It’s an early morning start for all. An awesome Day Trip from Pretoria to the North West province awaits! Our guests from Australia arrived at 06:45 at the Centurion Gautrain station from Sandton, Johannesburg.
We have to be at the De Wildt Cheetah Sanctuary latest 08:30. Still, a way to go as we breeze through the morning rush hour traffic. A quick coffee stop with breakfast along the way and off we go to the Cheetah sanctuary nestled at the foothills of the Magaliesberg Mountains a few kilometers north of the Hartbeespoort dam.
Large Marula and Fever trees amongst African bush with typical African birdsong greet us on arrival. The atmosphere is relaxed, though serious. Cheetahs are endangered and are in need of protection. A King Cheetah nearby…what a beautiful animal indeed!
We stop by the African Wild Dog enclosure on our Safari drive, such a unique animal and also endangered. Luckily there are centres like these contributing to their protection.
Midday and we’re off to the Bush Babies Monkey Sanctuary where we learn about Spider monkeys, Lemurs, Bush Babies, Squirrel monkeys, Capuchin monkeys in a natural setting. It’s a thrilling experience in a lovely sanctuary. Wooden walkways snake through natural forest, ravine and valleys. A fantastic way to view and experience the monkeys up close and personal. Some hopped on for a ride while we were strolling through the forest, others curiously stared at us.
Next up, an African Arts and Craft Market of delight! We browse the vast number of items on display and negotiate a best price at leisure. It’s so much fun haggling with the traders! Lunch at the market is a welcoming break before heading back to the traders to pick up a last minute sale.
With African Arts & Craft shopping bags filled to the brim, we head for Lesedi, an African Cultural Village, our final destination on today’s tour. A vibrant African tribal culture awaits. African tribal dances and cuisine at its best! Traditional homesteads of the Zulu, Xhosa, Pedi, Basotho and Ndebele tribes are explored. Lesedi Cultural Village offers an awesome African Tribal Experience – a Pan-African Feast!
It’s 20:00. Our Day tour from Pretoria winds down as we leave for Sandton City, Johannesburg where our guests will overnight. The buffet dinner with a variety of meat such as beef, lamb, chicken, boerewors, ostrich and crocodile along with pap, rice, vegetables, salad’s and dessert rounded off a perfect day. Fantastic!
“What an experience!”
