North West
Between Gauteng and Botswana — Sun City, the Pilanesberg, and the Magaliesberg, plus quiet farming and platinum country.
Trip Role
Our take
A diverse province balancing high-end tourism with rural and industrial landscapes.
A diverse province balancing high-end tourism with rural and industrial landscapes.
- Trip Role
- Worth a Detour
Why go
This province spans the region between Gauteng and Botswana, encompassing the Pilanesberg game reserve and the resort infrastructure of Sun City. It is a mix of industrial platinum mining, agricultural land, and mountain ranges like the Magaliesberg.
Where to go here
Brits
A citrus-and-platinum town between Hartbeespoort and the Pilanesberg road — a provisioning stop, not a base.
Hartbeespoort
The dam-and-mountains weekend village an hour from Joburg — cable car, reptile park, craft markets, and the Magaliesberg.
Klerksdorp
A gold-and-agriculture town on the N12 — a functional stop on the Joburg–Kimberley corridor, not a destination.
Madikwe Town
The gateway village to Madikwe Game Reserve — a provisioning stop for safari transfers, not a base.
Mahikeng
The North West capital and a border town with Botswana — Sol Plaatje's Siege of Mafeking history and the Kalahari gateway.
Marico
Hermann Kallenbach's bucolic 'Marico' country — bushveld rivers, mampoer farms, and the long-tail frontier of the North West.
Potchefstroom
A university town on the Mooi River — oaks, students, and the prettiest main street in the North West.
Rustenburg
A platinum-mining city and the practical gateway to Sun City and Pilanesberg — useful, not charming.
Also in North West
Ann van Dyk Cheetah Centre
The cheetah and African wild dog breeding centre near Hartbeespoort — one of SA's most important predator conservation stories.
De Wildt Cheetah Centre
The original Ann van Dyk cheetah breeding centre — behind-the-scenes conservation tours of a pioneer cheetah project.
Madikwe Game Reserve
Malaria-free Big Five reserve on the Botswana border — restored farmland, wild dog, and luxury lodges.
Pilanesberg National Park
Big Five park set in an ancient volcanic crater next to Sun City — malaria-free and one of the easiest self-drive safaris from Gauteng.
Sterkfontein Dam Reserve
A reserve near the Cradle of Humankind edge — grassland, birding, and a quiet nature alternative to the busy dam.
Sun City
South Africa's original mega-resort next to Pilanesberg — water park, casino, golf, and The Palace, a genuine architectural oddity.
Everything we cover in North West
Every published place in North West, grouped by what it is.
Private Reserve · 1
Mountain · 1
Transport Hub · 1