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Home , De Wildt, Hartbeespoort, Hartbeespoort Dam, Madikwe, Madikwe Game Reserve, Magaliesberg

RISE WITH THE PLATINUM PROVINCE NORTH WEST INCENTIVE FACT BOOK Farm, Hartebeestpoort – North West NORTH WEST PROVINCE

North West province is a wonderful province for the incentive traveller who thrives on variety and adventure. The province has two fantastic game reserves, a wealth of heritage and culture, as well as a mix of exhilarating outdoor experiences. North West is a rewarding holiday destination that offers exciting wildlife and adventure encounters, as well as the opportunity to participate in a rich cultural and historical heritage. The extravagant entertainment complex is known the world over as a tourism hot spot. With a number of fantastic hotels, casinos, restaurants, golf courses and adult entertainment venues, Sun City remains SA’s icon of fun and entertainment. Next door to the famous Sun City resort is the Game Reserve, where visitors can experience the wild African bush just two hours from . The other largely notable game reserve in the North West province is Game Reserve, which is relatively close to the border. The area is home to the Big 5 and is famous for its wild dog, , cheetah and elephant populations. Historical Mafikeng is another interesting destination in the province and this metropolitan hub offers an interesting combination of colonial and modern . For something truly local, is a great place to explore the tall tales of legendary writer Herman Charles Bosman. The mampoer farms in the area are pretty interesting too. Dam is an option for those who enjoy watersports. The mountains also offer outdoor activities and adventures, and a great place to take in a hot-air balloon safari. is the main urban centre in this agricultural heartland - a growing town that was also a host city during the 2010 FIFA World Cup. 1 Praying Hands Statue, Magaliesberg – North West

2 KEY ATTRACTIONS AND INSPIRING ACTIVITIES:

• THE : watersports, including boating, are For an authentic wildlife experience in hugely popular at , close proximity to Johannesburg and and where better to enjoy a sundowner , Pilanesberg is a popular game cruise? There are also numerous hikes, reserve featuring the Big 5 (elephant, walks and adventure activities on offer in , buffalo, and rhino) and a the area, including a trip up the Harties wide variety of other game, including cableway. The nearby market offers a brown hyenas, , African wide range of locally made curios. wild dog and exquisite birdlife. There are numerous lodges in and around the • GROOT MARICO: How about sending game reserve, with easy access to the your delegates on a literary journey to entertainment attractions on offer at Sun follow in the footsteps of one of South City. Africa’s finest authors, Herman Charles • : One of Bosman. His spirit is alive and well in the ’s foremost malaria-free small North West town of Groot Marico Big 5 reserves, Madikwe is close to the and local history buffs will give you all border with Botswana and was once the insights into his characters and his farmland before Operation Phoenix took spectacular stories about ‘Oom Schalk place in the 1990s – one of the largest Lourens’. The information centre will wildlife relocation exercises in South give you information on all the local Africa’s history. The game reserve is attractions, including information about home to numerous varieties of game and the nearby mampoer farms and festivals wildlife, including wild dog and the Big and events that take place in this rural 5. There are superb lodges in the park, hamlet. from five-star luxury lodges to more rustic bush camps, as well as a variety of • NATURE RESERVES: In addition to community-owned and run lodges. the two main game reserves in North West province, namely Madikwe and • SUN CITY: When it comes to a range Pilanesberg, there are 12 nature reserves of entertainment options all in one and national parks to speak of, including: place, Sun City is the gift that keeps on giving. There are numerous restaurants, Barberspan Bird Sanctuary, Borakalalo bars, cinemas and gaming areas, as well National Park, Botsalano Game Reserve, as superb outdoor spaces, gorgeous Molemane Eye Nature Reserve, Vaalkop gardens, two professional golf courses Dam Nature Reserve, Bloemhof Dam and the Valley of the Waves theme park. Nature Reserve, Boskop Dam Nature Various levels of accommodation are Reserve, Kgaswane Mountain Reserve, available, including the ultra-luxury , Molopo Nature Palace of the Lost City, the Cascades, Sun Reserve, SA Lombard Nature Reserve and City Hotel and the Cabanas. Wolwespruit Nature Reserve. • THE MAGALIESBERG MOUNTAINS: • ANN VAN DYK CHEETAH AND WILDLIFE Stretching across two of South Africa’s CENTRE: Named after founder and provinces – and North West conservationist Ann van Dyk, this wildlife - the Magaliesberg offers visitors an sanctuary has managed to breed about opportunity to explore nature and 600 since the inception of the experience the great outdoors. There breeding programme. In addition to are waterfalls, cliffs, ravines and lots of cheetah rehabilitation, the centre has activities in the Magaliesberg, as well as also successfully bred Cape vultures, some wonderful hotels, guest lodges, country estates and spa retreats. African wild dogs and brown hyenas. Visitors can enjoy the daily tours and all • HARTBEESPOORT DAM: A variety of proceeds go to the upkeep of the centre. 3 Magaliesberg – North West

4 NORTH WEST: BOJANALA PLATINUM , RUSTENBURG (including Sun City and Pilanesberg)

Rise with the Platinum Province • North America: Washington, New York • South America: Buenos Aires, Sao Paolo Divided into four main , the • Asia: Bangkok, Beijing, Hong Kong, epicentre of tourism and hospitality in Mumbai, Singapore the North West province can be found • Australia: Perth, Sydney • Africa: all major cities in the Bojanala Platinum District, which There are also chartered flights to the various includes Rustenburg, Pilanesberg and Sun lodges and Sun City. City, the latter being a major attraction for the business events industry as well as the leisure market. The Palace of the Lost City From Johannesburg and Pretoria, the is a major drawcard, and the entire Sun City Bojanala District is an easy two-and-a- complex has everything one could wish for half hour drive by car or tour bus. in terms of entertainment and activities. Next to Sun City is the Pilanesberg Game Where to stay Reserve, and further afield is Madikwe Game Reserve – both are home to luxury lodges The Sun City hotel complex offers a and exclusive camps, as well as a wealth of wide range of accommodation, from wild animals and plant life indigenous to the luxurious suites at the Palace of the the area. There is a lot to explore in this part Lost City to various options available at of the world and the mix of great outdoors, Cascades Hotel, Sun City Hotel and the wildlife and entertainment (Sun City) is a Sun City Cabanas. Further afield, there hard combination to beat. are hotel rooms available in Rustenburg, while the Pilanesberg and Madikwe Accessibility Game Reserves offer excellent lodge accommodation. There are 3 066 graded Global air access is available through hotel rooms in the region, this includes: Johannesburg, the gateway to South • 819 five-star rooms Africa via OR Tambo International • 1123 four-star rooms Airport – the largest airport in Africa. • 1124 three-star rooms Connecting flights via Johannesburg include:

• Europe: Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Istanbul, London, Luxembourg, Madrid, Munich, Paris, Zurich • Middle East: Abu Dhabi, Cairo, Dubai, Jeddah

5 Hartebeestpoort Dam – North West

6 Exceptional incentive activities the North West province. The other option is the Magaliesberg Canopy • HOT-AIR BALLOON SAFARIS: A major Tour, which takes participants on the attraction in North West is the hot-air trip of a lifetime as they make stops ballooning adventures on offer from at various platforms in the Ysterkloof, Bill Harrop’s Original Balloon Safaris. part of the Magaliesberg Mountain Delegates will need to get up bright range, to view the forests and birdlife and early to be at the balloon base below. in () before sunrise. Once on board, • VREDEFORT DOME: A UNESCO World the early wake-up is so worth it as Heritage Site, the Vredefort Dome is you watch the peaceful landscape where a huge crater was formed by a slowly awaken to the day. The flight meteorite strike millions of years ago. ends with a wonderful champagne The region is popular with adventure breakfast, and each participant gets a enthusiasts and there are some great personalised certificate. hikes and trails on offer, as well as abseiling and water-based activities • SUN CITY SEGWAY TOURS: A Segway along the Vaal River. tour could be one of the best ways to enjoy the gorgeous grounds of the • TAUNG: The Taung World Heritage Sun City hotel complex. Because the Site is a major attraction along the complex is so big, the two-wheeled North West’s Taung Heritage Route. In transport device is a great way to 1924, Professor Raymond Dart from make your way around without Wits University found the 2.5-million- getting too tired. Tours can take up to year-old fossilised skull of a hominid 10 people at any one time, and there child in the Buxton Quarry. Dart are golf tours, lake tours and even an off-road glide on offer. identified the skull as belonging to an early hominid and the discovery • HARTBEESPOORT DAM CABLEWAY: of the Taung Skull was acknowledged For uninterrupted views of the as one of the most significant magnificent Hartbeespoort Dam and scientific findings in South Africa’s Magaliesberg Mountains, take a ride history. Delegates can follow in the in the Hartbeespoort Dam Cableway. prehistoric footsteps of our hominid On a clear day you might even be able ancestors on this 45km route, which to see Johannesburg or Pretoria, but if includes numerous natural attractions, you don’t, the views from the top are including the limestone waterfall and pretty incredible – giving one a bird’s- the Blue Pools in a lush valley. eye view of the entire landscape. • ADVENTURE ACTIVITIES: Enjoy • ZIP-LINING AND CANOPY TOURS: various adventure activities when The Sun City Zip-Line or Zip 2000 is visiting Pilanesberg, including game 280m high and two kilometres long drives and bush barbeques, game and is officially the world’s longest walks and breakfasts in the bush, and fastest zip-line - an absolute clay-target shooting, archery, urban must for adventure seekers visiting combat paintball and quad-biking. 7 Madikwe – North West

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