The attractions of the North West Central region will defy your imagination, from the historic and cultural centre of the city of Mafikeng to the old-time atmosphere of the small towns of the Groot Marico, from big game, predator and bird viewing in numerous reserves and sanctuaries to scuba-diving underground.
Best time to visit
Avoid the height of summer if you are sensitive to high temperatures.
The North West Central Region is a place of bushveld, savannah and farmland. With game viewing in malaria-free nature reserves and guest farms, bird watching, hunting, fishing, sport, and Anglo-Boer war sites only 3 hours’ drive from Johannesburg, the attractions of North West tourism will spoil you for choice.
The North West Central region’s capital Mafikeng is a mainstay of North West tourism. The ‘City of Goodwill’ is most famous for the Siege of Mafikeng, in which British forces led by Lord Baden-Powell, founder of the Boy Scouts, resisted a Boer siege for 217 days. This riveting history, and much more, is thoroughly documented in the Mafikeng Museum.
Other heritage sites include Credo Mutwa’s Cultural Village, a living museum of African cultures, and ground-breaking black author Sol Plaatje’s newspaper office. Then there’s the 4 600 ha Mafikeng Game Reserve just outside the city, an important White Rhino breeding centre, while 30 km from Mafikeng, Botsalano Game Reserve teems with game roaming through Kahalari thornveld growing in an ancient volcanic crater.
For many, the chief North West Central attractions are the small towns that constitute its soul. A typical example is Groot Marico, steeped in the old-time Bushveld atmosphere made famous by the stories of Herman Charles Bosman. Groot Marico is also within easy reach of Madikwe Game Reserve, 70 000 ha of bush hosting cheetah, wild dog, hyena, lion, elephant, black and white rhino, buffalo, zebra, and giraffe, to name only its largest denizens.
Then there’s Delareyville, 15 km from Barberspan Bird Sanctuary, a 2 000 ha pan of water sheltering 12 000 bird species; Lichtenburg, with its diamond rush memories and game breeding centre; and Ottosdal, where the spherical wonderstone is mined.
For the adventurous, scuba-diving in Wondergat – South Africa’s deepest natural hole, with its unique fish – seals an unforgettable experience.