North West Province
Northwest Province
The Northwest Province referred to locally as ‘the Platinum
Province’, as it has some of the richest platinum and vanadium
mines in the world, is one of Gauteng’s immediate provincial
neighbours.
The Hartbeespoort Dam, which is just across the provincial
border with Gauteng, with Pecanwood Golf & Lifestyle Estate as
its golfing ‘crown jewel’, forms a natural gateway to the rest of
the province.
The Hartbeespoort area, which adjoins the Cradle of
Humankind, a World Heritage site, is steeped in history both in
terms of its anthropological heritage through to its much more
recent historical role during the Boer War.
Not surprisingly the area is also geologically ancient with the
Magaliesberg Mountains, at 2 billion plus years, being home to
some of the oldest mountains on Earth.
A combination of factors such as the Hartbeesport’s proximity
to two of Africa’s largest conurbations - Tshwane (Pretoria) and
Johannesburg and the mix of restaurants, B&B’s, guest houses,
Sunday markets and the water activities at the dam, makes it
one of the most visited areas, by South Africans, in the entire
country.
Sun City – Africa’s ‘pleasure dome’ – is only a about a 1 hour
drive further north.
Apart from Sun City’s own resort style attractions, including
two of the country’s finest golf courses in the Gary Player
Country Club and the Lost City Golf Club, the complex also has
the Pilanesberg National Park as its immediate neighbour.
The National Park is possibly one of the best kept secrets in the
country, as it is much closer to the major centres than its big
brother, the Kruger National Park, and yet offers all the natural
attractions that a visitor could hope to see in a park, including
the obligatory ‘big 5’.
International travellers arriving in Gauteng by air can enjoy the
attractions of Gauteng, before transferring seamlessly by road
into the Northwest.
The onward travel options are equally attractive; these include
flights from Lanseria Airport, which is situated between
Hartbeespoort and Johannesburg, and offers services to all
South Africa’s major centres and Mauritius, while country’s
major airport, OR Tambo, can be reached in just over an hour.
There is also the option to travel by road to the adjoining
provinces of Mpumalanga and Limpopo or, for the more
adventurous, the drive down to the coastal province of KwaZulu
Natal which would enable a stopover in the beautiful Natal
Midlands.
Any visitor who has Gauteng on their itinerary should see
the Northwest, either a primary destination, or as a must do
addition on their travel schedule.
52 Destination Golf .TRAVEL