Area Profiles

The charming little village of Cullinan that has managed to hold on to much of its mine village character – its historic stone and corrugated iron mine workers’ houses, offices and churches a throwback to the mining times of the early 1900s – lies 30 kilometres east of Pretoria, and is a must on anyone’s itinerary when in this part of the world. Cullinan is famous for the discovery of what became known as the Cullinan Diamond – the largest rough gem-quality diamond ever found. The stone was named after Sir Thomas Cullinan who owned the diamond mine at the time. The stone, bought by the then Transvaal government was...

Located about 50km north of Johannesburg and surrounded by the foothills of the Magaliesberg mountains, the city of Pretoria is South Africa’s administrative capital and home to government departments, ministries, foreign embassies and diplomatic missions. Buildings in Pretoria feature a marked colonial influence, along with touches of art deco and South African-style architecture. City landmarks worth visiting include the Union Buildings (South Africa's seat of government), the Voortrekker Monument (a granite edifice commemorating the Voortrekkers’ journey from the Cape to the hinterland and which is a National...

South-east of Pretoria lies a constellation of natural attractions – private and public reserves, sanctuaries and wooded hideaways. They are grouped within a destination called Dinokeng, which jauntily labels itself ‘Africa in one day’. Sprawling over a surprisingly large 200 000 hectares, Dinokeng includes Roodeplaat Dam Nature Reserve, long a popular destination for people living in Pretoria and Johannesburg. The dam itself (an irrigation dam originally, later developed as part of a game reserve) attracts many anglers, and the variety of vegetation around it means good birding. There’s even a chance of seeing the secretive finfoot....