Fireworks over Johannesburg CBD
© South African Tourism
Johannesburg
is about money. It's a city built on dreams of great wealth - literally
built on gold. And while the gold mines are now on the outskirts of the
city itself, it is money that drives this vibrant city that is widely
accepted to be the economic powerhouse of Africa. Not many
visitors actually put Johannesburg on their itineraries but most end up
spending a day or two here anyway, as it is the main air traffic hub of
southern Africa - in fact, of Africa. And guess what? After initially
whingeing to their travel agents about having to spend a whole day
here, many want to stay longer. Johannesburg has had very bad press.
Sure - it's not Utopia, and it's a city where you need to keep your
wits about you and preferably not much else, but it's not the
criminalised war zone that's been portrayed in the media. And it's a
truly vibey place.
 Curio market musician © South African Tourism If
you like cities, you'll love Johannesburg. It's been through a number
of incarnations and - at the moment - it's poised on the brink of
becoming a truly cosmopolitan African city. While most business moved
to the leafy northern suburbs from the CBD (Central Business District)
in the 80s and 90s, the inner city is slowly reviving and within a few
years it's likely to be a thriving urban environment. The Newtown District, with the Market Theatre, Museum Afrika and the newly constructed Nelson Mandela Bridge, is the epicentre of the urban revival. There
is a lot to do in Johannesburg - mainly of the urban and cultural bent
but there are plenty of outdoor escapes. One of the most popular day
trips in Johannesburg is a tour of Soweto, where you can visit struggle monuments, artists in their studios or a range of informal taverns and music venues.
 Soweto pub © South AfricanTourism A similar tour, but offering a glimpse into a totally different type of urban community is that of Alex - or Alexandria Township.
While also a black township, Alex is on the fringes of the very
fashionable and expensive northern suburbs and grew organically to
become the place it is now, which is in stark contrast to the
engineered Soweto with its rows and rows of identical houses.
There are loads of interesting museums, the most notable of which are Museum Africa and the Apartheid Museum at Gold Reef City, which is an otherwise rather kitsch, but fun, theme park centred on an old gold mine. Golf courses aplenty will keep even the most avid grass addict happy. You could watch the dancing Lipizzaner stallions
at Kyalami - the only operation of its kind other than the Spanish
Riding School in Vienna . It's a great outing on a Sunday morning.
 Soweto musician © South African Tourism Or you could go for a ride in a hot air balloon , take a scenic flight in a vintage aircraft, or even do a short paddle on the Crocodile River. You could try your hand at skydiving, sandboard down a mine dump (big artificial dune made of mine tailings) or rapp-jump a skyscraper. You see - adventure doesn't really need the great outdoors.
And - this is Johannesburg, after all - you could go shopping.
Big Time! And if your credit card survives the many tantalising malls
and you have money to throw away, you could have a flutter at one of a
number of casinos. And Sun City , a world renowned gambling complex with one of the best golf courses in the country, is only about an hour's drive away.
 Cradle of Humankind - Sterkfontein Caves © South AfricanTourism But the best thing about Johannesburg is its central position. It's just a hop, skip and a jump to the marvellous game lodges of Mpumalanga, Pilanesburg or Madikwe, the fascinating Cradle of Humankind, where you can muse on your origins, or the lovely relaxing and scenic Magaliesberg Wilderness Wilderness. Pretoria,
with its many museums and historical buildings, great restaurants and
even more interesting peripheral destinations, is just a half hour's
drive away.
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