🦩 National Zoological Gardens of South Africa in Pretoria

This national zoo covers 85 hectares. Located in Pretoria, South Africa’s administrative capital, it is affiliated with the National Research Foundation under South Africa’s Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (what a long name!). It’s one of the largest zoos in the world. Pretoria is truly a predominantly Black city, but the small neighborhood in Photo 2 is a bit like Europe—there are many restaurants, quite a few White people, and it feels relatively safe. If you want to eat in Pretoria, you can come here: search for 16TH STREET on the map 🔍 Zoo location: Search for "National Zoological Gardens" on Google Maps 🔍 🎫 Ticket: 100 rand per person; parking: 30 rand This zoo is a product of the last century. Although many facilities like the aerial cable car, restaurants, and shops are abandoned and look run-down, the zoo itself is so huge! We kept walking non-stop and only finished 逛 after over two hours. The outdoor enclosures are almost all ecologically designed, with lots of exotic tree species, streams, and large lawns. You can even see various plants and animals from the Amazon in South America and Australia. It’s roughly the same size as Beijing Zoo, but with fewer visitors and an incredibly rich variety of plants, the experience is so much better than Beijing Zoo… The animals are all well-fed and plump. This alone is way better than Beijing Zoo by n times! You can watch the keepers feed the tigers and lions at 14:30 in the afternoon. The aquarium is near the main entrance, but it didn’t seem to be open the day we went. If you don’t want to walk, you can rent a golf cart to drive around. There are many Black families having picnics or taking their kids out on the lawns—it seems like a popular weekend spot for locals too. For just 40 RMB, what more could you ask for? It’s totally worth the ticket price! #travel #SouthAfrica #zoo #WildlifeConservation #UrbanWildlife #TravelEssentials #TravelGuide