Pilanesberg National Park | North West Game Reserve: The Pilanesberg National Park, which covers some 55 000 hectare, is the fourth largest in southern Africa. A malaria-free park is Sited on the eroded vestiges of an alkaline volcanic crater - one of only THREE such craters in the world.

The history of Pilanesberg National Park is distinctively unique amongst national parks in Africa. Pilanesberg National Park's special features of rugged landscape, well-watered valleys and attractive dwelling sites made it a site preferred for human settlement for thousands of years. Prior to its proclamation as a reserve in 1979, the Pilanesberg National Park Complex was degraded and depleted of indigenous game populations due to fairly intense settlement by commercial farmers. At considerable expense, the land has been restocked with game, the scars of human settlement were removed and tourism infrastructure was developed during the first 15 years (1979 and 1993). This constituted the largest and most expensive game stocking and land rehabilitation project ever undertaken in any African game reserve at the time.
This park is also home to the big 5 namely the lion, leopard, buffalo, rhino and elephant.

Pick up by your accredited tour guide at your hotel, Bed and breakfast, guest lodge or other venue at 9h00 to 9h30.
Enter Soweto via the up-market area called Diepkloof Ext where some of the houses can cost in the millions.
· In complete contrast we visit a large hostel in the area, in days gone by the notorious hostel system was used as single gender accommodation for migrant labourers, it is now used as informal lodgings for family units. We visit some of the local families as well as the Ekhukhanyeni Creche, which is a shipping container transformed into a functional “edutainer “, a Soweto.co.za project and a beacon of hope for the young pre-school children growing up under these very trying conditions. We meet Sylvia the teacher and the little kids who will entertain with some of their songs.

· Into the Baragwanath area and stop at the huge taxi rank for a walk about. Soak up the sites, sounds and "smells" of Africa at close quarters - informal open-air butcher shop, herbalists, barbers and market etc. In traditional fashion we have an Umqombothi (Local beer) tasting at a very rustic shebeen.
We pass Baragwanath Hospital , the largest hospital in the southern hemisphere. The tour continues with a drive through the various suburbs including the early suburbs of Orlando where many of the political giants lived and the Kliptown area where the freedom charter was signed, now being developed as the Walter Sizulu square of dedication. We stop off and have a quick walk through the local informal settlement and meet some of the locals, and view one of the garden and produce projects the community have embarked on.
· Then a visit to the fascinating Hector Pieterson memorial and museum. The state of the art multi media centre depicts scenes leading up to the student uprising of June 16th 1976 . This is a very informative and moving experience not to be missed.
· Round the corner we visit the Nelson Mandela house museum and Vilakazi street which is the only street in the world where two Nobel prize winners lived. We also view Winnie Mandela's house in the same area.

Pretoria City, Pretoria, South Africa