Sign In

My Timeline

GuRoute

Discover Your World

Share your Experiences

Record your Life

beta

Discover Your World

  1
   

Top Attractions in North West

Hartbeespoort Dam

Hartbeespoort Dam is an arch type dam situated in the North West Province of South Africa. It lies in a valley to the south of the Magaliesberg mountain range and north of the Witwatersberg mountain range, about 35 kilometers west of Pretoria. The name of the dam means "pass of the hartebeest" in Afrikaans. This "poort" in the Magaliesberg was n popular spot for hunters, where they cornered and shot the hartebeest. The dam was originally designed for irrigation, which is currently its primary use, as well as for domestic and industrial use. The dam has suffered from a hypertrophic state since the early 1970s. Mismanagement of waste water treatment from urban zones within the Hartbeespoort Dam catchment area are largely to blame. Distorting the food web with over 280 tons of phosphate and nitrate deposits. The town of Hartbeespoort is situated close to the dam wall and the villages of Kosmos, Melodie, Ifafi, Meerhof, The Coves Estate and Pecanwood Estate can be found alongside its banks. the town of Schoemansville was named after General Hendrik Schoeman, owner of the land during the 19th century.

Bush Babies Monkey Sanctuary

Bush Babies Monkey Sanctuary is a privately owned multi-specie primate rehabilitation centre situated in the foothills and gorges of the Magaliesberg mountain range, close to Hartbeespoort Dam in the North West Province of South Africa. The sanctuary takes in donated and rescued primates that may have been orphaned, raised as household pets, previously confined to captivity, abused, injured, or recovered from the illegal pet trade. Primates are rehabilitated for free-release within the natural forested environment of the sanctuary, where they are given a new lease of life in a wild environment and encouraged to search and hunt for food themselves. The sanctuary is one of only eight free-release primate sanctuaries in the world, and home to over 90 indigenous and exotic primates from around the world. A number of primates have also been born wild at the sanctuary. The sanctuary is non-subsidised, and supported by funding generated from guided tours and sales of curios. It is open to the public seven days a week year round.

Pilanesberg Game Reserve

The Pilanesberg Game Reserve is located in North West Province in South Africa, west of Pretoria. The park borders with the entertainment complex Sun City. The park is currently administered by the North West Parks and Tourism Board. The area is fringed by three concentric ridges or rings of hills, of which the formation rises from the surrounding plains. Pilanesberg is named after a Tswana chief, Pilane, the Pilanesberg Alkaline Ring Complex is the parks primary geological feature. This vast circular geological feature is ancient even by geological standards as it is the crater of a long extinct volcano and the result of eruptions some 1,200 million years ago. It is one of the largest volcanic complexes of its type in the world, the rare rock types and formations make it a unique geological feature. A number of rare minerals occur in the park. Pilanesberg Game Reserve rates high amongst the worlds outstanding geological phenomena Scattered throughout the park are various sites that originate from the Iron Age and Stone Age and show the presence of man from those periods in these areas.

Tweebuffelsmeteenskootmorsdoodgeskietfontein

Tweebuffelsmeteenskootmorsdoodgeskietfontein is a farm in the North West province of South Africa, located about 200 km west of Pretoria and 20 km east of Lichtenburg whose 44-character name has entered South African folklore. It is the longest place name in South Africa, The name was used as the title for an Afrikaans lyric written by Fanus Rautenbach and performed by Anton Goosen. The name, which follows a common format for Afrikaans place names in South Africa, is Afrikaans for "The spring where two buffaloes were killed with a single shot". The literal translation is "Twee buffels" = "Two buffaloes", "met een skoot" = "with one shot"; "morsdood" = "stone dead"; "geskiet" = "shot"; "fontein" = "spring (river source)" or "fountain". This name illustrates the compounding nature of Afrikaans. All the descriptive terms relating to one concept can generally be tied together into one long word. Another example of this would be wildewaatlemoenkonfytkompetisiebeoordelaarshandleiding, which translates to "wild watermelon jam competition judge's manual". Such use is, however, not common, and such words are often separated using one or more hyphens if they become too long or unwieldy. The farm was originally granted to A.P. de Nysschen in 1866 by the government of the South African Republic; it is referred to in the survey diagram as "Twee Buffels Geschiet" (Two buffaloes shot) and shown as having an area of 6119 morgen and 429 square roods (5241.7 hectares). Official maps published by National Geo-spatial Information refer to it as "Tweebuffels" (Two buffaloes). The name has also been used in advertising to signify the typical small rural town.

Boekenhoutfontein

Boekenhoutfontein was the farm of Paul Kruger, a 19th Century Boer resistance leader and president of the Transvaal Republic. It is located in Rustenburg, North West Province, South Africa. Located about 20 km north-west of Rustenburg, on the main Sun City/Pilanesburg road, Boekenhoutfontein lies nestled in a valley surrounded by hills covered with lush bushveld. It boasts one of the few peat wetlands in the North-west province and can be regarded as an historical jewel in the area, being the site of many important archeological findings from different eras. Today Kruger is commemorated through the restored house of his birth near Bulhoek, his official residence in Pretoria, the simple cottage at Waterval Onder where he lived before going into exile in Europe, the world-famous Kruger National Park and the name of the town Krugersdorp in Mogale City. However, nowhere are his love for the land and his friendly relationships with neighbouring black communities better illustrated than at Boekenhoutfontein, the farm he bought in 1859. The farm remained his property until his death, after which it was divided among three of his children. In 1971 it was declared a national monument. In 1971, the portion on which the farmstead is situated was bought from the Kruger family by the Simon van der Stel Foundation which painstakingly restored the various buildings to their former glory. Built in a neat row, the buildings bear witness to his sense of order and symmetry. Simple building methods and materials are evident, such as rough beechwood lintels, cow dung, peach pip and blood floors and roof beams fastened by dowels and leather thongs. Period furniture and authentic wallpaper have been recreated by craftsmen in Europe; Krugers rifle is on show possibly the one with which he killed a lion at the age of 14 together with one of his many bibles and the bellows organ, played by his wife Gezina, plus many gifts given to him by visiting state dignitaries. Kruger occupied the Bronkhorst House, dating back to the early 1840s, while he was building his first house at Boekenhoutfontein. It is reportedly the oldest white owned dwelling in the then Zuid Afrikaansche Republiek. This property neighbours the Bafokeng nation whom Kruger befriended and persuaded to register their land rights, resulting in todays great Bafokeng wealth generated through its royalties from the platinum mines. In close proximity can be found family graves, the koppie where Kruger often sought religious guidance and the saddle in the hills where he hid his horses from the British forces. The old schoolhouse, which has served many purposes over the years, can be transformed into a simple chapel conference room. The dams built by Kruger have also been restored and today serve as watering holes for the herds of game, which can be viewed roaming the surrounding, untouched bushveld. Some 20 years ago, the owners of Kedar Country Hotel, Conference Centre Spa started buying farmland in area, first acquiring a portion which had been owned by Kruger’s daughter, Gezina. Originally three self-catering chalets were built for visitors seeking peace and privacy in the natural bush surroundings. Over the years, adjoining land was purchased, culminating in the consolidation of an area of over 600 hectares, which has been game fenced and populated with a wide variety of game, including eland, blesbok, impala, bushbok, nyala, kudu, zebra, blue wildebeest, giraffe, pygmy hippos and soon to include sable and antelope. Working for Water has done invaluable work removing alien vegetation and restoring the wetlands, which attract a wide variety of birdlife. The main Kruger House, a museum showcasing a wide range of Kruger memorabilia, houses many items of historical interest from the Rustenburg Museum. In his last message to General Louis Botha, President Kruger said: “Seek in the past all that is good and beautiful, make it your ideal and make it come true in the future."

Morokweng crater

The Morokweng crater is an impact crater buried beneath the Kalahari Desert near the town of Morokweng in South Africas North West province, close to the border with Botswana. The crater, formed by an asteroid 5 to 10 km in diameter, is at least about 70 km in diameter and the age is estimated to be 145.0 ± 0.8 million years, placing it at the Jurassic–Cretaceous boundary. Discovered in 1994, it is not exposed at the surface, but has been mapped by magnetic and gravimetric surveys. Core samples have shown it to have been formed by the impact of an L chondrite asteroid. In May, 2006, a group of scientists drilling into the site announced the discovery of a 25 cm diameter fragment of the original asteroid at a depth of 770 m below the surface, along with several much smaller pieces a few millimetres across at other depths. This discovery was unexpected, since previous drillings on large impact craters had not produced such fragments, and it was thought that the asteroid had been almost entirely vaporised. Some of the fragments can be seen in the Antenna Wing of Londons Science Museum.

Royal Bafokeng Stadium

The Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace is a football, rugby and athletics stadium in Phokeng near Rustenburg, South Africa. It was built and is managed by the Royal Bafokeng Nation. It is used as the home stadium for Premier Soccer League club Platinum Stars. The Leopards rugby team host large attendance matches during the Currie Cup at the stadium, instead of their usual home ground, Olën Park. The capacity of the stadium was increased from 38,000 to 42,000 to be able to host five first round matches and one second round match at the 2010 FIFA World Cup. For the 2010 tournament, the main west stand was upgraded and enlarged and given a new cantilever roof. Other improvements include the installation of new electronic scoreboards, new seats, and the upgrading of the floodlights and public address system. The stadium upgrade was completed in March 2009 for hosting 4 matches of the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup.

Kaditshwene

Kaditshwene aka Gaditshwene or Karechuenya, was a South African Iron Age settlement some 25 kilometres northeast of the present-day North West Province town of Zeerust. It was the cultural capital of the Bahurutshe people, one of the principal Tswana tribes and a centre of manufacturing and trading. The missionary, John Campbell, came across this settlement in the Tshwenyane hills of the Marico in 1820, at which time its population of 20 000 exceeded that of Cape Town. Archaeologists estimate that it had been founded in the late 1400s on the site of iron and copper ore deposits. In 1821, during the Mfecane, the town was sacked by the Batlokwa under the warrior queen, Mantatisi. The attack was followed round 1823 by another under Sebetwane and the Bafokeng tribe. The survivors fled west and sought sanctuary among the Bakwena and other Tswana tribes. Crumbling stone walls, foundations, ash middens and remains of a metal working industry are the only evidence of the settlement's previous existence. In 2011 the ruins were declared a National Heritage Site by the Government. John Campbell referred to the town as “Kurreechane”, a rendition which has survived in Kurrichane thrush and Kurrichane buttonquail, species that were described from there by Andrew Smith.

Sun City

Sun City is a luxury resort and casino, situated in the North West Province of South Africa. It is located between the Elands River and the Pilanesberg, about two hours' drive from Johannesburg, near the city of Rustenburg. The complex borders the Pilanesberg Game Reserve. December 1979; at the time it was located in the Bantustan of Bophuthatswana. Sun City featured a large auditorium which seated 6,230 people. As Bophuthatswana had been declared an independent state by South Africa's apartheid government (although unrecognized as such by any other country), it could provide entertainment such as gambling and topless revue shows which were banned in South Africa. These factors, as well as its relatively close location to the large metropolitan areas of Pretoria and Johannesburg, ensured that Sun City soon became a popular holiday and weekend destination. The United Nations had imposed a cultural boycott on South Africa in condemnation of apartheid. To overcome this, Kerzer offered substantial financial incentives to performing artists to use Sun City as a venue. Consequently, artists performing there were seen to be accepting the money above any moral objection to apartheid. Despite this, several famous performers chose to flout the boycott and performed at the venue, such as the Beach Boys, Linda Ronstadt, Cher, Millie Jackson, Liza Minnelli, Frank Sinatra (1981), Paul Anka, Status Quo, Rod Stewart (July 1983), and Elton John (October 1983). British rock band Queen's series of performances at the venue in October 1984 in transgression of the boycott caused considerable controversy, prompting criticism in the British music press, a fine from the Musicians' Union and their inclusion on the United Nations' blacklisted artists. Following the criticism, Queen strongly defended their decision, citing the fact that they had insisted they played only to desegregated audiences. They donated to a school for the deaf and blind to prove their philanthropic values. In the late 1980s, Queen's song "We Will Rock You" was used as the sound track to Sun City's 60 second video promo, which was shown as commercial on SABC-TV and also when opening shows in Sun City's Superbowl auditorium . In 1985, E Street Band guitarist Steven Van Zandt made the venue the focus of his music-industry activist group, Artists United Against Apartheid. Forty-nine top recording artists collaborated on a song called "Sun City", in which they pledged they wouldn't perform at the resort because of their opposition to apartheid. Additionally, Simple Minds included the song as part of a live medley on their Live in the City of Light double album in 1987.

Gary Player Country Club

The Gary Player Country Club is a golf club in Sun City, South Africa, named after golf icon and Grand Slam winner, Gary Player. It is home to one of the worlds longest golf courses, at almost 8,000 yards. The Gary Player designed championship course is widely considered to be one of the best in South Africa, and one of the worlds top 100. It has been voted the best several times by both Golf Digest and Complete Golfer, the leading golf magazines in the country. Player has designed over 300 championship courses around the world, but this is the only course that officially carries his name. The club also has a Gary Player Spa, restaurant and pro shop. The course is one of two within the Sun City Resort, the other being the Lost City Golf Course, with its famous crocodile hole with the green in the shape of the African continent, which was also designed by Gary Player but in a desert style. In December of each year, the club stages the "Million Dollar Challenge", hosted by Gary Player and is one of the worlds richest golf tournaments.

Gerhardminnebron

Gerhardminnebron is a natural karst spring located a few kilometers east of Ventersdorp in South Africa and draining into the Wonderfonteinspruit and Mooi River, which in turn flows into the Vaal River. It yields some 60 000 – 80 000 cubic meters of water per day, and is affected by exploitation and pollution by the gold mining industry in the region, deep–level gold mining having markedly impacted on the dolomitic aquifers. This spring is located in dolomitic rock that is part of the larger Boskop–Turffontein dolomite compartment in the Transvaal Basin. Dolomite or dolostone is a sedimentary carbonate rock, a swath of which runs parallel to the Magaliesberg, and has a tendency to form large underground lakes and reservoirs. Potchefstroom is one of the largest towns in the area and was established in 1838. Water from the spring is used for the domestic needs of Potchefstroom, and is also utilised by local farmers. The farm on which the spring is located was known to the Voortrekkers and was first occupied by a certain Gerhard Breytenbach, also in 1838. Emil Holub travelled through the region in 1873, and later described the natural springs he encountered in his book 'Sieben Jahre in Süd Africa' published in 1881. He also remarked on the funnel-shaped sinkholes he came across. Sammy Marks, the pioneer industrialist of the Transvaal, bought the farm in the 1890s and constructed an irrigation canal to supply water for his crops. The contractor who built the canal was Pieter Bezuidenhout, who had in 1880 refused to hand over his wagon in lieu of unpaid taxes levied by the British authorities - this action led to the First Boer War.

Mmabatho

Mmabatho (Setswana for "Mother of the People") is the former capital of the North-West Province of South Africa. In the apartheid era, it was the capital of the former "Bantustan" of Bophuthatswana. Following the end of apartheid in 1994, Bophuthatswana was integrated into the newly established North-West Province and Mmabatho was proclaimed the provincial capital. However, Mmabatho status as the provincial capital was short-lived. Later in 1994, the North West provincial legislature voted to rename the capital to Mafikeng (the town of Mafikeng having been merged with Mmabatho in 1980 and treated as a suburb of Mmabatho between 1980 and 1994 [1]), reducing Mmabatho to a suburb of Mafikeng. Mmabatho was the scene of a major uprising against the Homeland government of Lucas Mangope in March 1994 which resulted in a chaotic intervention by Afrikaner nationalists, wide-scale looting by locals and the deployment of South African troops. Mmabatho contains many provincial government buildings, a shopping complex called Mega City and a Sports Stadium formerly called the Independence Stadium. The University of North-West, formerly the University of Bophuthatswana, is located in Mmabatho. Situated just south of the Botswana border, the town is connected by main roads to South Africa's national capital of Pretoria in the east and to Gaborone, the capital of Botswana, in the north. A railway runs north and south from the neighbouring town of Mafikeng. The city is served by Mmabatho International Airport, handling flights to and from Johannesburg.

Nedbank Golf Challenge

The Nedbank Golf Challenge, previously known as the Million Dollar Challenge, is an annual men's professional golf tournament played at the Gary Player Country Club in Sun City, North West province, South Africa. Originally it was not an official money event for any of the major tours, but it became an official tournament for the Sunshine Tour and European Tour in 2013. Like many high profile unofficial tournaments in professional golf, it takes place between the conclusion of the PGA Tour in early November, and Christmas. It usually attracts many of the world's highest ranked players. The tournament was a 12-player invitational stroke play event, with the field being made up of defending champion, the Sunshine Tour order of merit winner, the four major winners and then completed with the top players in the Official World Golf Rankings following the U.S. PGA Championship. In 2006, the tournament carried World Rankings points for the first time since 1999. In 2013 it was expanded to 30 players: the defending tournament champion; the top 10 PGA Tour FedEx Cup players, the top 10 European Tour Race to Dubai players; the Sunshine Tour, Asian Tour, Japan Golf Tour and PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit winners; the Alfred Dunhill Championship winner; and the top 5 South African players in the World Rankings. From 2000 to 2002 the first prize was increased to US$2 million, but the following year the winner's share of the total prize fund was reduced from more than half to around 30%. The standard winner's share on the PGA Tour is 18% and on the European Tour it is 16.67%. In 2006 the winner received $1.2 million out of a total purse of US$4.385 million, so the prize distribution is now not far from the normal pattern for a professional tournament, once allowance is made for the small size of the field. That US$2 million first prize remains the largest in professional golf, but was matched in 2011 by the Lake Malaren Shanghai Masters. The 2016 event will be part of the European Tour Final Series, replacing the WGC-HSBC Champions. From 2010 to 2012, a separate tournament for senior golfers was held concurrently and called the Nedbank Champions Challenge.
♥

This attraction is located in

This is a private property. Please enjoy respectfully and do not disturb the occupants.

Edit Categories
Add Tours

This attraction is not part of any tours

Add Collections

This attraction is not part of any collections

 

Some of the attractions we imported from Wikipedia are not perfect. Send us an email detailing what's wrong and we'll look into fixing it.

GuRoute is all about Gurus sharing their local knowledge. If you feel up to fixing this problem yourself, why not adopt it. You will become the owner and can fix whatever problems you see.

We've copied a link to this attraction into your clipboard so that ou can paste it into an email or text message...

More Info... ✔
You can add your friends to the visit yourself, or, send them a link and let them add themselves...

The visit will appear on both your timelines and on your Shared Timeline.

Click below and we'll email you a link that you can send on to friends or post on your group's Facebook page.

If your friends aren't members of GuRoute yet, this is a great way to get them started.
Recent
Recently used Collections will appear here...
Recent
Recently used tours will appear here...

Where is this?

GuRoute likes to place attractions inside other attractions. So, maybe it's in a city, or maybe it's inside a particular park in that city. Maybe your attraction is a huge park that spans half the county, or multiple counties.

Determining where this attraction is gives it context - if it's in a park, you'll be able to see it alongside all the other attractions in that park. And that helps define the park.

GuRoute will automatically calculate a parent region for this attraction. You can change it if there is something more appropriate.

This attraction is currently located in .

Change

This attraction does not yet have any reviews

Please login to write a review...

Reviewed by
Record new Visit

Add this location to your timneline?

  • If there's an existing attraction open it and add it to your timeline...
  • If not, enter a title and we'll create a new attraction for your memories...
Create new Attraction

Create a new attraction at this location?

  • We rely on Gurus like you to share your local knowledge...
(Give a name for this location)

+
Add this to your timeline instead...

Imagine having a record of all the cool things you've done in your life!


Using our timeline you can keep track of everywhere you visit in your lifetime...

But, you'll need to sign in first...

Add contacts so that you can share your travels and record places that you visit together...

Family
Favorites
Family
Favorites

Profile TimeLine Our Visits Edit Accept Decline Invite

If you have any more friends that visited this place with you, feel free to add them to the visit. We'll write it to their timeline and once they confirm it, they too will have this memory for a lifetime.

If they're not already registered, you just need their name and email address and you can add them and we'll send them an invite on your behlaf.

Add a tour comment

Add some extra information for when this attraction is viewed as part of your tour...

Next Stop Instructions

Add some instructions for what to see/do on the way to the next stop...

Next Stop Instructions

Add some instructions for what to see/do on the way to the next stop...

If you're visiting an existing attraction, open it and add it to your timeline. If there is no attraction for the place you are visiting...

  • Click 'Add My Location' below
  • Or right-click on the map to mark a different location
  • Or long-press if you have a touch screen
You can even add locations while you're offline....
  • Load up the map when you're online and we'll keep track of your locaiton
  • You can add locations to your timeline
  • When you are online again we'll sync them with the cloud

We can't connect to the internet right now. The following attractions are saved locally and can be uploaded when you're online...

GuRoute would like to access your current location so that we can pin you on the map and show you nearby attractions

Add friends so that you can share your experiences with each other...

Add tour to What's Next?

Go...

Either for yourself or someone else...

  1. Do your trip research in GuRoute
    Add all the places that you think might be worthy of a visit into a trip-plan
  2. Add your trip-plan to your "What's Next" timeline
    (or a friend's "What's Next" timeline)
  3. When you're on vacation you'll have all your research at your fingertips
  4. Share your timline with your friends
    They can enjoy your vacation with you, seeing not only where you've been, but where you're going next...
  5. Add/remove attractions if things change

It also makes a great souvenir of your trip

Collections

Go...

Create a home page for a collection of attractions

  • Add an image and description to display on the homepage
  • Start adding content
    Add existing attractions to your collection or create new attractions of your own
  • Collections can be:
    • Public (Anyone can add attractions to your collection)
    • Shared (Only yourself and Gurus you nominate can add content)
    • Private (The collection will only be visible to yourself)

Uses

  • Local business or hotel
    Showcase local attractions that you endorse
  • Clubs
    Showcase attractions that members have created (eg. local historical society)
  • Special Interest
    If GuRoute does not have a category for your special interest you add your attractions to your own collection instead

Examples

Walking/Driving Tours

Go...

A guided tour where GuRoute will direct you from stop to stop and narrate a description of each attraction you arrive at

  • GuRoute uses your phone's GPS to guide you from stop to stop
  • GuRoute automatically detects when you arrive at the next tour-stop and narrates the description of the attraction (Chrome Only)
  • It then sends you on to the next stop

Tours are great to attract people to your town. Even places with no significant points of interest can be lots of fun when part of a tour


Cater tours to your Audience

  • Kid-friendly Tours
    • Focus on what will keep kids interested
    • Instead of parents having to drag their kids around they'll be struggling to keep up
    • Let the kids navigate and they'll get more fun out of finding that historical plaque than they ever would from reading it
  • Accessible tours
  • Short and long tours of the same location

What you need to do...

  1. Click 'Go...'
    Enter a title, description and location for the tour
  2. Add existing attractions OR create new ones and add them to the tour
  3. For existing attractions you can add more information specific to the theme of the tour
  4. You can also add instructions on what to do or see en-route to the next tour-stop
  5. Try out your tour and see how it works...

Mystery Tour

Go...

Create a Mystery Tour

Create a series of clues to show people around a city, neighborhood or whatever place you like...

  • GuRoute will show people clues to get them from attraction to attraction
  • When they reach each stop GuRoute will tell them about the place and give them the next clue
  • Take as long or as you like and explore each location at your leisure

Scavenger Hunt

Go...

Create a Scavenger Hunt

Create a series of questions that people have to answer. The answers can all be discovered by walking aroung the area, looking for clues.

  • How many beers are on tap at Michael Collin's Irish Bar?
  • What's the name of the oldest building on main streeet?
  • Show a picture of some public art and ask them what it is called
  • Clues can have numeric or multiple choice answers