Gauteng

For travellers looking to explore the rush of Africa’s very own city that never sleeps, hit the ground running in Gauteng. It might be South Africa’s smallest province, but it is also the country’s most densely populated. More than 15 million people hustle their way through life in the landlocked province.

Gauteng means “place of gold” in the Sotho language. The same spirit that transformed the capital, Johannesburg, from a dusty 19th-century mining settlement into one of Africa’s skyscraper-clad mega-cities still runs through the veins of the locals. Johannesburg (also Joburg and Jozi) is South Africa’s urban playground, slap bang in the centre of the province. It’s a city of not just dreamers, but doers. 

This same energy can be felt, only on a slightly calmer scale, in Pretoria, an hour’s drive north of Johannesburg. While the cities are the pull in Gauteng, there’s a surprising number of natural attractions within an hour’s drive from Johannesburg and Pretoria. 

When Gautengers need a break from the daily grind, they tend to head to the Magaliesberg Mountains in the east and the private game reserves close to the cities. Or a little further out into the North West to relax in the Kruger National Park or at the Hartbeespoort Dam.

Just a short drive from the metropoles, one can enjoy wildlife spotting, bird watching and relax in the quiet sounds and sights of the African bushveld. If you’re staying in the city, there are parks to be explored, running trails and, in the spring, Pretoria is the country’s most colourful city.

Gauteng is also home to many historic sites that, when peeled back, reveal the secrets of how the South African Rainbow Nation’s democracy emerged.