Pretoria Afternoon Tour

Pretoria was named after the Voortrekker (pioneer) Andries Pretorius. It falls within the metropolitan municipality of Tshwane. It lies 1,350m (4,400ft) above sea. Pretoria is surrounded by hills of the Magaliesberg Mountain Range.

Your tour includes a visit to the prominent Voortrekker Monument, on a ridge south of the city. It was inaugurated on 16 December 1949 and commemorates the so-called "Great Trek", a pioneer migration from the then frontier region to the north in the late 1830's. The main points of interest within the impressive cubical sandstone building are historical friezes and a Cenotaph.

Spend some time at the Kruger House museum, the home of the old Boer leader of the South African Republic, President Paul Kruger. Built in 1884, it contains original and period furniture, his official carriage, presidential train wagon and other historical artifacts.

Your tour continues to Church Square the historic center of Pretoria, dominated by the statue of President Kruger. The square is surrounded by the Palace of Justice where former President Nelson Mandela and his comrades were found guilty of treason and banished to the infamous Robben Island; the old Capitol Theater; the Tudor Chambers; the old Council Chamber and the old General Post Office.

You end your tour at the Union Buildings, the administrative seat of the South African Government and prime example of Sir Herbert Baker's colonial sandstone architecture.