How to spend a day in Johannesburg

So, you have a day to spare in the city of Gold know as Johannesburg and are wondering how best to utilise your time here. Discover the history, culture and soul of Johannesburg with a speedy day tour of South Africa’s economical powerhouse.

A day on the life of a local Johannesburg resident

All our day tours have been designed to offer more meaning. Our aim is to bring you closer to our world, so you get an insider’s perspective on what it like to live in Johannesburg. Our guides will also take you on journey into the culture, history, current political views, living conditions and their views on the future of Johannesburg. The day tour is not candy coated with just the touristy attractions.

We will take you into heart of the community to the less frequented areas. This is the best way we believe to immerse yourself in the true culture of Johannesburg. Our guides and community members you meet along the way will give a down to earth, true reflection of the city. And of course, we still cover the main attractions along the way.

Our tour guides are born and bred in Johannesburg and Soweto. One of our favourite day tours is taking visitors on a Soweto and Apartheid museum tour with the resident guide called Lebo. This guy is open-minded, super welcoming and a tad unconventional (which we like. Not the boring tourist guide you expect on most tours). Armed with a with a whacked-out South African sense of humour, local wisdom and beaming smile, Lebo says it as it is. His honesty is appreciated by many a visitor. As is his

Why travel with South Africa Adventures?

Responsible tourism and community driven tours are how we roll. Johannesburg has a lot of history. From the discover of gold to Apartheid to the formation of the new democracy. So yes, we still take our visitors to the famous attractions that include the likes of Nelson Mandela’s house, the Hector Pieterson Memorial and Constitution Hill. Places that have a story to tell. But we also like to include the community in our tours. These are the people who really need to benefit from tourism. Hopefully our day tours from Johannesburg will add more meaning as each one is designed to bring you closer to our world.

8am

Through Johannesburg City Centre

Start the morning with a 30-minute tour through the city centre of Johannesburg. We will take you through the ‘old side’ of the city as well as the ‘new’ side of the city. See the contrast in not only the architecture but the living conditions as well.

9am

Constitution hill

We make our way through to Constitution Hill. A lot of history here. It was once a prison that housed many political prisoners that where fighting the Apartheid regime. These included the likes of Nelson Mandela, Ghandi and Winnie Mandela. We take a tour of the former prison and get an idea of what it was like to be imprisoned here in the 70’s. It is also the home of our constitutional court which endorses the rights of all South African citizens today.

10am

Apartheid Museum

Continue the tour with a 15-minute drive through to the Apartheid Museum. Take 2 hours to explore the museum that showcases the introduction of Apartheid back in the 60’s and how this policy affected the citizens of South Africa.

Learn how the struggle was won and how the new democracy of the country was created. The museum layout is well thought out and is flows through time with detailed explanations on each scenario and development to abolish Apartheid. There is also a section dedicated to the late Nelson Mandela. Be sure to spend some time here. A great section to get a glimpse into this incredible hero’s life.

12pm

Traditional Soweto Lunch

Take the 15-minute drive through to the most infamous town in Johannesburg known as Soweto. We start of by taking you to a local restaurant run by a humble ‘Magago’, or grandmother in English. She serves some of the best local Soweto food ever!!!! As mentioned before, we have ditched the well to do Soweto restaurants in support of the local community instead. Not only will you get to savour the tasty food but will get a real feel for the soul of township cuisine.

1:30pm

Kliptown

We take a drive through the streets to the oldest suburb of Soweto known as Kliptown. It is also one of the poorest areas in Soweto. You will get to meet Bob who has dedicated his life to helping uplift the children and people of the Kliptown community.

Not only does he offer the children a meal everyday but is involved in helping create sustainable skills to the community in order to help better their lives. This is a guy who could easily leave and live a better life in a more affluent part of Johannesburg but chooses to help people instead. His stories are just amazing. We also take a 2km stroll through the suburb where you will get a true feel of the town.

2:00pm

Mandela house

Spend half an hour at the Mandela House which is situated on the famous Vilakazi street. It is famous since it is the only street that has housed 2 Nobel Peace Prize winners. Namely, Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Take a tour of the house and see how Mandela lived back in the 60’s before he was imprisoned and labelled a terrorist.

2:30pm

Hector Pieterson Memorial

Next stop on this day tour is the Hector Pieterson Memorial. A sombre place that gives tribute to the young boy that was shot by police in the 1970 Student Uprisings. You will learn about the how the students played a role in the struggle against Apartheid and the brutality of the police at the time.

4pm

Finish the day with an ice-cold Soweto Beer or local ‘brew’ in the affectionally called “Shebeen’-known in English I guess as a bar.

INCLUDED