Full Day Soweto, Johannesburg and Apartheid Museum Guided Tour

What's included

What you'll see and do

1. Johannesburg

   Pick up at your hotel, general introduction and overview of the area

   Pass by without stopping

2. Houghton Estate

   Houghton Estate is one of the most affluent suburbs of Johannesburg. Nelson Mandela lived in neighborhood and he is most famous resident of Houghton Estate. A surprise house can be seen, the house of Nelson Mandela where he lived during his presidency and he died in his in December 2013.

   Pass by without stopping

3. A national monument built by Italian prisoners of war captured during the Second World War, The Munro Drive is overlooking the northern suburbs of Johannesburg with a beautiful scenic view of world's largest man made subtropical forest.

   10 minutes here

4. Hillbrow is where the results of influx are foreseen. Johannesburg has been the New York of Africa a home to a huge population of immigrants, if not from foreign shores then from elsewhere in the continent or at least elsewhere in South Africa. As you drive through the different neighborhoods, the contrast makes you feel like you are driving from one country to another.

   Pass by without stopping

5. Constitution Hill Human Rights Precinct

   Infamous century-old prison, now a center with tours and exhibitions on local history and a home to the highest court in the land. Constitution Hill is a living museum that tells the story of South Africa’s journey to democracy. The site is a former prison and military fort that bears testament to South Africa’s turbulent past. Nelson Mandela Mahatma Gandhi, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela and other political leaders where once incarcerated in this prison. There is perhaps no other site of incarceration in South Africa that imprisoned the sheer number of world-renowned men and women as those held within the walls of Constitution Hill’s Old Fort, Women's Jail and Number Four.

   60 minutes here · Admission included

6. Nelson Mandela Bridge

   One of the most striking attractions and famous landmark of Johannesburg. Nelson Mandela Bridge is a relatively new addition to the Johannesburg skyline that has already gained an iconic status. We drive on Nelson Mandela Bridge on the way to New Town. Your guide gives you an orientation tour of Johannesburg, pointing out historic sites and heritage buildings. Johannesburg CBD was once the epicenter of the gold rush era in the late 1800s and is rich in history. It lies atop the continental watershed in a highveld grassland environment, a cosmopolitan metropolis and a city of history of exclusion and segragation, a cosmopolitan resistance against apartheid, a centre of creativity and a thirsty city.

   Pass by without stopping

7. Explore the city's early mining history. Old relics of the gold rush such as mining headgear and stamp mills and carts lining up the way, complemented by information boards detailing mining history.

   Pass by without stopping

8. Standard Bank Ferreira Mine Stope

   In the basement of the Standard Bank headquarters in downtown Johannesburg, is the Ferreira mine stop. One of the very first prospecting sites in the city. The long forgotten mine entrance was discovered during the construction of Standard Bank building and it has since been preserved as a small museum.

   20 minutes here

9. Maboneng Precinct

   This is a newly rejuvenated part of town that was once an abandoned place. With a mix of restaurants, coffee shops, clothing boutiques, art galleries and retail and studio spaces, the Precinct draws the public to the inner city bringing life back into the city.

   30 minutes here

10. Apartheid Museum

    The Apartheid Museum is internationally recognized as one of the best museum of the 20th Century. The Museum unpacks the story of the rise and fall of South Africa's era of segregation and oppression. A visit to the Apartheid Museum is both depressing and inspiring, emotional yet uplifting. After two to four hours you spend in, allow yourself another half an hour to contemplate brutality you witnessed inside, process your shock and walk away with relief – knowing you are on the terrain where truth spoke to power and won. The Apartheid Museum showcases South Africa in the turbulent years of the apartheid. During this period, millions of people were subjected to a life of servitude, discrimination and oppression until the country was liberated. The museum also illustrates the rise and fall of apartheid through dramatic film footages.

    150 minutes here · Admission included

11. FNB Stadium

    Drive past this iconic landmark which is currently the largest football stadium in Africa. The stadium hosted the opening ceremony, other matches and the final of 2010 FIFA World Cup.

    20 minutes here

12. Diepkloof Park

    The area is divided into different sections. Diepkloof Extension is recognized as an upmarket part of Soweto with the most professionals living in the section. It is characterised by formal, owner-built, large Houses, owned by the Black lower and upper middle class. Presently, Diepkloof is characterised by higher than average House Prices as compared to the other Suburbs of Soweto.

    20 minutes here

13. The Chris Hani Baragwanath is a public Hospital considered to be the 3rd largest hospital in the world, occupying around 173 acres (0.70 km2), with approximately 3200 beds and about 6'760 staff members. See the hospital view as we drive past and learn about interesting stories about the hospital.

    Pass by without stopping

14. Orlando Towers

    The two cooling towers are a prominent landmark in Soweto. Now used as an entertainment center housing a famous Bungee jump and a barbecue restaurant

    20 minutes here · Admission not included

15. The thriving heart of Soweto is one of the most well-known streets in South Africa, Vilakazi Street. While Vilakazi Street may be the only street in the world that can claim to have had two Nobel Laureates as residents - the late Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu. The true electricity of this street comes from those who now call it home, each with their own beautiful stories. Sakhumzi Restaurant is located on Vilakazi Street near the Mandela House Museum. Sakhumzi, which means “building a house”, is popular for its Soweto-style buffet - a variety of proudly South African traditional cuisine such as umngqusho (samp and beans), mogodu (tripe) and dombolo (steamed bread). Travellers can also feast on the range of self-styled signature dishes named after various Soweto locations.

    40 minutes here

16. Mandela House

    Explore in a guided tour the exhibits and artefacts in a previous house of the nation's revered former president Nelson Mandela. This house been entrenched as one of South Africa's most significant heritage sites, it tells the tales and stories in sound, film, interpretive panels and guided tours.

    20 minutes here · Admission included

17. Hector Pieterson Museum and Memorial

    A self guided tour this Museum chronicling the 1976 Soweto student uprising and named after one of its victims a thirteen year old boy. The museum today is a symbol of resistance against the brutality of the apartheid regime

    40 minutes here · Admission not included

18. Johannesburg

    After a fascinating day well spent in Soweto, you will be dropped back at the starting point or your accommodation in Johannesburg.

    Pass by without stopping

Where it starts and ends

Before you book

Cancellation

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Languages

en

Ticket

Mobile Only

Runs on

Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat, Sun

Group size

Up to 13 travelers per booking

Operated by

Thiya Tours and Safaris

Know before you go

• Wheelchair accessible
• Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
• Specialized infant seats are available
• Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
• All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
• Suitable for all physical fitness levels

Photos