserve that are a major draw cards, and with good reason. Not only is this a unique exper­i­ence, it offers a com­pletely dif­fer­ent way to exper­i­ence Africa’s wildlife.

Hartbeespoort Dam

Closer to Johannesburg, you will find the Magaliesberg moun­tains. A well-developed tour­ist attrac­tion, the area boasts horse trails, cof­fee and craft shops, cheese factor­ies and other local del­ic­acies, and gues­t­houses. Also in the Magaliesburg area, if you are look­ing for some­thing a little dif­fer­ent, you will find both the Elephant Sanctuary, home to six res­cued ele­phants and the De Wildt Cheetah Centre. A cro­codile park is also loc­ated nearby, allow­ing you to view crocs up close and personal.

Another big attrac­tion in this area is the Hartebeespoort Dam, known to loc­als affec­tion­ately as “Harties.” Here you can enjoy water sports, bird watch­ing, hik­ing or sample the cuisine in one of the many local res­taur­ants, offer­ing everything from tra­di­tional “boerekos” to pan­cakes. Alternatively, simply pack a pic­nic bas­ket, round up the fam­ily, and spend a day loun­ging on the shore.

If you are look­ing for a des­tin­a­tion that offers rural tran­quil­ity, while still being close to the excite­ment of a large city, should the desire to sample some of the night­life arise, the North West Province may be just the des­tin­a­tion for you.

Useful Links:
For fur­ther inform­a­tion and hol­i­day resources, please visit:

• North West Province Tourist Attractions
• Things To Do in North West Province
• North West Province Accommodation
• North West Province Hotels