NORTH-WEST PROVINCE Out Out 509 Market Country Welwitischia © Lonely Planet Publications Planet Lonely © National Park ( p518 ), watching a ), watching a p518 ( Game Reserve Tau Game Lodge Game Tau AREA : 116,320 SQ KM 116,320 SQ KM : AREA „ ( p516 ) ( p514 ) and wait- p514 ( Welwitischia Country Welwitischia Country ( p513 ) deliciously gaudy Madikwe Game Reserve Game Madikwe ( p512 ) at Dam p512 ( Sun City’s –style safari experience, ’s fourth-largest reserve can’t be beat. fourth-largest can’t be beat. reserve South Africa’s –style safari experience, stream of elephants and zebra pass by of elephants and zebra stream ing up handicrafts at the Market pair of binoculars at a waterhole hide in hide in pair of binoculars at a waterhole National Park Pilanesberg ing for the animals to come to you ambience and wonderful

and soak- of Waves Body surfing the Valley masks and Stocking up on wooden giraffes, Shacking and a up with a cooler of Castles at Madikwe’s deck Writing postcards from your private on a sunset safari in wild under a thorn tree of a pride of lions resting Stopping within metres POPULATION: 4 MILLION 4 MILLION POPULATION: „ „ „ „ HIGHLIGHTS HIGHLIGHTS „

Madikwe, Pilanesberg and Sun City may be the North-West and Sun City at- heavyweight Province’s Madikwe, Pilanesberg If you’d rather spot the Big Five without professional help, do a self-drive safari in Pi- help, do a self-drive without professional Big Five If you’d rather spot the

„ mery Hartebeespoort Dam. curios at the Welwitischia Country Market, one of Africa’s biggest, on the shores of shim- biggest, on the shores curios at the Welwitischia Country Market, one of Africa’s with an exhilarating zip-line canopy tour of the Magaliesberg Mountains. Or check out the Mountains. Magaliesberg with an exhilarating zip-line canopy tour of the tractions, but there are more here than the province’s ‘Big Three’. Round out your journey ‘Big Three’. than the province’s here more are tractions, but there lessly gaudy, unabashedly kitsch and downright delicious place to pass an afternoon. lessly gaudy, unabashedly kitsch delicious place to pass an afternoon. and downright province’s big attraction trifecta is the southern hemisphere’s answer to Las Vegas: a shame- to Las Vegas: answer is the southern hemisphere’s big attraction trifecta province’s cards at the opulent Sun City casino complex down the road. The final component of the the final component of down the road. The cards at the opulent Sun City casino complex hours’ drive from Jo’burg. When you’ve had your fill betting on finding rhino, switch to switch to had your fill betting on finding rhino, you’ve When from Jo’burg. hours’ drive and still has 7000 animals packed into its extinct volcano confines. Plus it’s less than three packedand still has 7000 animals Plus it’s less than three into its extinct volcano confines. lanesberg National Park. The most accessible park in the country is cheaper than Madikwe, is cheaper than Madikwe, most accessible park in the country The Park. National lanesberg the lodges here will be a splurge for many. But for that once-in-a-lifetime, romantic will be a splurge the lodges here drive. You have to stay to play at this exclusive reserve on the edge of the Kalahari, reserve to stay to play at this exclusive You have and drive. of Africa at Madikwe Game Reserve and bet on how many lions he’ll spot on the sunrise wildlife at Madikwe Game Reserve wildlife how many lions he’ll spot on the sunrise and bet on not always in the traditional sense. Place your luck in a knowledgeable ranger’s hands ranger’s hands Place your luck in a knowledgeable sense. not always in the traditional region is more than fun. It’s convenient. Gambling is the name of the game here, although although is the name of the game here, Gambling than fun. It’s convenient. is more region And with the top three reasons to visit less than a six-hour drive from , this this from Johannesburg, drive to visit less than a six-hour reasons And with the top three From safaris to slots, the pursuit of pleasure is paramount in the North-West Province. North-West Province. in the is paramount of pleasure to slots, the pursuit From safaris North-West Province North-West Province ὄ ὄ ὄ 31 R NORTH-WEST PROVINCE

40,000 people andfell into ruins. Free State. The citywassacked byahordeof Sotho, displacedby Zuluincursions intothe proved nomatch for theaggression of the the peace-loving of inhabitants Kaditshwene Town.Intheend, it tobebigger thanCape missionaries first visited thecity,theyfound ellery withChina. By1820,whenEuropean theytradedcopperandironjew- so developed The peoplewholived here hadaneconomy about 30kmnorthof modern-dayZeerust. tion centred onthe‘lostcity’of Kaditshwene, site of acomplexandsophisticated civilisa- illegal elsewhere in South Africa. ters withprostitutes, which wouldhave been and pleasure resorts forinterracial encoun- South Africanmenwhovisited itscasinos ofcame famousfortheexcesses the white The nominallyindependenthomelandbe- offor thousands ‘relocated’ . (often shortened to‘Bop’),adumpingground homelandof of thearea oncecovered bythefragmented The North-WestProvince takes inmuch 510 HISTORY (646km) Springbok (147km); To Upington River Makopong Postmasburg NORTH-WEST PROVINCE NR MountainReserve NP MR GR LEGEND Rest McCarthy's During theIronAge, theprovince wasthe Severn R375 OT-ETPOIC • Hsoy ••History PROVINCE NORTH-WEST

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Kanye R506 r R377 Migdol Airport Christiana Vaal 49 R 12 N ὄ ὄ ὈὈὄ ὄ ὄ Lobatse GABORONE Bloemhof Ramotswa Mafikeng Dam platinum mines near . herestill important andthere are extensive to thefieldsaroundLichtenburg. Miningis in the1870s,resulting inanenormousrush runs south tonorthandits mainpartjoins The R47/R49 Rustenburg andthenZeerust. across theprovince, connectingPretoria with The N4isthemajor east-to-westhighway GETTING THERE &AROUND English astheir first language. speak ,withaminority having Tswana istheprincipallanguage; mostwhites LANGUAGE thunderstorms. afternoon (August toMarch) bringbrief,refreshing 20°C inasingleday.Thesummermonths but canrange fromanaverage of 2°Cto winter (May toJuly)temperature is15.5°C Theaveragesunny daysandchilly nights. and 34°Cwinter bringswithitdry, Summer temperatures range 22°C between CLIMATE Mmabatho Lichtenburg Diamonds were discovered intheprovince Madikwe 47 GR R Tlokweng 59

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Range N 1 24 R Ὀ Ὀ Thabazimbi S TAE lonelyplanet.com Kosmos F RE Brits Klipvoor Dam Assen Borakalalo Johannesburg G AUTEN Hartbeespoort Bohlakong NP Sasolburg Dam Warmbad Hartbeespoort Nylstroom Temba Vaal Dam 60 miles 100 km 57 Reitz R N 1 N 3 34 R