You will be picked up from your hotel/closest pick-up point and taken in an air-conditioned luxury vehicle for a sightseeing tour of Pretoria and the Cullinan Diamond Mine. A professional English-speaking guide will accompany you on this tour.
The first stop will will Pretoria. The highlights of this tour of the 'Jacaranda City' are:
• Voortrekker Monument: Prominently situated south of the city centre is the majestic Voortrekker Monument, built in 1949 to commemorate the Voortrekkers, or the pioneers, who in the mid 19th century pushed northward into unknown territory. It is a national icon for Afrikaans South Africans.
• Church Square: This is the historic centre of the city of Pretoria. Its most prominent feature is the statue of the Boer leader and president of the South African Republic Paul Kruger at its centre.
• City Hall: The City Hall in Pretoria is an imposing structure, one that occupies a whole block. It has an enormous clock-tower with 32 bells.
• State Theatre and Opera House: The State Theatre, one of the biggest theatres in the country, caters to opera, dance and music lovers. In a year, the State Theatre plays host to about more than 100 live performances and festivals, from ballet and opera to traditional African musicals.
• Sir Herbert Baker designed Union Buildings - the State President’s offices. The Union Buildings form the official seat of the South African government and also house the offices of the President of South Africa. The imposing buildings built from light sandstone were designed by the architect Sir Herbert Baker in the English monumental style.
Arrive at the mining village of Cullinan and set out on a surface tour of the still-functional Premier Diamond Mine.
Your tour starts of with a video introduction where the fascinating history of the mine and mining methods are explained to you.
You will next visit the village which was established in 1903 to provide mine housing and services for Premier Mine before passing through security, a necessary precaution when bearing in mind that this mine is still fully operational.
See the Diamond Room, which houses replicas of famous diamonds discovered in the mine such as the one that was used in the Crown Jewels. On display are all the various facets of diamond processing from it's raw state to the glittering end result that everyone is familiar with.
Move on to a model of an underground tunnel where the actual blasting process are displayed.
At the end of the tour, you will be dropped back at your hotel/closest drop-off point.