Old Moaner Travel
I haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on my list
North East (including Pretoria)
Pretoria
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This will be a quick one to get through as Pretoria doesn’t have a great deal to offer the tourist as it’s a typical administrative city where office blocks predominate.
One set of buildings worth making a detour to are the Union Buildings, which are home to the Government and the buildings where Nelson Mandela was sworn in as President in 1994.
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The imposing building is just over a century old and built of light sandstone. Surrounded by beautiful terraced gardens, full of indigenous plants and statues of notable worthies, with one standing out above all others.
Dominating the gardens is a 9 metre (30 foot) tall statue of Nelson Mandela, arms outstretched - a fitting tribute to the larger than life man.
Memorials to the fallen in two World Wars and to police killed in action are to be found at the upper levels of the garden.
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Mpumalanga
Mpumalanga is the name now given to the area formerly known as the Eastern Transvaal and is one of the most scenically diverse and beautiful areas of the country.
On the one hand there is the mountainous Highveld overlooking the lush plains of the sub-tropical Lowveld or Bushveld. The province is also home to the southern portion of the Kruger National Park.
The Highveld is the northern end of the Drakensburg (Dragons) Escarpment a 1,000 km (620 mile) mountain range stretching from the Eastern Cape.
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At the top end of Drakensburg Escarpment is the Blyde River Canyon Nature Reserve, home to three “must see” natural wonders.
At the southern end of the reserve is God’s Window, a breath-taking viewpoint set on top of a 700m (2,300 feet) sheer cliff offering stunning views of the Lowveld and on a clear day it’s possible to see the Mozambique border.
The Three Rondavels are three mountain peaks with slightly pointed tops, very similar to the traditional African homesteads called rondavels, they are sometimes known locally as the Three Sisters. There is a spectacular viewpoint where the Three Rondavels can be seen overlooking the Blyde River Canyon.
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​At the top end of the canyon, at the confluence of the Treur and Blyde Rivers, are Bourke’s Luck Potholes. Some stunning erosion carvings are to be found here with wooden bridges crossing many of the chasms – although these are probably not best suited for those without a head for heights or suffering from vertigo. This point is also home to the Reserves headquarters and there are a number of exhibitions and facilities here.
I don’t usually like to single out a particular hotel but a special mention must be made for the Misty Mountain Resort along the Long Tom Pass. Set at an altitude of 1,700 m (5,600 feet) the resort offers some stunning views.
There are no televisions in the rooms so you are “forced” to relax, unwind and recharge the batteries (if you really must have a TV fix there is a single set in the communal lounge). There are 15km (9 miles) of marked walking trails, quad bike trails, trout fishing and mountain bike trails.
The food in the restaurant is sublime and breakfasts are cooked to order.
Many of the towns in the area have a frontier feeling to them and a few worth visiting are Dullstroom, Lydenburg and Sabie. Many of the towns in the area have a frontier feeling to them and a few worth visiting are Dullstroom, Lydenburg and Sabie.
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