12 Things To Do In And Around Johannesburg

Discover what Johannesburg, the largest city in South Africa has up its sleeves for travellers visiting the metropolis and beyond!

🚀 Say hi to the animals of Joburg

The Johannesburg Zoo is recommended if you don’t have Kruger National Park on your itinerary! The zoo is a massive 55 hectares in size, and is over 100 years old. There’s an incredible lot of animals one can see there, all in very spacious enclosures and some not so much enclosed by fences as separated by trenches – like the elephants and giraffes, so one has unobstructed views. There are a few eateries in the zoo and lots of ice cream stands, the gift store, and a set of rides for kids to enjoy at an additional but reasonable cost. There’s also carts one can hire – push carts for kids to sit in, and also driven ones for the whole family that a zoo driver can take you in for an additional cost. If you’re keen to drive an hour from Joburg, there’s a zoo in Pretoria city as well.

Joburg also offers a decent amount of birding opportunities, and there’s a range of birding tours one can take. Check out Ekala Eco Tours something that’s incredibly interesting given that the city is of course quite urbanised. Nevertheless, birds persist in the pockets of greenness the city does have, and even in the suburbia.

🚀 Have some fun at the theme park

If one is into rides, Gold Reef City is a lovely place to visit in Joburg. The theme park was built on a gold mine, so there’s much history to explore there. One can even book an underground gold mine heritage tour, descend 75 meters underground and witness the magnificent glow of a live gold pour! If exclusively there for the rides though, there’s a range of bands one can purchase depending on what kinds of things are of interest – thrill rides versus more relaxed experiences versus just accompanying kids on their little adventures (all priced accordingly).

🚀 Discover South African history

For some historical explorations, head to the Apartheid Museum to uncover the South African history of the past century in greater detail, through photographs, videos, texts, drawings, tools, etc. It’s quite a long journey if one spends time to read at least 50% of what’s there, so be prepared for a good amount of standing! This place is teeming with tourists and many schools run tours to there.

🚀 Tour the Soweto Township

Sign up for a tour and explore the Soweto Township located in the southwestern part of Johannesburg. What started out as a temporary settlement for black labourers working in the gold mine, is now a popular tourist attraction that also imbues historic political significance. The Mandela Family Museum can be found here and the Orlando Towers that serve as a decommissioned power station make for a distinctive place to bungee jump from!

See if you can catch some delicious local delicacies, grab a drink at one of the shebeens and enjoy some live music in Pata-Pata showcasing local drummers, performers and singers presenting the authentic sound of Soweto.

🚀 Indulge in a Spa experience

There’s many wonderful spa experiences in and around Joburg that one can indulge in. A popular chain is the Mangwanani Spas – the standalone one is located in Hennops River Valley (about an hour’s drive northwards) and some boutique spas are located in various 5* hotels. About an hour’s drive from Joburg city and attached to Velmore Hotel is the Bakwena Spa, which is where I had the best time simply letting my hair down. Talk about being pampered for 10 hours straight, now that’s a luxury!

🚀 Do not roulette out the casino 😉

Johannesburg has a wide range of casinos with great restaurants inside. If one wants more of the “rich city” vibe, going to Sandton and Rosebank is a good idea where you will find the big malls and all the high fashion brands. Montecasino is also a lovely place to visit; if you’re not into gambling, visiting the Montecasino Bird Gardens would fit the bill 😉 Toucan have some fun there! 😉

🚀 Visit the Pilanesberg National Park

Further afield, there’s the Sun City resort, with the Pilanesberg National Park right next to it – a nice combination of nature and relaxation. At the resort, there are several hotels to choose from varying in level of service and expense. The whole place – Sun City – is a very touristy destination, with a lot of emphasis on having fun (casino, shops, restaurants, music shows, theatre), but then also some quieter entertainment is available, like horse-riding and crocodile shows. There’s also African chalets one can stay in at the far end of the resort for a more African experience. They’re located right next to a crocodile farm and the place is quite secluded from the rest of the touristy resort. The resort also offers a range of water experiences at their Valley of Waves.

🚀 Experience safari at Kruger National Park

Located in the Mpumalanga Province, Kruger National Park is where one can experience raw, in-the-face wilderness that overloads your senses (in a good way). The chorus of wildlife that is formed by the glorious animals, both big and small, puts on a show you will never forget. The highlight for me personally was a mother cheetah out at midday training her three cubs. Oh, and not to forget – moving dung (AKA Dung Beetles)! It was fun to identify the animals and inescapable birds, ticking them off the sightings list and improving my wildlife vocabulary! You can choose to drive there or go with a tour, and additionally opt for a jeep safari.

🚀 Visit the Sudwala Caves

On the way back to Johannesburg from Kruger, check out the Sudwala caves for a geological expedition. These ancient caves are 240 million years old and were shelter for the Swazi tribes during war in the 1800s. Even today the unique rock formations in the cavern continually grow – just a couple of centimeters every century. Regular guided tours are available as well as crystal tours that needs to be arranged beforehand. My favourite part was the fairytale cave where the formations are illuminated with various colours! But what was more delightful was the brownie I savoured at Pierre’s Restaurant at Sudwala Caves. Gosh, that was delicious!

🚀 Go hiking!

There are plenty of hiking opportunities in Johannesburg. With the company of localites, you can go for a hike to Klipriviersberg Nature Reserve that is located 10 km from the centre of Johannesburg. The view from the top is rewarding – full of serenity and devoid of the brash, crime-infested culture that’s known to linger in Johannesburg every day. So good, but only from far away.

🚀 Witness the marvelous beauty of the Blyde River Canyon

Further afield, one can travel to the Blyde River Canyon – a fantastic experience nature-wise, with plenty of photographic opportunities and all kinds of tours. There’s no way one can get there except with a hired car or a tour since there are no public transport options available. There are many wonderful lodges to stay in, where few of them have zebras and antelopes walking around freely so you can interact with them! It is also definitely worth taking one of the cruises along the river, for a unique perspective on the mountains.

🚀 Visit Magaliesburg

Home to the Cradle of Humankind, one of eight South African World Heritage Sites, Magaliesburg serves as a fantastic weekend getaway. There’s a charming little French hotel there called La Provence d’Afrique, comprising seven suites each beautifully decorated and featuring a fireplace. The Sterkfontein Caves is a remarkable palaeo-anthropological site that’s part of the Cradle of Humankind – they are limestone caves popular for the human ancestor fossils that were found there, and there’s an information centre where one can read up on them. A range of tours operate there and many schools come out as well.

Quite close to this area is the Hartbeespoort Dam, which many people come to holiday at. One can stay at the popular end of the dam, the Kosmos village. There are boat rides one can go on, and one can take a hot air balloon ride too that best enjoyed in the morning to catch some lovely sunrise views!

Pro tip: Always best to go with a tour than wander around alone – that’s the rule of thumb with the whole of Johannesburg, and the whole of South Africa where possible!

Now that we’ve shared some lovely gems to check out in and around Johannesburg, are you keen on adding it to your travel bucket list? While you’re at it, read about our trip to Cape Town – another gorgeous part of South Africa worth visiting!