Pretoria

Pretoria is a colorful city, literally and metaphorically. Pretoria's trademark lilac jacarandas line the streets while downtown is filled with diverse cars (old and new), buses and hooting taxis. Street vendors hawk fresh fruit to passers-by. Beautiful nature reserves stand in the background of this city bustling with trade and dazzling nightlife.

Pretoria's industrial growth and lure have brought people from all over to this vibrant city and its outskirts. Stretching out from Pretoria's pulsating rhythm is the beautiful Hartbeespoort dam and the bushveld game farms surrounding Warmbaths, the rustic town of Brits and the rural, yet modern Bronkhorstspruit.

Pretoria's Church Street is one of the longest urban roads at 26 km and serves as the center of the city. Pretoria was built around Church Square with Anton van Wouw's fabulous bronze statue of Oom Paul, president of the South African Republic (from 1883 until his flight into exile in 1900) and who is considered the "Father of Afrikanerdom."

Visit the Wonderboom Nature Reserve or the Fountains Valley Nature Reserve for a hike or a lazy lunch at one of the picnic areas. The Morletta Spruit nature trail makes its way through the suburbs of Pretoria and claims many bird species as well as natural vegetation. The Austin Roberts Bird Sanctuary houses 170 species of water birds including blue crane, sacred ibis and heron. And The National Zoological Gardens (Pretoria Zoo) is home to about 3,500 southern African and exotic animals, including the world's largest antelope collection.