Tours in Brits

Brits is a town you reach by road, and the road does half the work. You leave the sprawl of Johannesburg or Pretoria behind and the land opens out into flat farmland, with the Magaliesberg ridge standing off to one side. People here talk about the dam, the farms and the long drive in. It is a working town, not a resort, and that is part of why a day out here feels unhurried.

Most travellers come for one reason, and it has four legs. The Ann van Dyk Cheetah Centre sits out in the bush country near town, and a visit there is quieter than you might expect. You ride in an open vehicle with a centre guide, and the cheetahs lie in the shade or pace their enclosures a few metres from you. Wait for the moment one stands up and looks straight at the vehicle. The African wild dogs are worth the same patience, restless and oddly sociable, always moving as a pack. Look up as well, because vultures are part of the picture.

If you choose the version with the cheetah run, you watch one chase a mechanical lure across open ground. It is over fast, and you will not forget how fast. Bring a hat, sunscreen and a light jacket, because the open vehicle is cold in the early morning and hot by midday.

Brits works well as a half day from the city, and it pairs naturally with the Magaliesberg and Hartbeespoort area if you have more time. If there is something else nearby you want to see, ask. A local guide can often shape a day around it.