Sinoville, Pretoria

Sinoville lies in amongst other northern suburbs of Pretoria like Montana, Annlin and Wonderboom, just a stone's throw from the city centre on the far side of the beautiful Magaliesberg Mountains, a range that serves as something of a dividing line between Pretoria and the great 'African beyond' - the N1 highway heads from here via Bela-Bela to the Kruger National Park.

Not only has Sinoville got great access to the Wonderboom Airport, which serves the city mostly for light aircraft, but it is also ideally placed for quick forays into the city centre to explore Pretoria's main attractions - the State Theatre, the Kruger Museum, Melrose House for tea and the Pretoria Zoo. And other attractions like the Voortrekker Monument, which is not as far from Sinoville as one imagines, a mere 15 kilometres in fact, are also not far from here.

Staying in Sinoville also provides excellent access to the Magaliesberg and notable weekend haunts such as Hartebeespoort Dam and the myriad hiking opportunities the mountains supply. The Elephant Sanctuary just 4 kilometres from Hartebeespoort Dam is a great follow-on from the African market that sprawls over a fourway crossing just a little further back on the main route through here (whilst this may sound garbled, you can't miss the market). Guided hikes, hot air ballooning and climbing are but a few of the other attractions in Magaliesberg, which serves as a weekend haven those from Johannesburg and Pretoria.

A little closer to home, don't forget the Wonderboom Nature Reserve. It is named after the incredible wild fig and in the centre of the reserve is a particularly fine example that is over 1 000 years old.