Overview
Take a trip to Pretoria on your South Africa Vacation
Pretoria, located in the northern part of Gauteng province is the executive and administrative capital, as well as the de facto national capital of South Africa. Pretoria was nicknamed the “Jacaranda City” due to the thousands of Jacaranda trees planted throughout the city which can be enjoyed on South Africa vacation.
Pretoria has a very strong Afrikaner history and is known for its apartheid past. The city was founded by Marthinus Pretorius, a leader of the Voortrekkers in 1885 and became the capital of the South African Republic in 1860. When South Africa left the British Commonwealth to become a republic in 1961, Pretoria remained as the administrative capital.
As apartheid gripped the country, Pretoria was a symbol of political repression and white conservatism. It was in the Palace of Justice in the city centre that the historic Rivonia Trial took place. During the trial, Nelson Mandela and a number of prominent members of the black liberation struggle were charged with treason and were imprisoned.
Despite Pretoria serving as the headquarters of the apartheid state, the Union Buildings (also in the city centre) hosted the inauguration of Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s first democratically elected president, in 1994. This historic event helped lay the groundwork for the Pretoria that exists today.
A laidback city with a historic atmosphere and an appreciation for nature, Pretoria has much to offer tourists during Pretoria tours on a South Africa vacation.
Despite Pretoria serving as the headquarters of the apartheid state, the Union Buildings (also in the city centre) hosted the inauguration of Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s first democratically elected president, in 1994. This historic event helped lay the groundwork for the Pretoria that exists today.
A laidback city with a historic atmosphere and an appreciation for nature, Pretoria has much to offer tourists during Pretoria tours on a South Africa vacation.
At a Glance
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Zulu, Xhosa, Afrikaans, EnglishCurrency
South African Rand (ZAR)What do the experts say?
Skip the more commercial wineries and visit artisanal producers—you’ll find sparkling wines and small-batch reds that are absolutely world-class.
Djembe drumming at GOLD in Cape Town is an immersive African experience through their 14-dish food safari and unique live entertainment.
The game viewing in Kruger and Eastern Cape always draws me back—it’s truly superb.
South Africans are famously warm—when you’re new in town, you're often invited to a braai, our way of welcoming people through food.
South Africa is a wonderful starting point for Africa. It's got some of the top cities in the world, stunning food and wine, and exceptional value for money.
Jacaranda trees lining the street in Pretoria a...
Pretoria at sunset
Palace of justice is a stop in which you can ta...
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ExcellentBased on 5,126 ReviewsExpertise, experience, great information and tailored to just what my client needed!StephanieThis was my second time working with Taha Colombowala, Group Specialist. Our journey to Ghana was top notch! 🇬🇭 The accommodations, curated tours, and coordination with the team on the ground made the this trip quite amazing.
Taha was very supportive throughout the entire process. Goway makes me look like a superstar with my clients!! I am already planning new itineraries.
Denise WatkinsI booked this trip to Adelaide with Goway, after using them before when we explored the 'big' sites of Australia. This time, we went to Adelaide to go to three of the top wine growing areas for wine tastings. We were a small group of 4 people. It was made better as the vendor used Small Batch Wine Tours for all of our excursions. They were fantastic making us the only travelers on these tours. Matthew, the owner, even adjusted our wineries on the last day to go to different place. This place totally marked off everything we were looking for in wine. Ended up buying a couple of bottles.
Between Goway setting it up and Small Batch Wine Tours running the actual tours we had a beautiful and seamless trip. not applicableWe had an Amazing trip. Melissa put together a completely seamless and epic journey, with ZERO issues, everything worked like clockwork and was Perfect!!
Everything we set up and expected to happen worked out exactly as planned!
Not a single aspect was left to chance and our itinerary was perfectly planned and executed!
Donald NLand Package booked was for Bora Bora. The Goway Agent priced out 3 different resorts in the same area. Before making a final decision, she even obtained the menus at the Resort so the clients could decide if they wanted to purchase the 1/2 board meal package. With extreme patience, the agent obtained answers to all of our questions. It was so nice to have this package inclusive of all taxes and resort fees and to have a local agent meet the clients upon their arrival in PPT. EMDI had an absolutely wonderful experience working with Shalini. From the very first conversation, she was warm, welcoming, and genuinely invested in helping me plan the perfect trip. she took the time to understand what I was looking for, offered thoughtful suggestions, and shared incredibly helpful insights that only someone with deep knowledge and passion for travel could provide.
What really stood out was how easy she made everything feel. Every question I had—big or small—was answered with patience and clarity. her recommendations were spot‑on, and I never felt rushed or pressured. Instead, I felt supported, informed, and excited about my plans.
If you’re looking for someone who is friendly, attentive, and truly committed to creating a great travel experience, I can’t recommend Shalini highly enough. She turned what could have been a stressful process into something enjoyable and inspiring.enzo r redaI would like to recognize the outstanding support provided by the Goway Travel team, and especially Yael, during a very challenging situation involving my customers who were stranded in Dubai.
From the moment the issue arose, Yael and the team were incredibly supportive, working through multiple options to secure flights and ensure my customers could return home safely. Their persistence, professionalism, and willingness to explore every possible solution made a stressful situation much easier to manage.
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I truly appreciate the dedication shown by Yael and the Goway Travel team. Their actions reflect a strong commitment to customer care and partnership, and I’m very grateful for the support they provided in getting my customer home safely.
Thank you Goway.
Tamara Kincek from Expedia Cruises ChilliwackTamara Our trip to Asia was fantastic! From the beginning of registration, working with Ameet Duggal, to the actual trip, the service Goway provided was outstanding! Ameet was great to work with. He was kind, professional and answered all my questions whenever they arose.
Our guides in all four locations (Hong Kong, Bangkok, Chiang Mai, and Siem Reap) were all exceptional. All were very well informed, spoke English very well, had a great sense of humor, were always on time, and paid attention to all the details so as to make our trip absolutely problem free and enjoyable.
We were picked up at all locations at the airport, and returned there, in a punctual manner. The drivers were great, especially Bros in Siem Reap. All had lots of water for us because is was pretty hot everywhere we went.
Food was wonderful and all the sites we visited were interesting and beautiful. I was especially impressed with how our guides knew how and when to navigate certain sites to avoid large crowds. They situated our visits so we would avoid the intense heat.
All in all, I would definitely consider doing another independent tour with Goway. I would also recommend your services to anyone who wished to travel abroad, especially to Asia!
Jamie FerbezarI had the pleasure of working with Erin. It was my first time booking something in Europe and let me tell you Erin made everything easy and very simple for us to follow. She booked everything for us from our plane tickets private transfers and all of our tours that we did in Ireland. She nailed it. I would definitely recommend booking with GoAway travel and if you have Erin as your travel agent she make sure everything is covered. 10 out of 10. Ness HedgeThe organization for this trip was outstanding, everything went really smoothly. Really nice hotels and great tours and guides. GoWay chose beautiful places for me to see and things to do, jet boat rides, a cruise on Milford Sound, numerous beautiful hikes. I don't think I could have planned all this alone. Great job! BrianBrian Allen
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