Pretoria Historical and Cultural Half Day Tour
Pretoria is the legislative capital of South Africa and provides interesting insights into the history of 20th Century South Africa. Three significant sites encapsulate colonial, Apartheid and democratic-era history. These are the Union Buildings designed by the colonial architect Herbert Baker and built in 1910 to mark the Union of South Africa; the Voortrekker Monument, concretization of frontier life and apartheid ideology; and post 1994 Freedom Park. Visiting Pretoria in November is an extra bonus, when the famous Jacaranda trees are in bloom with their purple flowers.
If you want to make a full day of your visit to Pretoria think of going to Cullinan, a quaint little town just twenty minutes’ drive from Pretoria. There you can visit the Cullinan Diamond Mine, also known as the Premier Diamond Mine, where there are tours are available for entering the mine shaft, hoist room, big hole, and the display room.
DURATION: 4 – 5 hours
AVAILABILITY: Daily
PICK-UP TIME: 09:00 or 13:00
MEALS: Not included
ENTRANCE FEES: Voortrekker Monument and Kruger House included
(PLEASE NOTE – not all attractions on this tour are open every day)
COST: R1290 per person (minimum 2 people)
TOUR DESCRIPTION:
Enjoy the historic sites of the administrative capital of South Africa.
- Our tour starts with a visit to the Voortrekker Monument
- We can also include the post 1994 heritage site of Freedom Park
- After this we visit Paul Kruger’s house now a museum and provides interesting re-constructions of the life and times of the Boer leader
- From there we drive through the city centre stopping at parts of the late 19th Century city like Church Square which was the equivalent of the town square in the late 19th Century
- Next stop is Melrose house, a Victorian mansion built by Pretoria businessman in 1886. It played a significant role during the South African war housing war troops and being the location where the peace treaty was signed
- Our tour finishes with a drive past the beautiful Union Buildings designed by Herbert Baker in the early 20th Century as the seat of the legislative seat of government and where the inauguration of President Mandela took place in 1994.
