Daytours & activities in & around Johannesburg

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Cycle Soweto (7 - 8 hrs) » NEW! Johannesburg
Jozi by Foot (5 - 6 hrs) » NEW! Johannesburg
Soweto Tour » Johannesburg
Apartheid Museum Tour » Johannesburg
Pretoria City Tour + Cullinan Diamond Mine » Johannesburg & Pretoria
Historical Sightseeing Tour of Johannesburg and Soweto » Johannesburg
Rhino and Lion Park – Tour from Johannesburg » Kromdraai Conservatory
Johannesburg City Tour » Johannesburg
Soweto Sightseeing Tour » Johannesburg
Pretoria and Voortrekker Monument – Tour from Johannesburg » Pretoria
Sun City Tour – From Johannesburg » Sun City
De Wildt Cheetah Centre and Elephant Sanctuary Tour » Hartbeespoort
A Day at Pilanesberg Game Reserve – from Johannesburg » Pilanesberg
Soweto Tour » Johannesburg
Johannesburg In A Nutshell : Soweto, Gold Reef City and Apartheid Museum » Johannesburg
The Cradle of Humankind + Carnivore Restaurant » Cradle of Humankind
more tours... eg the Kruger National Park » Kruger National Park

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Cyle Soweto (7 - 8 hrs) - NEW!

Visit the bustling city of Johannesburg, view the Apartheid Museum, taste a traditional Soweto meal, meet the locals and experience buzzing Soweto on a bicycle and jive to “Kwaito” (music) in a local shebeen (local bar).
Highlights: Carlton Centre, Apartheid Museum, Nelson Mandela Museum, Hector Pietersen Memorial, visit to a local shebeen and eating house.
Inclusion: English speaking guide, Entrance fees and transportation as indicated, Lunch.
Pick ups from from any main hotel or backpackers In Johannesburg can be arranged

 
 

Jozi by Foot (5 - 6 hrs) - NEW!

Wander the streets of Jo'burg, the "heartbeat" of Africa. Delve into the cities golden past and explore its multi-cultural background. Learn more about the Market Theatre, renowned as the "Theatre of Struggle". Finish up enjoying a refreshing drink and lunch at a local pub.
Highlights: Explore the streets of the Gateway to Africa – “The Real Johannesburg” with a difference. View the city from high up at the Carlton Centre. Discover Johannesburg golden past and explore Museum Africa. Visit the Market Theatre, renowned as South Africa's theatre of struggle.
Inclusion: English speaking guide, Entrance fees and transportation as indicated, Lunch, Entrance Fees as indicated.
Pick ups from from any main hotel or backpackers In Johannesburg can be arranged

 
 

Soweto Tour
A fascinating tour through the colourful streets of Soweto to sample its diverse and vibrant culture, learn about its tragic history and its hopes for the future.
After a morning pick-up from your hotel, head to the outskirts of Johannesburg and the sprawling township of Soweto, scene of the tragic riots in 1976 and home to nearly 3.5 million inhabitants. Synonymous with South Africa’s turbulent past, today Soweto is a vibrant and diverse neighbourhood. Houses range from small shacks to affluent mansions and despite the crowded and chaotic conditions, there's a tangible sense of community in these neighbourhoods which is often missing from the affluent walled suburbs. Stand on the only street in the world which carries the honor of two recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize - Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu and then continue to Baragwanath Hospital, thought to be the largest hospital in the southern hemisphere. Your tour also includes a visit to African merchants of traditional medicines, a typical Shebeen (tavern), Winnie Mandela's house and the Hector Peterson Memorial.		  
 

Apartheid Museum Tour
Powerful and moving, the Apartheid Museum takes visitors on a intriguing, horrifying and ultimately inspiring journey from the dark days of 'whites only' privilege, through to Nelson Mandela's historic release from prison.
On entering the building you are racially classified and get a small idea of what it was like to have your entire life determined by your skin colour and after a few hours at the Apartheid Museum you will feel that you were in the townships in the '70s and '80s, dodging police bullets or teargas canisters, or marching and protesting with thousands of school children. Documentary pieces of film, texts, sound clips and live accounts recapture life in the old South Africa and there are excellent displays on the Soweto up-rising, ANC in exile, petty apartheid, solitary confinement, anti-apartheid movements abroad and sporting boycotts. The experience culminates in the birth of a new democratic country, the inauguration of Nelson Mandela as President and witness one of the most progressive constitutions in the world.		  
 

Pretoria City Tour + Cullinan Diamond Mine
Journey through the beautiful 'Jacaranda City' as Pretoria is called, and discover the spirit of the various peoples of South Africa. It is a place where historical buildings and 21st century modern architectural styles co-exist, where the vibrant township scenes complement upmarket fine-dining city restaurants and ultra-modern, bustling shopping centres are found next to quiet, beautiful churches
Tucked away in the charming village of Cullinan, situated 30km east of Pretoria in Johannesburg, Cullinan Diamond Mine is South Africa’s largest and most productive mine. The mine gained world-wide attention with the discovery in 1905 of an incredible 3000 carat stone. Dubbed the Cullinan Diamond , it is the largest uncut diamond ever found. Take in the old-world charm of the place - its iron buildings, churches, miner’s houses, mine offices and others.
From the architectural splendour of South Africa's administrative capital, Pretoria, to the mesmerizing brilliance of diamonds, this tour is a must-do.		  
 

Historical Sightseeing Tour of Johannesburg and Soweto
Johannesburg and Soweto are historically significant for once housing two of the greatest men of the 20th century – Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi.
Johannesburg is also one of the 40 largest metropolitan areas in the world! At the historic heart of the city lies the majestic building of the Supreme Court. The 50th floor of Carlton Centre, the tallest building on the African continent, offers stunning panoramic views of the city.
To the south of Carlton lies Soweto, the township that best symbolises the days of apartheid. The historic Hector Peterson Memorial commemorates 13- year old Hector who lost his life in the 1976 Soweto student uprising. The greatest attraction of this humble township is the former home of Nelson Mandela. Now converted into the ‘Mandela Family Museum’, it houses a collection of memorabilia, paintings and photographs of the Mandela family.
Tour Johannesburg and the township of Soweto and get a better understanding of South Africa’s history on this tour.		  
 

Rhino and Lion Park – Tour from Johannesburg
The Rhino and Lion Park in Gauteng is an exquisite nature reserve that forms part of South Africa’s top five attractions to visit. The visitor can experience a pretty good variety of wildlife, while still remaining close to Johannesburg. In fact, this tour is ideal for those who do not have much time in South Africa, but want to experience a “walk on the wild side”.
Set in the beautiful Kromdraai Conservatory, this game park stretches over 1400 hectares in the "Cradle of Humankind", a declared World Heritage Site. The reserve is home to the white rhino, lions, hippos, cheetahs, and wild dogs that freely roam about the forest. Sip a sundowner and watch crocodiles at the Crocodile Pub. You can also spend your day just watching birds for which the reserve is home.
The Rhino and Lion Reserve is a perfect family getaway and a must-do on your South Africa holiday.		  
 

Johannesburg City Tour
Sitting on one of the richest gold-bearing reefs, Johannesburg or ‘eGoli’ has grown into a 2500 square kilometres mammoth city and the financial capital of South Africa. Affectionately called ‘Jo’berg’ or ‘Jozi’ by South Africans, this dynamic city is an interesting blend of old structures and glass-sheathed buildings.
This tour is ideal for those wanting a quick orientation to the city. Enjoy panoramic views of the city from the ‘Top of Africa’, the observation deck of Carlton Centre. The 295 metre long Nelson Mandela Bridge is the longest bridge in South Africa. Built within the ramparts of the Old Fort (a notorious prison that dates back to 1892), Constitution Hill is a blend of the old and new.
Take this Johannesburg tour to get a better understanding of the history of South Africa.		  
 

Soweto Sightseeing Tour
This tour introduces you to the sprawling metropolis of Soweto (South Western Township), situated on the outskirts of Johannesburg. Travel around the city's informal settlements and affluent suburbs to get a feel of the town's turbulent history. See the Mandela House, a small house in Orlando West, where Nelson Mandela lived with his first wife. Wander around the four inter-linked rooms and see an assortment of photographs, paintings and family memorabilia of the world’s most famous prisoner.
Hector Peterson Memorial is yet another significant landmark, named after a 13-year old boy who was shot dead in the early days of the Soweto uprising. The Hector Peterson Museum offers a glimpse into Soweto’s struggle against apartheid and its turbulent history.
On this tour of Soweto, let its important historical landmarks draw you into South Africa’s struggle against apartheid and its fight for equality.		  
 

Pretoria and Voortrekker Monument – Tour from Johannesburg
Known as the Jacaranda City for all the purple blossom-bedecked trees which line its thoroughfares, Pretoria is a lovely, quiet city.
This beautiful city lined with relics of outstanding architecture has attracted many tourists to South Africa. On this tour, acquaint yourself with the works of Sir Herbert Baker, the dominant force in South African architecture for two decades. His masterpiece is the Union Buildings - office of the South African government and the President of South Africa. Standing at Meintjies Kop, just like he envisioned, the Building overlooks Pretoria the same way the Acropolis of Athens does. At Church Square, the hub of Pretoria, you will find statues of the President of the South African Republic, Paul Kruger. The imposing granite structure called the Voortrekker Monument is the national icon for Afrikaans South Africans.
Take this tour of Pretoria - a city embroiled in history and lined with stately buildings.		  
 

Sun City Tour – From Johannesburg
In an extinct volcano crater lies Africa's kingdom of pleasure, the exotic Sun City! It is one of the biggest resorts in the world and is often called the 'Las Vegas' of South Africa.
This fantasy world has four hotel complexes, and the most resplendent of them all is the Lost City, filled with a myriad attractions. Enjoy a walk on the rumbling Bridge of Time, flanked by statues of life-size elephants. There is lots of excitement in store at the Valley of Waves where a pool with a wave machine creates 1.8 metre high waves every 90 seconds! Other must-see sights here include the Palace of the Lost City, one of the most breathtakingly beautiful hotels in the world, with intricate carvings, mosaics, frescoes and hand painted ceilings.
With casinos, two of South Africa's best golf courses, sports activities and loads of entertainment, the Sun City entertainment complex is most certainly one of the best holiday venues in the world.		  
 

De Wildt Cheetah Centre and Elephant Sanctuary Tour
Spend the day interacting with African elephants at the Elephant Sanctuary and get a close look at endangered species like cheetahs at the De Wildt Cheetah and Wildlife Centre.
De Wildt Cheetah and Wildlife Centre is renowned for its breeding success of rare and endangered species, particularly bringing back the cheetah from the brink of extinction. The very rare King Cheetah was first bred here and similar success was achieved in breeding the Wild Dog, Brown Hyena, Blue Duiker, Suni Antelope and various species of vultures. See most of these animals up close and learn interesting facts about their nature, habitat and way of life.
An hour away from Johannesburg and nestled in the Magaliesberg Mountains, the Elephant Sanctuary is home to small herd of African elephants. Here you will get the chance for an interaction with elephants that is simply not available anywhere else. Choose from a range of programmes like a team-building ‘obstacle course’ with elephants or walks and swims with the animals.
Offering a unique opportunity to learn some interesting facts about these fascinating creatures, this is one special wildlife tour you wouldn’t want to miss!		  
 

A Day at Pilanesberg Game Reserve – from Johannesburg

Pilanesberg Game Reserve is South Africa’s fourth largest game reserve, and is two hours from Johannesburg. This 500 square kilometres national park lies in the crater of a 1200 million year old extinct volcano.
In this transitional zone between the Kalahari Desert and Lowveld (a tropical savanna), you’ll see a variety of vegetation as you explore the surrounding mountains and the savanna of the park. The area around Mankwe Lake is particularly stunning with its towering rocky outcrops.
The Reserve is home to the Big Five (lion, leopard, hippo, rhino and buffalo), as well as the white rhinos, giraffes, a variety of antelopes, zebras, hyenas and African wild dogs. Keep your binoculars handy and spot many of the region’s birds.
With an impressive variety of wildlife, birds and diverse vegetation, Pilanesberg Game Reserve is the ideal place to appreciate South Africa’s game and vegetation diversity.		  
 

Soweto Tour
Visit South Africa's largest township, Soweto, located 15 kilometres from Johannesburg, a storage vault of rich history and culture of the African people. It carries a tale of its tumultuous past, the segregation of the ‘blacks' from the oppressive ‘whites'. A visit to this ghetto will transcend you back to its unpleasant era of racism. You can visit the street where the two Nobel Prize winners once lived. A township of contradicting characteristics, on one hand there is opulence and affluence yet on the other hand there is acute poverty and dissatisfaction. The history of Soweto is intertwined with the wider struggle against apartheid, which is overtly displayed at the Apartheid Museum. If you think that issues like racism can only be read about now, well get an entry card at the museum and you will understand the meaning of being ‘categorised'. You are assigned groups according to your colour and you enter through steel gates specifically allocated to you. Constricted by wire cages containing identity documents that define your racial superiority or inferiority, it teaches you how to live by rules. Walking further into the long corridor you can see 2 meter high reflecting glass boxes, each having a figure of an African. When you see your own reflection in the racial box, you will feel a chill creep up your spine. On reaching another hall, figures with faces, names, biographies and other items that identify them are on display. Monitors replaying the struggle initiated by Nelson Mandela during his youth and his reasons for adopting such an extreme policy. Moving ahead you will reach a room filled with white rope nooses, each one used for 121 ‘politicals' hanged by the apartheid regime. You will also come across posters and T-shirts from the first democratic elections. This visit to the museum will transcend you back to the apartheid movement. You will relive every instance of pain and discrimination suffered by the blacks at the hands of the colonial rulers. As true to the senses as it was during the period of its occurrence, this experience will leave an everlasting impression on you!  
 

Johannesburg In A Nutshell : Soweto, Gold Reef City and Apartheid Museum
Johannesburg brings together a unique combination of history, culture and merriment. The humble house of South Africa’s former President, Nelson Mandela, called the Mandela Family Museum at Soweto is its star attraction. The museum displays an assortment of memorabilia, pictures and paintings of the world’s most famous former prisoner – Nelson Mandela. See the memorial of Hector Pieterson who became the symbol of youth resistance to apartheid.
Visit the famous Gold Reef City, a theme park built to replicate an old mining town, and offering umpteen options to unwind. Try your luck at the casino or take a trip into the interior of earth to witness demonstrations on how gold was mined in the good old days.
A trip to the Apartheid Museum brings alive the dark days of Africa’s past. See full-blown photographs, metal cages and audio visual displays of apartheid scenes here.
Take this tour for a comprehensive introduction to the pulsating city of Johannesburg.		  
 

The Cradle of Humankind + Carnivore Restaurant
Maropeng, situated in Gauteng province, is a world-acclaimed tourist destination and an area of spectacular beauty. A visit to the state-of-the-art Maropeng Museum, spread over a 47,000 hectare valley, takes you on an incredible journey back in time, literally millions of years in evolution.
The Sterkfontein Caves nearby are a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the area is called the Cradle of Humankind because it is believed to be the place where man originated millions of years ago. Among the stunning discoveries made at these Caves are the oldest human fossil and a skull of pre-historic female, which anthropologists have dubbed Mrs Ples.
The major attraction in this tour is the Carnivore Restaurant offering an array of charcoal-grilled delicacies like crocodile, giraffe, kudu, ostrich and Blue Wildebeest among others, roasted on converted Masai tribal spears in a large open fire.
Feast on an unconventional meal after discovering how early man lived millions of years ago.		  
 

 

 

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© Sebastian Hermanns - All Rights Reserved - last modified 2011-12-07 6:08 PM

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