Ditsong Tswaing Meteorite Crater

About Ditsong Tswaing Meteorite Crater

The Ditsong Tswaing Meteorite Crater, situated approximately 40 kilometres northwest of Pretoria near Soshanguve, is a 2,000-hectare conservation area encompassing one of the world's best-preserved impact sites. Formed approximately 220,000 years ago by a stony meteorite, the crater measures 1.4 kilometres in diameter and 200 metres in depth, with a rare hyper-saline lake occupying its floor.

The site holds extensive historical significance, as indigenous Sotho and Tswana people harvested salt here for centuries, a practice followed by industrial soda ash and salt mining operations between 1912 and 1950. Today, the reserve protects an ecosystem containing over 240 recorded bird species alongside smaller mammals, and it features a 7.2-kilometre hiking trail that navigates the rim and descends directly to the crater floor.