Things to do in Hartbeespoort

Hartbeespoort, known as Harties, lies at the foot of the Magaliesberg, about an hour from Johannesburg and closer to Pretoria. The Crocodile River is dammed here. Around the dam sit animal parks, a cableway and horse trails, which fill most tours in Hartbeespoort.

Around the dam

• Lion and Safari Park. A one-hour open-vehicle drive through enclosures of lions, cheetahs and wild dogs.
• Lesedi Cultural Village. Homesteads of the Zulu, Xhosa, Pedi, Basotho and Ndebele, with dancing and a buffet of boerewors and pap.
• Elephant and monkey sanctuaries. Guests feed and walk with elephants. The monkey trails cross bridges raised above the ground.
• Ann van Dyk Cheetah Centre. Feeding sessions and a cheetah run, watched without contact, alongside wild dogs, brown hyenas and servals.
• Horses and the cableway. A ride through the bushveld past giraffe and antelope, then a cable car up the Magaliesberg for views of the dam.

The lions, cheetahs and elephants live in enclosures and sanctuaries. That is not wild safari. For the Big Five in the wild, Pilanesberg and Kruger are separate trips.

Further out: the Cradle of Humankind

The Cradle of Humankind lies about 30 to 35 km south-west, a World Heritage site since 1999. It holds the Sterkfontein Caves and Maropeng. It is booked as a half day, or paired with the Lion and Safari Park for about ten hours.

Practical

• Weather. Summer highs reach about 29C, with frequent afternoon thunderstorms from October to April. Winter days are dry and sunny at around 20C, but nights fall to 3 or 4C.
• Getting there. Most tours are day trips with hotel pickup in Johannesburg, Sandton, Rosebank or Pretoria. A car or a driver is the practical way to reach the sites.
• What to wear. Closed shoes and long trousers for the riding and the sanctuaries, plus a hat and sunscreen.
• Tipping. Ten per cent in restaurants. Guides and drivers are tipped separately.
• Cancelling. On most trips the full price is charged within 24 hours of departure.