Location

In North West province, due west of Pretoria

This largish country centre, basking sleepily in the sun at the western end of the lovely Magaliesberg range of hills, has rather a special place in the story of the Voortrekkers. It was here that the two rival factions of in the 19th-century trekker community made their peace with each other, and here that the Reformed Church was founded. From the 1860s, too, the area was home to Paul Kruger, later to become republican Transvaal's president and 'father' of the Afrikaner people. Rustenburg means 'town of rest', and aptly so: it's a quiet place, pleasant on the eye, its streets and gardens bright with the vibrant colours of frangipani, jacaranda, flame tree, poinsettia, hibiscus and great tumbles of bougainvillea. Just outside town, though, peace and beauty give way to the fierce energy of primary industry: the area's platinum-group mines are the world's largest of their kind.

Rustenburg is also the hub of a flourishing agricultural region that yields fine crops of maize, wheat, tobacco, cotton fruit, vegetables and cut flowers destined for the rich markets of the Pretoria-Johannesburg area to the east.

Highlights

Rustenburg Nature Reserve

A grand expanse of hillside and valley cut through by upland streams and graced by a wealth of indigenous flora (around 120 different types of tree and bush have been identified; the aloes are brilliant in season). The landscapes, and some of the views, are spectacular. The terrain is a paradise for walkers, botanists and bird-watchers - 230 avian species have been recorded, including some splendid raptors. It's also home to mountain reedbuck, oribi, kudu, klipspringer and other antelope, and to jackals and the elusive leopard.

Places Of Worship

Of interest are the Anglican church (thatched; dating to 1871) and the Dutch Reformed church. The latter served briefly (during the Anglo-Boer war) as a military hospital. There's also a stone replica of the syringa tree - or rather, its stump - under which the Reformed Church, a body separate from the bigger Dutch Reformed Church and to which Paul Kruger belonged, was founded and formalised.

Mountain Sanctuary Park

This small, deeply ravined Nature Reserve is located near the hamlet of Kroondal to the east, offering exquisite scenery and much to attract the rock climber and naturalist.

Olifantshoek Dam

A large lake-like stretch of water that nurtures the area's tobacco lands and citrus groves. The dam wall is fairly impressive; there are fine views from the top of Olifantshoek pass.

Boekenhoutfontein

The farm on which Paul Kruger settled in the 1860s; the homestead and his son's house have been preserved and function as an interesting museum. A small cottage nearby dates to 1841.

Magaliesburg

Rustenburg Nature Reserve (see above) covers only a small part of this lovely range of hills, which runs a good 120 kilometres eastwards to and beyond the Pretoria area. It's a fairly low ridge, but it has a mostly gentle, sometimes spectacular beauty all of its own; the climate is marvellous, the countryside blessed by a yearly average of nine sun-filled hours a day, and generous rainfall enriches the plant life and feeds numerous small rivers and streams. It's well worth exploring the uplands, either on a day-drive or along one of the walking trails. There's good bird watching too; look out for the endangered Cape vulture in the skies above.

This fine sanctuary lies some way to the north of Rustenburg; the linking road is in good condition; plenty of accommodation and other visitor facilities are available, since the Sun City pleasure-palaces (see below) are just outside the park's boundary. The Pilansberg is a relatively new sanctuary, created about two decades ago after the launch of one of the world's most successful game restocking exercises (known as 'Operation Genesis'). Before then, the terrain belonged to the Tswana people of the region. Wildlife on view in the grasslands, bushveld and wooded valleys includes the 'Big Five' of the African veld (lion, leopard, buffalo, rhino, elephant), hippo, giraffe, cheetah and a splendid array of birds.

The first and still the biggest of South African tycoon Sol Kersner's chain of hotel-casino-entertainment complexes, most of them built in the former African 'homelands' (and thus free of the then gambling laws). Sun City has just about everything for the leisure-bent visitor - four hotels, including the strikingly opulent Lost City complex; gaming rooms, theatres and entertainment halls, restaurants, shops, a myriad water features large and small (including the 'Valley of Waves'), an 'instant jungle' of nearly 4,000 trees, a crocodile park, and all the sporting amenities, including a world class golf course.

Pretoria and Johannesburg are little more than an hour's drive to the east and south-east.

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RUSTENBURG

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PROVINCES

Western Cape
Gauteng
Eastern Cape
Free State
Kwazulu Natal
Mpumalanga
Northern Cape
Northern
North West