Morgan Through A Lens

In my last blog post I showed you 3 awesome Pretoria activities, however, if you are staying in Pretoria but don't mind adventuring an hour or so outside town, here are 4 more Pretoria(ish) adventures:

1. Walk through the Apartheid Museum
The Apartheid Museum documents the tragic history of South Africa during the Apartheid era and showcases the life and work of Nelson Mandela, a key player in the anti-Apartheid movement and the first black president of South Africa.
2. Find the origins of humanity at the Cradle of Humankind
The Cradle of Humankind is a paleoanthropological site and one of South Africa's UNESCO World Heritage sites. The Cradle of Humankind is 47,000 hectares large and includes a lot of activities like game drives, canopy tours, and art galleries, but the main attraction is the Maropeng Visitor Center (basically a museum) and the Sterkfontein caves. In the museum, you'll learn all about the significance and importance of the Cradle of Humankind. The COH (as …

In March my Dad came to visit for six weeks! It was awesome spending time with him and showing him around South Africa. Playing tour guide (and tourist) in my own city reminds me how lucky I am to live in Pretoria and South Africa. While my dad was here we got to travel a lot, hike in the Drakensberg, visit Lesotho, and go on a game drive in Pilanesberg. However, we also did a ton of activities a bit closer to home. Here are my top 3 Pretoria activities:

1. Watch the Blue Bulls play at Loftus Versfeld
Rugby is a quintessential South African past time. Similar to American football and equally confusing. We got our tickets from the official Blue Bulls website for 50 rand each in the mid-top section. P.S. the South African accent makes "Blue Bulls" sound like "Blue Balls" - cracks me up every time (I know, I'm five).  2. Visit the Voortrekker Monument

The Voortrekker Monument is a memorial to the Voortrekker people (ancestors of modern-day Afrikaans people) who mo…

Where to go on safari in South Africa? Firstly, in South Africa, "safaris" are called game drives. Safari is a very Western term but they can be used interchangeably. If you want to go on safari in South Africa, there are countless options. Kruger is by far the largest and most popular safari destination in South Africa. The park covers 19,485 km² (~12,107 miles²) so it's pretty expansive. Although I've been to Kruger many times and had great experiences each time, there are countless other game parks in South Africa that are just as incredible and highly rated. Check here for a list of the best game reserves in South Africa.


How to chose a safari destination.Location: Location is key. For instance, if you are staying in Cape Town, Kruger is about an 18-hour drive or 2-hour plane ride away. Luckily, there are equally fantastic parks near Cape Town such as Gondwana Game Reserve. If you are staying in Pretoria or Jo'burg, Pilanesberg is close by. In Port Elizabeth…

What's the hype with the Drakensberg? The Drakensberg is a section of The Great Escarpment that runs along the eastern border of Lesotho and South Africa. The Draks is a famous part of South Africa's natural beauty and there is even a theory that JRR Tolkien was inspired by the Drakensberg when writing The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings (he spent some of his childhood in South Africa near The Great Escarpment).


Where is the Drakensberg?  The Drakensberg borders Lesotho and South Africa and is about a 3 1/2 hour drive from Pretoria (depending on which section of the Drakensberg you visit). My dad, Alex, and I went to the Northern part of the Drakensberg and stayed in a town called Bergville.


Hiking in the Drakensberg Hiking is the most popular activity in the Drakensberg and with the amazing vistas, untouched natural beauty, and world-renowned hiking trails, it's easy to see why. We hiked in the Amphitheatre, which (according to Wikipedia) is considered one of the most i…