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ADVENTURE South Africa is tailor, made for outdoors adventure, and the North West Province offers attractions and facilities equal to the best in the country � like white water rafting, canoeing, diving, hot air ballooning, hiking, fishing, rock climbing, abseiling and hunting, apart from more conventional sports like golf, to name but a few activities from which to choose. The Sunwa River Experience Center offers the chance of an exhilarating raft journey down the Vaal River on the southern border of the Province. Canoeing and other water sports are available elsewhere on the river and on dams throughout North West. Airtruck Adventures offers the chance of an unforgettable dawn or dusk flight over the Pilanesberg game reserve � viewing game from a hot air balloon. For trail enthusiasts, the Vredefort dome near Potchefstroom � where a meteorite plunged into the planet millions of years ago, throwing up subterranean rock formations in a spectacular dome � offers game and bird watching trails (44 species!) and mountain sports like rock climbing and abseiling. Don't forget the Hartebeespoort cableway-close to a popular paragliding center. A number of hunting companies offer trophy and biltong hunting, including bow hunting. On the more luxurious level, Sun City and the Lost City offer golf on two spectacular, world-class courses � and the chance to surf in the Valley of the waves or ride a chute in the Temple of Courage. Near Rustenburg, Africa Game provides the opportunity to ride an ostrich. At the Kwena Gardens Crocodile Farm, you can see the world's largest captive nile croc � 800kg! Closer to city life, visitors can take a gold mine tour at Vaal Reefs near Klerksdorp, or do the diggers Route near Wolmaransstad, or urban historical walking route in Mafikeng, Klerksdorp and elsewhere. Yachting and other water sports, not forgetting angling, are popular on Hartbeespoort Dam, within close reach of the major northern urban centers of South Africa � and on local dams throughout the Province. For the daring diving fraternity, there is the famed Wondergat near Ottoshoop, and other dolomite caves near Molopo and elsewhere, while Vryburg hosts national gliding championships as well as popular off-road racing events. Interesting hiking and horse trails are available in numerous areas of the Province. For those who prefer chancing their luck at the casino to risking their necks on the rock faces or 4x4 trails, North � West has it all � at Sun City/Lost City, Morula Sun, Mmabatho Sun and the Carousel. Suffice it to say: The Noth - West Province is Outdoors Country, with a glorious climate, diverse adventure � sport attractions and facilities, and an excellent road travel infrastructure. If you are the adventurous sort, then this is your kind of country � and you are our kind of person!
Wild Life Adventure The great, sun � drenched plain of Africa, pristine bushveld still populated by its original wildlife, conserved in 16 diverse, well � managed game parks and nature reserves � all of them at an altitude (1 000 to 2 000 meters) that ensures personal comfort and no threat of malaria. This sounds like an eco-tourist's fantasy � but it is in fact what the North � West Province offers to vacationers, busy people I search of weekend relaxations and day excursionist with wildlife in mind. The Province's excellent road infrastructure brings its ranges from top hotels, through comfortable, rustic guest � houses and bushveld camps, to solitary tented sits in the silence and peace of nature. The 60 000 ha Madikwe Game Reserve in the far north, adjacent to the Botswana borders, is home to 31 large mammal species including the Big Five, and 260 resident and migrant bird species. Visitors are taken on day and night game drives or bushwalks. Excellent accommodation is available at the Madikwe River Lodge and the Tau Game Lodge. The Pilanesberg National Park, situated in an ancient volcanic crater near Sun City, offers the same game mix � and no fewer than 300 bird species! Hot air balloon safari offer an unforgettable way of viewing game from a unique vantage point. Accommodation includes seven camps, one lodge, two hotels and times sharing facilities. An interesting reserve is the National Zoological Gardens' game breeding reserve at Lichtenburg in North � West Province � established to separate the breeding herds of rare indigenous and exotic species from those on display in Pretoria, for safety in the events of disease threatening their survival. The Barberspan Nature Reserve near Delareyville, on a large nature freshwater lake, includes one of the largest waterfowl sanctuaries in South Africa, and is an ornithologist's dream come true. More than 300 species have been recorded here. The Dewild Cheetah Research Center, near Brits is also well worth a visit.
For contact telephone numbers of information on the various reserves and their specialities, and the accommodation in or near them, see the relevant sections in this guide, or call the north West Parks & Tourism Board. For updated information, visit the Board's website at www.tourismnorthwest.co.za. |
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What to take with you on your Game safari? Your camera, of course. Hats, sunglasses and sun screen for the fair�skinned � remember, the Province is blessed with mainly sunny climate. Warm clothing for winter (mid-May to mid-August) nights, which are crispy cold following normally balmy, sunny days. And walking shoes if you 're planning a hike.