Tswaing Crater
Located about 40km (25mi) northwest of Pretoria, Tswaing is a 1 946ha conservation area that is home to a meteorite impact crater and surrounding wetland, as well as the remains of an old salt factory.
Tswaing Crater hiking path. Photo courtesy Paul Jacobson
Tswaing, which means “place of salt” in Setswana, is the site where a meteorite half a football field in size slammed into the Earth 220 000 years ago, forming a crater 1.4km (1mi) in diameter and 200m (660ft) deep. This crater, formerly known as the Pretoria Saltpan (or Zoutpan), is one of about 170 impact craters in the world and one of four known impact craters in South Africa.
The Tswaing Crater is covered in dense bush. Tswaing Lake, is 100m (330ft) in diameter in the centre of the crater, and is filled by rainwater and a spring. The lake once contained high concentrations of salt and soda ash that were mined for 44 years until 1956. The remains of the factory still stand near the lake.
Just east of the crater is the Soutpanspruit, which feeds a rare wetland system that is home to game, a large number of bird species, smaller mammals such as otters, genets, brown hyenas, civets and steenbok, reptiles and frogs.
The Tswaing Crater site boasts one of only four meteorite crater museums in the world. Visitors are encouraged to take the 7.2km Tswaing Crater Trail, one of three trails that lead to and from the crater rim, and peruse the museum display.
The site offers group dormitory accommodation for up to 64 people, as well as guided walks and education programmes.
Admission
Adults: R15
Visiting hours
Daily from 07h30 to 15h00
Directions
From the R80 towards Soshanguve, turn right on Mopanie Road/M35 and left onto Soutpan Road. The Tswaing Crater entrance is to your left, off Soutpan Road.