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The best tourist attractions in Pretoria, South Africa

Pretoria is the administrative capital of South Africa. It crosses the river Apies.


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Pretoria is the administrative capital of South Africa. It crosses the river Apies and extends east to the foothills of the Magaliesberg Mountains. It is one of the three capitals of the country, serving as the seat of government administration.


1. Voortrekker Monument

Voortrekker Monument, Pretoria, South Africa

The Voortrekker Monument is located just south of Pretoria in South Africa. This massive granite structure is prominently located on a hilltop and was raised to commemorate the Voortrekkers who left the Cape Colony between 1835 and 1854. On 8 July 2011 the Voortrekker Monument, designed by the architect Gerard Moerdijk, was declared a National Heritage Site by the South African Heritage Resource Agency.


2. Union Buildings

Union Buildings, Pretoria, South Africa

The Union Buildings form the official seat of the South African Government and also house the offices of the President of South Africa. The imposing buildings are located in Pretoria, atop Meintjieskop at the northern end of Arcadia, close to historic Church Square and the Voortrekker Monument. The large gardens of the Buildings are nestled between Government Avenue, Vermeulen Street East, Church Street, the R104 and Blackwood Street.


3. National Zoological Gardens of South Africa

National Zoological Gardens, Pretoria, South Africa

The National Zoological Gardens of South Africa is an 80-hectare zoo located in Pretoria, South Africa. It is the national zoo of South Africa and was founded by J. W. B. Gunning in 1899. Pretoria Zoo is one of the eight largest zoos in the world and one of the most highly rated.


4. Freedom Park Heritage Site & Museum

Freedom Park, Pretoria, South Africa

Freedom Park is situated on Salvokop in Pretoria. It includes a memorial with a list of the names of those killed in the South African Wars, World War I, World War II as well as during the apartheid era.


5. Pretoria National Botanical Garden

Pretoria National Botanical Garden, Pretoria, South Africa

The Pretoria National Botanical Garden is one of South Africa’s nine National Botanical Gardens. The garden is wedged between Pretoria Road and Cussonia Avenue in Brummeria, in eastern Pretoria, Gauteng, and flanks a central rocky ridge that runs from east to west. The 76 hectares garden was established in 1946, and of late hosts the headquarters of the South African National Biodiversity Institute.