Rustenburg

Rugged, dry and dusty, Rustenburg sits nestled in the scrub and outback of northern South Africa, offering a visceral glimpse of local life and great access to a number of the region’s natural gems. Just a stone’s throw from the beating heart of Pretoria, this city is famous for its platinum and chrome reserves, vastly benefitting the Royal Bafokeng tribe, also the city’s biggest landowners, in royalties. Ever-looming in the background, first-time visitors here never fail to notice the wild foothills of the Magaliesberg Mountains; a rugged spine of shale monoliths that runs the gamut from the capital to the western borderlands. Here, visitors will find the breath-taking Pilanesberg National Park, the country’s answer to the Ngorongoro; a verdant caldera complete with giraffe and wandering waterbuck. This, and the surrounding nature reserves of Kgaswane and Madikwe are what any Rustenburg tourist guide will tout as the city’s biggest pull. Back in the urban area there’s also a lively conglomeration of market stalls and buzzing hole-in-the-wall eateries to enjoy, while guests interested in tracing the country’s sporting history, should be sure to check the great Royal Bafokeng Stadium, once a host of World Cup fame.