Hartbeespoort is the action capital of the North West Province, and its ideal location in proximity to Pretoria and Johannesburg makes it a hugely popular tourist destination. Located in the North East of the North West Province en route to Sun City, it is only 15km from Lanseria International Airport.
While there is plenty to do and experience, the major attraction is the Hartbeespoort Dam, which offers the opportunity for amazing water sports and allows visitors to feel far away from their city lives when they visit. Visitors can truly relax in the idyllic bushveld setting where the Magaliesberg Mountains and the dam offer beautiful views.
Hartbeespoort Dam
The dam has a long history and took quite some time to build (with plans dating back to 1906), but was completed in 1923. It stretches over 20km and is fed by the Crocodile and Magalies rivers.
Referred to as “the playground of Gauteng,” there’s plenty to get up to. Favourites include water sports like speed boating, kayaking, fishing, tubing, skiing and leisurely cruises.
What to do
You don’t have to be a water lover to have a good time though; the area is a definite must-visit for nature lovers. Hiking and birding are popular pastimes, while you can also see incredible animals up-close at the Elephant Sanctuary, the Lion and Safari Park, Monkey Sanctuary and the Anne van Dyk Cheetah Centre. Harties also has the only freshwater aquarium in South Africa and boasts a variety of indigenous and tropical freshwater fish. It also houses aquatic animals like the Cape fur seal, African penguins, great white pelicans and Nile crocodiles.
If you’d like to enjoy the beautiful surrounds from a unique perspective, you can try a canopy tour, which will see you zip line across natural gorges like Tarzan. If that’s still not high enough for you, try a hot air balloon tour.
Fun for the whole family
If you’ve brought your kids along and would like to keep them entertained, while not being bored yourself, you can visit Chameleon Village, described as “Africa’s finest market.” The market offers affordable shopping and eating, live entertainment, crafts, galleries, go-carting, paintball, kiddies play areas and more.
No visit to Harties would be complete without a stop at the aerial cableway, the premier sightseeing attraction in Hartbeespoort. You can visit the restaurant at the summit and have a delicious pizza combined with a beautiful view. On a good weather day, you can enjoy the sight of gliders soaring overhead. The original cableway was constructed in 1973 and has become an iconic Harties attraction.
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