I had the opportunity of visiting Johannesburg in a very different light in January of this year, as a tourist. For you see I was born and raised there, but my boyfriend is very much English and had never been to Africa. When you are born somewhere you tend to disregard alot of the tourist stuff (much what my boyfriend does in London) which I can now see I missed out.
Johannesburg is a thriving bustling city with its great history, and vibrant people it is very captivating, and holds you in its grips long after you have left.
Yes there is a safety aspect to life in Johannesburg, but so is there to most places you go too, and generally if you hold your wits about you and be smart for the most you will be fine and shouldn't come across anything too big (although this is not a guarantee). I know how off putting it can be when you hear the stories that come out, and I will not deny them I have been a victim more than once myself but such is the world we live in and you could just as easily come across the same problems in your own country.
Anyway back to what there is to do in Johannesburg. Firstly where to stay. Here you have many choices, my recommendation would most likely be Sandton (please note that when travelling to Johannesburg it is very different to other countries in the sense you don't actually stay in the city itself but in the surrounding suburbs), with its vast amount of hotels there is plenty to choose from, and something for everyones budgets. From your basic city Lodge or Southern Suns to the Hyatt. Sandton gives you easy access to the rest of Johannesburg, it is roughly about 40 minutes from the airport (if there is no traffic).
Around Sandton you will find alot of great places to eat and bars many of these can be found in Sandton Square which is located next to Sandton City shopping centre. From Pizzerias to fish to Grill houses you wont be short of choice. To give you an idea of a meal, we decided to go to The Meat Company in Monte Casino (which is about 20 minutes drive from Sandton), We ordered two bottles of wine and a bottle of water, all of us had a main course of rump steaks, fillets etc including a service charge this came to roughly just under £60 (and this is a top notch steak house and the wine was £20 a bottle). One thing I can promise is there is no shortage of good food in Johannesburg so bring a very big empty stomach! Some of the places I would recommend would be:
The Vilamoura - Portugeuse restaurant with fantastic seafood one of the top places to eat in Johannesburg
Jimmy Killer Prawns - the bedfordview branch is definetly the best but there are plenty to choose from, they often have all you can eat prawn specials
Ocean Basket - Really fantastic seafood there grilled calamari and kingklip are brillian prices are great, the Rosebank branch being the best
Carnivores - This fantastic game restaurant in Muldersdrift is a little out of the way but is a must a visit, we went for New Years eve. It is all you can eat game meat , served on skewers to your table, where the likes of anything from Zebra to Crocodile will cross your plate, rougly £20 a head.
The Butcher Shop and Grill - Sandton Square fantastic meat restaurant with some of the finest steaks you will ever taste!
I could list a million more but it would take months! Eating is one of the best parts of Johannesburg and not to be missed.
NIghtlife you have plenty of choices, for most tourists I would recommend the big Casinos where you have array of night clubs, restaurants and a touch of gambling. The best being Monte Casino (Bryanston) and Caesars (next to the airport). Scattered outside of Monte Casino is a vast array of pubs and bars to try. You will be amazed by the choice.
During the day there is much to choose from some of my top choices would have to be:
Gold Reef City - A great theme park for the family with everything from rollercoasters to traditional dancers, based on an old mining town, you can even go down a shaft. Next door you will also find the Apartheid museum which will give you a good insight into the history of South Africa.
The Soweto and Johannesburg Tour - We decided to take this tour so that my boyfriend could get a good insight into Johannesburg. I must say even as a local I found it fascinating. They pick you up from your hotel and you make your way to Central Johannesburg where you will see the amazing restoration that is going into the city. From the financial district and its historical buildings to the Art district of Newton with its artist community and growing theatre life. You even get the chance to visit an African witchdoctors shop. We then moved onto Soweto where you get to drive through the posh district and then onto a squatter camp (not to worry it is an extremley safe tour) where you get to see the conditions of how millions of South Africans live, we also got to step into one of the shacks, wow they are hot inside!
Rosebank Market - The market is open on a Sunday and Public holidays. The market features everything from a vast African section to fantastic clothing and jewellery, all of top notch quality, go mad I always do!
Haartebeesport Dam - Less than an hours drive from Sandton you will find the Dam where you can choose to shop at the fantastic African Market (be warned you can be hassled a bit but a firm no is all that is needed, also don't give donations to people even if they are children most of them are scams, if you feel you want to donate rather give to a registered organisation) or you can visit the dam itself where you can go boating, jet skiing etc
Please please check out Magaliesburg where you will find the Lion Park (view lions from your car!) and the Elephant Sanctuary where you can get a chance to ride an elephant. Sun CIty is a 2 hours drive away, nestled in the Pilansberg for some great game spotting. I could really go on forever!
Okay back to Johannesburg! transport is a difficult one. At the moment there is not a fantastic choice and choosing the local taxis is not a wise idea as most of these are not roadworthy. Your best bet is either to hire a car (Avis and Tempest generally have good deals) or to use a taxi firm recommended by the hotel. If you choose to drive make sure that you are equipped with an adequate map and an understanding of the highways. Generally everything is well marked. Some safety tips:
- Be vigilant at all times especially at traffic lights - Don't leave doors unlocked - Keep windows down 1cm when driving (this prevents them from breaking if someone attempts to smash) - Don't talk on your cellphone when driving - Mark out your route carefully before leaving for anywhere - Keep a good safety distance between you and the car in front when driving and when stopped.
Weather in Johannesburg is very hot in summers and quite cold in winters. It normally rains in spring (remember there summer is our winter) which can sometimes last for a few hours or set in for a few days. The UV Rays are extremely strong so wear a good sun factor.
Hopefully this is enough information to get you started. One last thing don't limit your visit to Johannesburg South Africa has a vast and unrivaled beauty, there is much to see and do and although Johannesburg is a great place to be limit it to a few days and try something else. Such as Madikwe game Reserve (one of my favourite places in the world if you have some money try Jaquis Safari lodge or treehouse for the best in 5 star Africa) or the Pilansberg (Kwa Maritane, Sun City).
Have Fun and I promise your heart will remain when you return and you will be looking forward to the next time you get a chance to visit
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