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)Trending Trips
Unforgettable Journeys.5 Trips Found
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5 Trips Found
Cape, Rail & Safari: A South Africa Journey
Limpopo, Kruger National Park, Gauteng, Pretoria, Western Cape, Cape of Good Hope, Cape Town, Boulders Beach, and Table MountainDiscover Cape Town with private-guided touring, journey on Rovos Rail, and enjoy a luxury safari in the Greater Kruger National Park region.
11 days
From US$7,572/p.p.
Request a Quote
Deluxe Cape Town, Luxury Train & Safari
Mpumalanga, Kruger National Park, Gauteng, Johannesburg, Pretoria, Western Cape, Cape of Good Hope, Cape Town, Boulders Beach, and Table MountainLuxury, private guided highlights featuring the unique Rovos Rail train journey, and five-star Sabi Sands Game Reserve.
12 days
From US$11,886/p.p.
Request a Quote
South Africa Elegance: Rovos Rail & Safari
KwaZulu Natal, Gauteng, and PretoriaIndulge in an extraordinary luxury journey through South Africa, blending stunning rail travel with thrilling safaris and relaxing beach days along the coast.
9 days
From US$9,096/p.p.
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Ultimate Luxury Train Journey: Cape to Dar es Salaam
Gauteng, Pretoria, Victoria Falls (City), and Victoria FallsExperience the ultimate luxury on a Rovos Rail journey from Cape Town to Dar es Salaam, traversing breathtaking landscapes and iconic sights across southern Africa.
17 days
From US$16,124/p.p.
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Luxury Train Journey: South Africa to Namibia
Gauteng and PretoriaExperience a luxurious rail journey through Southern Africa. From Pretoria to Walvis Bay, explore iconic sights, indulge in gourmet meals, and enjoy wildlife encounters.
12 days
From US$16,561/p.p.
Request a Quote
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perfect trip idea?
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Turn your travel dreams into reality with Goway. Our customized vacations take travellers to all corners of the world.
Cape, Rail & Safari: A South Africa Journey
Limpopo, Kruger National Park, Gauteng, Pretoria, Western Cape, Cape of Good Hope, Cape Town, Boulders Beach, and Table MountainDiscover Cape Town with private-guided touring, journey on Rovos Rail, and enjoy a luxury safari in the Greater Kruger National Park region.
11 days
From US$7,572/p.p.
Request a Quote
Deluxe Cape Town, Luxury Train & Safari
Mpumalanga, Kruger National Park, Gauteng, Johannesburg, Pretoria, Western Cape, Cape of Good Hope, Cape Town, Boulders Beach, and Table MountainLuxury, private guided highlights featuring the unique Rovos Rail train journey, and five-star Sabi Sands Game Reserve.
12 days
From US$11,886/p.p.
Request a Quote
South Africa Elegance: Rovos Rail & Safari
KwaZulu Natal, Gauteng, and PretoriaIndulge in an extraordinary luxury journey through South Africa, blending stunning rail travel with thrilling safaris and relaxing beach days along the coast.
9 days
From US$9,096/p.p.
Request a Quote
Ultimate Luxury Train Journey: Cape to Dar es Salaam
Gauteng, Pretoria, Victoria Falls (City), and Victoria FallsExperience the ultimate luxury on a Rovos Rail journey from Cape Town to Dar es Salaam, traversing breathtaking landscapes and iconic sights across southern Africa.
17 days
From US$16,124/p.p.
Request a Quote
Luxury Train Journey: South Africa to Namibia
Gauteng and PretoriaExperience a luxurious rail journey through Southern Africa. From Pretoria to Walvis Bay, explore iconic sights, indulge in gourmet meals, and enjoy wildlife encounters.
12 days
From US$16,561/p.p.
Request a Quote
Don't see the
perfect trip idea?
Request a custom quote.
Turn your travel dreams into reality with Goway. Our customized vacations take travellers to all corners of the world.
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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Place
Conditions
Daily max temperatureMonthly rainfall
PretoriaMostly Sunny
32°C / 89°F
7mm / 0.3"
Weather data is based on monthly averages.Popularity rating
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ExcellentBased on 5,265 ReviewsWe have used Goway Travel previously, and they are the best. Our travel specialist, Shalini Thakur, designed our trip to Italy exactly the way we wanted. They make traveling so low-stress. The itinerary is very detailed, giving you plenty of time to review prior to your trip. We have drivers that meet us at the airport and take us to and from all stops on our trip. No dealing with trains and buses and taxis and dragging your luggage all over.
They have great local guides for excursions, most in small groups of 10 or less. The trip is so much more meaningful with a knowledgeable guide to explain the history.
Our accommodations are always centrally located to our excursions, most of the time we are picked up at our hotel.
We like to keep busy on our trips, but Goway always plans a great balance that gives us time to rest a little after late nights or long days, so you don't get exhausted, which is nice as we are all in our late 60's.
Although we have never needed to use it, it gives peace of mind knowing Goway has 24/7 emergency contacts if you need anything.
We will definitely be contacting Shalini and Goway for our future trips.
David MerrifieldBig shout out to Melissa-Lee and her team at Goway. She crafted a personal adventure through Peru. We gave her our must see places and she nailed it.
The team on the ground was exceptional. The guides were all very knowledgeable. The hotels were all chosen carefully and exceeded our expectations. Could not have asked for a better tour.
We will definitely use them again.JoanneI began planning my Italy vacation with Avery more than a year before we traveled, and I want to start by giving her the recognition she deserves. Avery did an exceptional job planning this trip. From the beginning, I had a very clear vision of what I wanted to experience in Italy, and she listened carefully and captured it. The destinations, hotels, tours, transportation and overall flow of the trip were thoughtfully planned. Aside from three specific issues that I will address, everything came together extremely well.
One of the things I appreciated most was the attention to logistics. The hotels were conveniently located, our tour meeting points were generally close to our accommodations, and the routing between cities made sense. Those details may seem small during the planning process, but once you are actually traveling through multiple cities, they make an enormous difference. I especially appreciated the meet and greet services and arranged transfers because they removed much of the stress that comes with arriving somewhere unfamiliar. I did not have to constantly worry about where to go, how to get there or who I was supposed to meet. I was able to enjoy my vacation instead of managing the logistics of my vacation.
The people Avery arranged for us to work with in Italy were also excellent overall. Our drivers, guides and local representatives were professional, pleasant and easy to communicate with. We stayed at five hotels, and with the exception of Dharma Luxury Hotel in Rome, the other four were excellent. I loved them and would not change those selections. From a travel planning perspective, I would give Avery more than five stars. She listened, understood what I wanted and created the Italy experience I had envisioned. I would absolutely work with her again and recommend her to others.
There were, however, three specific issues during the trip that I believe deserve attention. These involved the third-party operator used for our Siena, San Gimignano and Chianti tour, our experience at Dharma Luxury Hotel in Rome, and the response from Goway’s emergency travel support. I want to separate these concerns from my experience with Avery because I do not believe they reflect the quality of the work she did planning our vacation.
My recommendations are therefore directed toward strengthening the third-party services surrounding the travel experience. I recommend that Goway review the operator used for the Siena, San Gimignano and Chianti tour, reconsider Dharma Luxury Hotel based on the maintenance and customer service issues I experienced and conduct a formal review of its emergency support provider, including whether the response to my request complied with the provider’s contractual service levels.
Overall, this was an incredible Italy vacation, and Avery deserves tremendous credit for making it happen. Planning an excellent vacation is important, and she accomplished that. At the same time, what happens when something does not go according to plan is also an important part of the travel experience. The three problems I encountered were specific and identifiable, and addressing those areas would make an already excellent travel planning experience significantly stronger.S MoolahKatie our travel agent planned a wonderful trip for us. Everything was taken care of and we didn’t have to worry about anything. I would highly recommend Go Way travel when planning a trip. 49ergirlI worked with Maria S. from Goway Travel to build a tailored trip to the Azores and mainland Portugal. Maria provided excellent, responsive and patient service, never pressured me into making decisions, offered multiple options for managing pricing, answered my many questions clearly and fully, and always met the timelines she would set to get back to me. Once I was on my trip, Maria checked in several times even though there was an operator on the ground at my destination; she even resolved a minor mix-up with one of my hotels and arranged for a special surprise on my birthday. I cannot speak highly enough of Maria's professionalism, follow-through, positivity, attention to detail and responsiveness. I highly recommend Goway and Maria for your travel plans, and will definitely use this company again for my future travels. Thank you so much for making my trip to Portugal so memorable, Maria! Michele B.Extremely delighted we took this trip to Bali with Goway. Ameet was fantastic. He helped me save on my flights and also guided me on the right hotel decisions. Extremely Charming and always a pleasure to chat to. We enjoyed the Komodo islands a lot thanks to our specialist who made the recommendation. Hid guidance on the places and restaurants was spot on and we and my gf enjoyed the trip so much. We will consider using Goway and Ameet for our Honeymoon as well.Garth CutosPrompt, professional service when booking our trip. Excellent suggestions to add to our experience. Shalini was very accommodating and went beyond our expectations to meet all of our requests. Loved the small group tour.OscarTouching base after our trip. As usual you did a great job helping plan and execute an amazing travel experience!! Everything was fantastic. Especially our hotel location. Since it's connected to the Victoria station it made getting around very easy. Thanks again for your help I'm sure we'll be booking our next trip soon...Leigh FerrisThe trip was planned perfectly, with the support of knowledgeable and dedicated local staff during any critical point of the trip.
The accommodations, transfers, transportation, guides' input and visits' setup met the highest standards and expectations.Nadia & Cristian We recently completed a trip to Crete, Greece - our third trip with GoWay - and I have run out of superlatives to laud their efforts. This was a self drive trip, and as has been our experience with GoWay, we were permitted to customize the standard offered itinerary to suit our personal preferences. Brooke, our agent on this trip, went the extra mile to make all the adjustments we requested, including providing for an English-speaking guide at the Phaistos archeological site. The hotels which Brooke booked on our behalf were truly excellent, and - again, per our wish - just outside of the urban chaos of Heraklion, Rethymno and Chania, but close enough to readily access the cities' benefits. Each hotel was a beachside sanctuary, and we spent several serene, idyllic days never leaving the hotel, and yet there was plenty of time for more distant and adventurous sight seeing.
I cannot overstate how happy we have been with our GoWay experiences - most notably in their willingness to listen to our preferences and make those manifest in the itinerary - and this most recent trip just confirms our already positive opinion of GoWay, and we will be certain to consider them again for our next travel adventure.Frank Venuti
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