08 December 2015
For the best and most convenient way to explore Soweto, City Sightseeing Joburg offers a special extension to our regular City Tour of Johannesburg.
It's simple: buy your City Tour and Soweto combo ticket online, spend some time exploring inner-city Jozi on the big red bus, then hop off at the Gold Reef City Casino Hotel (stop 13). Wait for the red "SoWeToo" taxi to arrive and take you around Soweto in style!
Jump in a taxi and let our qualified tour guides introduce you to Johannesburg's largest and most vibrant township
(Here's a tip: to really get the most of out your trip, buy a 2-day combo ticket and give yourself plenty of time to explore Joburg on the first day, and soak up the sights and sounds of Soweto on the second.)
Why visit Soweto?
South Africans have a unique capacity to take a place that was once the site of pain and suffering, and turn it into a celebration of freedom and triumph of the human spirit. Nowhere in the country exemplifies this spirit more than Soweto. Once an apartheid-created dumping ground for black South Africans forcibly removed from Johannesburg's central districts, it is now a thriving suburb full of hope and opportunity. Where it faced its most inhumane moments, such as the brutal killing of schoolchildren during the 1976 uprisings, it now memorialises them and honours those who fought for today's freedom.
On Vilakazi Street, the only road on the planet to house two Nobel Peace Prize winners, the energy from businesspeople, tourists, and passers-by gives one the sense that it's not only a place that looks back on its history, but one that also looks towards a new, exciting future.
The Orlando Towers were once part of a coal-fired power station, but since being decommissioned, they are now the site for bungee jumping and BASE jumping. From Monday to Wednesday, we stop for a simple photo opportunity near to the towers, and from Thursday to Sunday, we offer the chance to hop off here and do a jump!
Children play next to the Hector Pieterson Memorial, which commemorates the 1976 uprising that galvanised many South Africans towards the anti-apartheid struggle. Pieterson became a symbol for this uprising when Sam Nzima's photograph captured Mbuyisa Makhubo carrying him away from the conflict
Nelson Mandela's former home on Vilakazi Street. It is now The Nelson Mandela National Museum and visitors are able to step inside and see original furnishings and memorabilia. Down the road is the former home of Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, another Nobel Peace Prize winner
The Kliptown Open Air Museum, located in Walter Sisulu Square. It was here in 1955 that The Congress of the People gathered to create the Freedom Charter, which set out a vision for South Africa's future. It was officially adopted by the African National Congress and many of its principles are reflected in the country's official Constitution today. The memorial gives visitors the chance to read some of the original demands
To see the full list of stops, view our info page on the City Tour and Soweto Combo. If you're ready to book, buy your tickets here.
