JoburgPlaces Soweto by Bus
Full-day (10am-6:30pm)
Half-day (9am-1:30pm)
Anyone visiting Johannesburg must certainly visit Soweto at least once. The Southwestern Township has a legendary reputation for the way its people resisted apartheid, especially during the 1976 Youth Uprising. Today Soweto is a mesmerizing and somewhat thriving part of Joburg, but still fighting the all-to-clear legacy of Apartheid. This tour takes in the captivating Hector Pieterson Museum, Vilakazi Street where two Nobel Peace Prize winners once lived, the Mandela House Museum, the Regina Mundi Church, Kliptown Square and Orlando Towers, among others.
While this tour deals with the overwhelming, shocking, and somewhat dispiriting struggle against the injustices of Apartheid, it also leaves you inspired by what the people of Soweto has overcome.
Full-day itinerary:
10:00: Pickup at your hotel in Rosebank, Sandton, or the Parks Suburbs
(Pickups further afield are possible but please check with us when booking as it will influence the schedule/timing of the tour. It could also incur an additional cost depending on the location.)
10:40: STOP 1: Hector Pieterson Museum
A poignant museum that tells the story of the Soweto Uprising and how the school children of Soweto rose up against apartheid and inferior education in 1976. A tragic and harrowing story, but one that speaks of inspiration and overcoming to thrive.
11:30 Depart
11:45 STOP 2: Vilakazi Street and surrounds
Stroll along South Africa’s most famous street where two Nobel Peace Prize Winners once lived, Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela. Visit the Nelson Mandela House Museum, before we amble to Book Ibhoni to meet remarkable Soweto tourism entrepreneurs. Next we relax and take in the street vibe with a quartz beer at a ‘shebeen’.
13:00 STOP 3: Lunch
We have many options for lunch and the venue will be chosen based on the preferences of the group. There is Sakhumzi or 1947 in Vilakazi Street and Native Rebels in Jabavu, among many others.
14:00 Depart
14:15 Lebo’s Backpackers
Visit the thriving tourism and hospitality hotspot, legendary for storytelling events and the place where travellers meet and stay to enjoy the friendly welcome of Soweto.
14:45 Depart – we drive through Soweto to get a wider impression of its sprawling layout, passing the Soweto Theatre – a beacon of the creative arts and contemporary architecture, and on to Regina Mundi Church
15:30 Regina Mundi Church
Enjoy a site-guided tour of the famous Catholic Church right in the middle of Soweto. It is here that students were hiding from the Apartheid police in 1976. The Church is still today a pivot point in the community and known for incredible music performances too.
16:00 Depart
16:20 Kliptown Square
We visit the Walter Sisulu Square of Dedication where the Freedom Charter, which underpinned the struggle against apartheid, was signed in 1953 (CHECK).
16:40 Depart
17:00 Orlando Towers
What was once power station cooling towers, has been converted to a tourism and entertainment centre, complete with bungee jumping options and one of the most popular shebeen-braai-restaurants in Soweto. Time for beer and discussing contemporary live in Soweto.
Should you want to bungee jump at Orlando Towers, please notify us before the tour. We will then chance the order of the schedule to stop here earlier and to allow sufficient time for you bravery.
17:45 Depart
18:30 Drop off at hotel.
Prices:
This tour is ONLY available for private group bookings. The rates below are for bus transport, public-permitted driver, and guide/storytelling. Any food, drink, shopping and museum entrance fees along the way are for your own account.
A tour for 2 guests: R2600 per person
A tour for 3 guests: R2200 per person
A tour for 4 guests: R1600 per person
A tour for 5 guests: R1450 per person
A tour for 6 guests: R1300 per person
A tour for 7 or more guests: R1100 per person
A tour of 14 or more guests: R1000 per person
A tour for 22 or more guests or more: R950 per person
The above fees exclude museum entrance fees which is for the customers own account on the day:
Hector Pieterson Museum: R30 per person
Mandela House Museum: R60 per person
Regina Mundi Church (including local guide): R65 per person
Half-day itinerary:
The half day tour is a more condensed version of the above.
9:00 Pick-up at hotel
9:40 Hector Pieterson Museum
10:20 Depart
10:30 Vilikazi Street and Nelson Mandela House Museum
11:15 Depart
11:30 Regina Mundi Church
12:00 Depart
12:15 Orlando Towers
13:00 Depart
13:30 Drop off at hotel
Prices:
This tour is ONLY available for private group bookings. The rates below are for bus transport, public-permitted driver, and guide/storytelling. Any food, drink, shopping and museum entrance fees along the way are for your own account.
A tour for 2 guests: R2000 per person
A tour for 3 guests: R1850 per person
A tour for 4 guests: R1450 per person
A tour for 5 guests: R1250 per person
A tour for 6 guests: R1000 per person
A tour for 7 or more guests: R950 per person
A tour of 14 or more guests: R850 per person
A tour for 22 or more guests or more: R800 per person
The above fees exclude museum entrance fees which is for the customers own account on the day:
Hector Pieterson Museum: R30 per person
Mandela House Museum: R60 per person
Regina Mundi Church (including local guide): R65 per person
To make a booking, send a whatsapp to +27 82 894 5216 or email to gerald@localplaces.co.za
Please do not phone as we are mostly busy hosting guests. Send a message and we will contact you as soon as is possible. We will respond to your booking request and provide an online payment link for you to pay by bank card to secure the booking.
TERMS & CONDITIONS
Guests participate in all JoburgPlaces tours at their own risk. Neither JoburgPlaces, nor its guides, accept any responsibility whatsoever for any injury, accident or death that may occur while participating in a JoburgPlaces tour, whether in a public or a private space.
A tour booking is only secured upon payment.
Provisional bookings will automatically be cancelled if not paid within 48 hours from making a booking.
Bookings cannot be cancelled once paid for any reason whatsoever and no refunds will be offered for cancelled bookings.
Bookings can be postponed to another date if postponed more than 30 days in advance of the booked date. However, bookings cannot be postponed for any reason whatsoever within 30 days of the tour date, as we would lose the opportunity to take another booking for that slot.
STARTING POINT
We will stipulate the starting point for your tour in your booking confirmation letter. Most (but not all) tours start at JSE Newtown, 17 Diagonal Street (cnr Pritchard)
For private tour bookings, it is possible to arrange pick up and drop off from your hotel or accommodation, possibly for an additional fee, depending on location.
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