Johannesburg, the city of gold, has many fantastic day tours that will take you back to its humble beginnings as a mining settlement and its progress to becoming the 40th largest metropolitan area in the world. The city fascinates people with distinct areas of severe poverty and supreme wealth. We can arrange a tour for you (private or scheduled departure with other people) or on the hop on, hop off red bus. It is well worth exploring.
Johannesburg was a political hot spot in the former apartheid days. It is a city where political intolerance and social injustice gave way to liberty and peace, with fundamental rights now entrenched in the Constitution.
The most well known township is Soweto. Former home to two noble peace prize leaders, Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Soweto is an urban area of the city of Johannesburg, bordering the city’s mining belt in the south. Its name, an English syllabic abbreviation for South Western Townships, refers to its origins as a Black township under South Africa’s Apartheid government. The population has historically been overwhelmingly black and some of the watershed events in the struggle against Apartheid occurred in this township.
Some of the Johannesburg day tours that are available:
Half Day Johannesburg & Soweto Highlights Tour
Discover the history of Johannesburg and experience the vibrant neighborhood life of Soweto. Visit Constitution Hill, the site of Johannesburg’s Old Fort Prison, Walter Sisulu Square, Kliptown Open Air Museum, the Hector Pieterson Memorial and experience Vilakazi Street.
Half Day Pretoria Tour
Experience how this town earned its place as the executive and administrative heart of South Africa. Host to the country’s most prominent trials and witness to Nelson Mandela’s swearing in as the nation’s first democratically elected president in 1994. Where buildings are architecturally significant and where a nation gathers to celebrate freedom and liberty. Take this opportunity to stand in front of the heart of the country overlooking a city built on passion and determination. Highlights include Paul Kruger House, Church Square, Voortrekker Monument, Union Buildings and City Hall.
9m statue of Nelson Mandela at Union Buildings
Full Day Johannesburg Highlights Tour
This tour covers Johannesburg, Pretoria, and Soweto. Explore the Union Buildings in Pretoria, the official seat of Government that houses the offices of the President of South Africa. Take in the city views and pose with the statue of Nelson Mandela. Travel past Church Square, site of the Palace of Justice where the Rivonia Treason Trial took place, and head through the outskirts of Johannesburg en route to Soweto.
Soweto offers many picture opportunities. See the 2010 FIFA World Cup FNB Stadium, or the colorful Orlando Towers are iconic on the landscape and you can bungee off them! Head to Vilakazi Street to visit Nelson Mandela’s former home. Indulge in the local cuisine for lunch or visit the local shebeen (an informal drinking establishment). Visit the Hector Pieterson Memorial site, Walter Sisulu Square and climb the Oppenheimer Tower to see the 49 townships of Soweto.
Back in Johannesburg, visit Constitution Hill, Nelson Mandela’s former home in Houghton, and a city viewpoint.
Full Day Sun City & Pilanesberg Nature Reserve Tour
Travel to the Pilanesberg National Park, for a closed vehicle game drive. Seeking out the Big Five, various plains game and the abundant bird life. Pilanesberg is one of the world’s outstanding geological phenomena. A crater of a long extinct volcano and the result of eruptions some 1,200 million years ago.
Pilanesberg safari
Then it is off to the famous Sun City Resort. Sun City is a luxury casino and resort complex associated with times during the Apartheid era in South Africa.
Half Day Maropeng, Cradle of Humankind & Sterkfontein Caves Tour
This Johannesburg day tour offers those wanting a first hand experience of the birthplace of life. The Cradle of Humankind is home to the largest known concentration of human ancestral remains anywhere in the world. It is one of eight world heritage sites in South Africa, boasting 13 excavation sites that are recognized worldwide.
The first Hominid Fossil was discovered in 1924. Visit the Maropeng Museum and witness how we have evolved into the people we are today. Discover some of the animal species that went extinct in the last century and see how humans are impacting the earth in real time.
The tour continues to the Sterkfontein Caves, one of the richest and most productive paleo anthropological sites in the world that forms part of the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site. Amongst the most remarkable findings to have been made is the famous Mrs. Ples. The first complete Australopithecus skull to be discovered. And more recently, “Little Foot”, a 4.17 million year old almost complete ape-man skeleton.
Half Day Cullinan Diamond Mine Tour
The Cullinan Diamond Mine is one of the most productive diamond bearing kimberlite pipes in the world. It has produced some of the most desirable and iconic blue and white diamonds ever found. The largest, the Cullinan, was chiselled into 98 individual diamonds including the Great and Lesser Stars of Africa. These are now set in the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom.
The tour starts with a 15 minute video. Before going into the high security premises of the mine, where you will see the workings and machinery of the mine. Then visit the enormous open cast mine, which is four times larger than the famous Kimberley ‘Big Hole’.
After visiting the mine, visit the Cullinan Diamond Mine market for an unforgettable diamond and jewellery shopping experience.
Half Day Soweto & Apartheid Museum Tour or Full Day Rise to Freedom Tour
These half day or full day Johannesburg tours discover Soweto and the surrounding area, plus visit the Apartheid Museum (Johannesburg). It gives a good overview of the history of the Apartheid era, and South Africa’s liberation.
Lion & Safari Park Adventure
On the outskirts of Johannesburg, the Lion and Safari Park is a fantastic opportunity for someone to see wildlife up close (especially predators). There are a range of packages available so they are ideal Johannesburg day tours for clients who haven’t booked a safari. From a thrilling 1 hour guided safari to a comprehensive 2 hour guided safari. Experience the magic of sunset drives with predator feeding or indulge in a private exclusive tour.
Contains information related to marketing campaigns of the user. These are shared with Google AdWords / Google Ads when the Google Ads and Google Analytics accounts are linked together.
90 days
__utma
ID used to identify users and sessions
2 years after last activity
__utmt
Used to monitor number of Google Analytics server requests
10 minutes
__utmb
Used to distinguish new sessions and visits. This cookie is set when the GA.js javascript library is loaded and there is no existing __utmb cookie. The cookie is updated every time data is sent to the Google Analytics server.
30 minutes after last activity
__utmc
Used only with old Urchin versions of Google Analytics and not with GA.js. Was used to distinguish between new sessions and visits at the end of a session.
End of session (browser)
__utmz
Contains information about the traffic source or campaign that directed user to the website. The cookie is set when the GA.js javascript is loaded and updated when data is sent to the Google Anaytics server
6 months after last activity
__utmv
Contains custom information set by the web developer via the _setCustomVar method in Google Analytics. This cookie is updated every time new data is sent to the Google Analytics server.
2 years after last activity
__utmx
Used to determine whether a user is included in an A / B or Multivariate test.
18 months
_ga
ID used to identify users
2 years
_gali
Used by Google Analytics to determine which links on a page are being clicked
30 seconds
_ga_
ID used to identify users
2 years
_gid
ID used to identify users for 24 hours after last activity
24 hours
_gat
Used to monitor number of Google Analytics server requests when using Google Tag Manager
