Best things to do in Pretoria

Surrounded by modern tower blocks, Kruger House was the city residence of the Transvaal’s best-known president, Paul Kruger. One of the first buildings in Pretoria to get electricity, the house has been laid out with a blend of original and period furnishings, to show how the president would have lived.

Groenkloof boasts a range of typical South African animals, including kudu, blesbok, giraffe, and jackal. Free of any big cats, the reserve is popular with both cyclists and walkers. There’s a 20 kilometer off-road cycling route, and three hiking trails spanning 3.5 to 10.5 kilometers. That said, the short vehicle route is best for wildlife viewing.

You’re unlikely to hear the words ‘do you want onions with that?’ at Burgers Park. Created in the 1870s, this historic green space is named after Thomas Francois Burgers, the fourth president of the Transvaal Republic.

Fort Klapperkop was one of four defensive structures built to defend Pretoria against the British during the Anglo Boer Wars of the late 19th century. Dating to 1898, it’s one of the best preserved of Pretoria’s historic forts.

Hartbeespoort Dam Elephant Sanctuary is approximately an hour from central Pretoria by road. It provides a home for elephants which wouldn’t survive in the wild in any of South Africa’s famed national parks.

These include incredibly important hominid fossils from several sites within the nearby Cradle of Humankind UNESCO World Heritage Site, including Sterkfontein, Kromdraai, and Swartkrans. The star of the entire museum is a fossil known as Mrs Ples – the most complete skull of Australopithecus africanus ever discovered. Mrs Ples has been dated to around 3.4 million years old, and even made it onto a list of Great South Africans.

The Transvaal Republic formed after Dutch-speaking settlers to South Africa left Britain’s Cape Colony in the mid-1800s in order to live independently of Britain. Calling themselves voortrekkers (pioneers), but also known as Boers, their Great Trek is part of the founding story of South African colonization.

A short distance east of Church Square, this is one of nine national botanical gardens in South Africa. Comparatively small in stature, with an area of 76 hectares, it still manages to span a huge variety of landscapes, covering succulents, wetlands, grasslands, and medicinal gardens. There’s also an arboretum, artificial waterfall, and a restaurant.

For the heart of historic Pretoria, make a beeline to Church Square (Kerkplein). A statue of another president of the Transvaal, Paul Kruger, sits on its central plinth. It was created by Anton von Wouw.

The sleek, single-story lines of Pretoria Art Museum are the perfect backdrop to discovering one of South Africa’s most important art collections. Founded in 1930, the early items obtained by the museum mainly comprised 17th century artworks from Europe, as was common at the time.