TOP ATTRACTIONS OF GAUTENG

ABSA MONEY MUSEUM

The Absa Museum is home to the world’s largest collection of money used in South Africa, from when Europeans first landed on our shores to modern times and more sophisticated bank notes. The Absa Museum is the only banking and money museum in South Africa and narrates a fascinating history of how economic, political and social change can dramatically affect a currency.

Tel: +27 (0)11 350-4167

APARTHEID MUSEUM

The Apartheid Museum opened in 2001 and is acknowledge as the pre-eminent museum in the word dealing with 20th century South Africa, at the heart of which is the apartheid story. The museum, the first of its kind, illustrates the rise and fall of apartheid.

Tel: +27 (0)11 309 4700

CONSTITUTION HILL

A guided tour of Constitution Hill is a journey through South Africa's painful past, but also a celebration of its remarkable transition to democracy.  The tour begins with a visit to the Old Fort Prison Complex, commonly know as Number Four.  These old buildings, with their rusty cells and peeling walls, have witnessed over a 100 years of South African history.

Tel: +27 (0)11 381 3100

GOLD REEF CITY

Just 8 kilometres from the centre of Johannesburg lies the world famous yet uniquely South African Gold Reef City. With its magnificent Theme Park offering the widest range of features and attractions in Africa and the exhilarating Casino complex, alive with the excitement, buzz and energy of Jozi, this is where Jozi comes to play, relax and more!  Visitors return time and time again to experience its world class facilities, from indulging in one of the many restaurants, taking in a show at the Theatre, the excitement of gaming, experiencing a 4D movie to the thrill of the rides.

Ideally situated with Johannesburg's business district just 10 minutes away, Sandton City a comfortable 20 minutes drive, OR Tambo International Airport 20 minutes away and easy access onto the national highways' network, this truly is the heart of Jozi.

Tel: +27 (0)11 248-6800

SOWETO TOWNSHIP TOURS

Soweto is well worth visiting, it is a place of friendship, vibrancy and contrasts. Infused with the history of the fight against apartheid and abuzz with energy, Soweto is a must-see for tourists who are looking for more than sun, sea and the big five.

The tour starts with a drive past the largest Hospital in the Southern Hemisphere, the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital. The taxi ranks, side- walk stalls and muti shops of the traditional Healers add vibrancy and colour to the start of the day. They then visit a squatter camp (informal settlement) where you can buy the arts and crafts of the local people and take a tour of the squatter camp with a local guide. Tourists get to mingle with the different classes of people in their modest homes.

The tour continues past Vista University and onto FREEDOM SQUARE, Kliptown. This famous place is where the “People’s Bill of Rights” know as the Freedom Charter, was finalized and agreed upon. The tour includes a visit to the Oppenheimer Tower, a popular tourist attraction set in unusual gardens. They then proceed to a guided tour of Credo Mutwa’s cultural village of African mythical sculptures and then on to the HECTOR PETERSON memorial, for an informative visit and insight into the riots of June 1976.

One of the highlights of the tour is standing on the only road that carries the honour of two of the recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize. Visitors get to drop in at Nelson Mandela’s home – one of the most visited sights in the country, a tiny, four roomed “matchbox” house. The house is now a museum, run by Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, and contains memorabilia from the short time they lived there together. Three houses away from Mandela’s home, one comes across the home of Bishop Tutu, recognized internationally as a stalwart anti-apartheid cleric.

For a real cultural experience the tour stops at a typical shebeen for lunch. Shebeens are local drinking establishments. They have survived the attempts of the authorities to close them down to become thriving informal social centres patronized by local patrons. On the return journey, the experienced tour guide will drive through some of the wealthiest suburbs with its beautiful homes.

Tel: +27 (0)11 315 1534

JOHANNESBURG ZOO

From a small public park that opened in 1904 with an odd mix of animals - including a male lion, a female leopard and a male baboon - the Johannesburg Zoo has grown to become the most popular public venue in the city.

It is now a sprawling 54 hectares in central Parktown, with plenty of trees, water features and beautiful walks.

The stars of the show are, of course, the animals and the collection is impressive. There are lions, tigers, elephants, gorillas, chimpanzees, sable antelope, bat-eared foxes and polar bears among the 2 070 animals, representing 365 different species. While its core business is the accommodation, enrichment, husbandry and medical care of wild animals, the Johannesburg Zoo also offers a variety of educational and entertainment programmes.

Tel: +27 (0)11 646 2000

PRETORIA ZOO

The Pretoria Zoo, is the largest zoo in South Africa and the only one which has a national status. It is also rated as one of the top zoos in the world. The zoo was established in 1899 but only officially became the National Zoo in 1916, and now hosts in excess of 600 000 visitors every year.

It is no longer just a collection of rare and unusual caged animals, but rather plays a vital part in the conservation of threatened species. The Pretoria zoo is also a well respected research facility and is famous for its successful breeding programmes.

There is a lot of importance placed on providing the animals with a natural environment to live in, and for this reason, a large number of enclosures have been revamped or modernised in recent years. Some special enclosures include a large walk-through aviary and a specially air-conditioned Australia section. The zoo also has the largest inland aquarium in the country, a large reptile park.

Tel: +27 (0)12 328 3265

WALTER SISULU NATIONAL BOTANICAL GARDENS

Against the backdrop of the magnificent Witpoortjie waterfall, this Garden (previously called the Witwatersrand National Botanical Garden) covers almost 300 hectares and consists of both landscaped and natural veld areas. The history of the Garden shows that it was founded in 1982, but has been a popular venue for outings since the 1800's.
 
Several short walks run through the Garden and the surrounding natural areas. The JCI Geological Trail gives visitors the opportunity to not only walk along the Roodekrans Ridge and in the Nature Reserve portion of the Garden, but also to learn something about the fascinating geology of the area. Guided tours can be arranged for groups.

JOHANNESBURG ART GALLERY

The Johannesburg Art Gallery was designed by Edward Lutyens. It contains an impressive collection of 17th century Dutch paintings, 18th and 19th century British and European art, as well as many 19th century South African works. The gallery also has a large collection of 20th century contemporary local and international art including important works by Picasso, Pissarro, Monet, and Degas to name just a few.

The gallery's South African collection has procured a number of pieces from many renowned South African artists including Maud Sumner, Gerard Sekoto, Alexis Preller, Sydney Kumalo, and Ezrom Legae. Contemporary South African artists are also represented with works made a wide variety of media including wire, rock, wood, tyre, cement, bronze, clay, ceramic and metal.

Tel: +27 (0)11 725-3130

CRADLE OF HUMANKIND

The Fossil Hominid Sites of Sterkfontein, Swartkrans, Kromdraai and Environs, known as the Cradle of Humankind, were declared a World Heritage Site in 1999. The Cradle of Humankind covers an area of over 47 000 hectares of privately owned land in the north western corner of Gauteng and is home to over 17 000 residents.

The area is of outstanding universal value, because it contains a complex of palaeo-anthropological sites, which have yielded some of the most valuable evidence, world-wide, of the origins of modern humans, hence its name      “Cradle of Humankind”.

The declared area is 47 000 hectares and extends approximately between Oaktree, Hekpoort, Broederstroom and Lanseria in Gauteng. Most of the site is on dolomite, a rock type which is slightly soluble in water. This has two major consequences- the formation of caves and the formation of fossils. There are currently over 200 caves on the site, with possibly more to be discovered. There are 13 fossil sites which have been extensively examined and some have produced fossils of human ancestors and their relatives. A variety of stone tools used by human ancestors such as axes and scrapers have also been identified.

VOORTREKKER MONUMENT

The majestic Voortrekker Monument is situated in the northern part of South Africa in the Pretoria (Tshwane) region in a nature reserve. It is a unique Monument which commemorates the Pioneer history of Southern Africa and the history of the Afrikaner and is situated in a beautiful setting. Today it is the most visited heritage site of its kind in Gauteng and one of the top ten cultural historical visitor attractions in the country.

Tel: +27 (0)12 326 6770

UNION BUILDINGS

For many South Africans the Union Building is the most beautiful government residence in the world. Sir Herbert Baker was the architect of this 275 m long building and had it built in the English monumental style from light sandstone. It does indeed look majestic and lends a solemn environment to the official acts of the respective President. The Union Building has a half-round shape. The two wings at the sides represent the Boerish and the English part of the population.The building's name comes from the time of the South African Union, which was only changed in 1961 to the current name, the Republic of South Africa.

Since the first free and common elections in South Africa in 1994 the Union Building has been the residence of the presidency and his government. Parliament spends the winter months in Pretoria, during the summer months it changes to Cape Town.

SANDTON CITY

Sandton City and Nelson Mandela Square are home to a combined 400 of the most desirable international and local fashion brands. Exceptional collections of premier, luxurious brands from abroad include the likes of Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Armani, Mont Blanc, Cartier, Fendi and Lacoste. Sandton City is the original, the benchmark, the icon. It is the retail offering that others aspire to emulate.