Johannesburg – The Story of Gold
You will be collected from your Johannesburg at 9 am by a qualified guide making use of a fully registered and insured VW Kombi. We will travel back in time to the beginning of Johannesburg and the discovery of gold in 1886 in what turned out to be one of the world’s richest gold reefs. Johannesburg is also known as Egoli, Jozi and the City of Gold, it is South Africa’s financial and industrial capital and the economic hub of the subcontinent. We will travel through Sandton where the current stock exchange is based, most of South Africa’s large financial houses and insurance companies have their head offices here. We will travel through some of the older suburbs of Johannesburg en-route to the CBD. Many landmarks will be passed including the University of the Witwatersrand, the iconic Nelson Mandela Bridge, Braamfontein, Newtown, Hilbrow with the Hilbrow Tower and the residential building called Ponte. Hollard Street will also be visited where the original stock exchange was situated, one of the oldest stamp mills is found here along with some of Johannesburg oldest mining buildings and pubs. We will also stop at the Carlton Centre and take in the views from the Top of Africa. We travel through the more modern precinct of Maboneng. Finally, we visit Gold Reef City where we find the replica mining village of the old Crown Mines, we experience an underground tour of one of Johannesburg’s authentic 19th century gold mines including the live pouring of gold. For the more adventurous there are many adrenaline pumping extreme rides in the Victorian-themed adventure park which forms part of the same precinct as the mining village.
Optional visits:
Ditsong National Museum of Military History: Featuring artifacts, military equipment and machinery, aircraft and memorials from all conflicts that South Africa has been involved in.
Museum Africa: Featuring the Bensusan Museum of Photography, displays featuring Johannesburg’s early inhabitants (Hunter-Gatherers), first Iron Age Community (Tswana) as well as the geological and archaeological history of the area.
Included: Travel, Guide, Bottled Water, All Entrance Fees
Excluded: Snacks, Lunch, Gratuities and Personal Purchases.
Base price (One guest): From R 1 850.00 (Including All Entrance Fees)
Additional guests: From R 600.00 (maximum of 7 guests)
Johannesburg – The Freedom Trail
You will be collected from your Johannesburg accommodation at 9 am by a qualified guide making use of a fully registered and insured VW Kombi. Explore the history of the struggle for a democratic South Africa, we start at Liliesleaf Farm which was once the nerve centre for the Liberation Struggle and home to some of its leader. This is the venue of one of the most successful raids every conducted by the South African security forces, 19 members of the underground South African Communist Party were arrested here on 11 July 1963. The next stop is Constitution Hill, once know as the Robben Island of Johannesburg as it housed many famous prisoners amongst them Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi. Joe Slovo. Albertina Sisulu, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela as well as tens of thousands of ordinary people during its 100-year history. It is also home to South Africa’s Constitutional Court.
We then travel via the Johannesburg Central Business District to the Apartheid Museum and relive the apartheid era of South Africa.
Included: Travel, Guide, Bottled Water, All Entrance Fees
Excluded: Lunch, Refreshments, Gratuities and Personal Purchases.
Base price (One guest): From R 1 950.00 (Including All Entrance Fees)
Additional guests: From R 650.00 (maximum of 7 guests)
Soweto
You will be collected from your Johannesburg accommodation at 9 am by a qualified guide making use of a fully registered and insured VW Kombi. We will travel to Soweto and begin our tour passing by the Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital (The third largest hospital in the world and the largest in the Southern Hemisphere) and the Baragwanath Taxi Rank (with a brief factual discussion), we then stop at the Orlando Towers followed by a visit and walking tour of the Walter Sisulu Freedom Square, Kliptown, where the Freedom Charter was signed in 1955. Next stop is the Regina Mundi Catholic Church in Moroka (the largest Catholic Church in South Africa) which played a pivotal role in the 1976 student uprising as well as the Truth and Reconciliation Commission which was held between 1996 and 1998. An expert site guide will take us through the church, it’s various stories as well as the history behind the beautiful stained glass windows. We then travel to the Hector Pieterson Memorial in Meadowlands where you will learn about the 1976 student uprisings, we will also visit the Hector Pieterson Museum. From the Hector Pieterson Memorial we travel down Vilakazi Street in Dube, the only street in the world that has had two Nobel Peace Prize winners as its residents. We will stop for lunch at one of the many restaurants on this street. We will visit the Mandela House Museum where an expert site guide will educate us about the history of the house and the Mandela family. We will drive past Bishop Desmond Tutu’s house as well as the late Winnie Madikizela Mandelas’s house. On leaving Soweto we will pass by the FNB Stadium (Home to the FIFA Soccer World Cup’s opening and closing ceremonies) where we can alight from the vehicle and discuss the points of interest around the stadium.
Included: Travel, Guide, Bottled Water, All Entrance Fees
Excluded: Lunch, Refreshments, Gratuities and Personal Purchases.
Base price (One guest): From R 1 900.00 (Including All Entrance Fees)
Additional guests: From R 390.00 (maximum of 7 guests)
Pretoria – The Jacaranda City
You will be collected from your Johannesburg accommodation at 9 am by a qualified guide making use of a fully registered and insured VW Kombi. We start the cultural tour of this once capital of the then South African Republic, established in 1855, at the Union Buildings in Arcadia. Built in 1910 and designed by the famous architect Herbert Baker, it is where the official office of the President of South Africa is housed. The area is also home to many International Embassies, Government Street being the only street in South Africa planted with a double row of Jacaranda Trees. We then travel past various historical buildings on our way to Church Square. Here we stop for a walk around the square to investigate some of the historical buildings, some dating back as far as the late 1800’s. Next up is the Paul Kruger House Museum, we explore the last official residence of the South African President (1883 – 1901).
Our final stop is the Voortrekker Monument, here we explore the rich history of the Voortrekkers as well as the Great Trek (1835 – 1854), the culture, lifestyle and traditions of the Afrikaner People is showcased at this Monument.
Optional attractions:
The Sammy Marks Museum: Sammy Marks played a leading role in the mining, industrial and agricultural development of South Africa between 1880 and 1920, this museum showcases 40 odd rooms housing a remarkable collection of Victorian silver, porcelain and furniture. We will also visit the rose garden, stables, the maze and a croquet court.
The Pioneer Museum: This museum showcases the Pioneer house which was built between 1848 and 1853 and is furnished according to the lifestyle of a Pioneer settler of the 19th century. Also featured are an orchard, full tent wagon, Scotch cart, hooded horse cart and implements dating up to 1900.
Included: Travel, Guide, Bottled Water, All Entrance Fees
Excluded: Lunch, Refreshments, Gratuities and Personal Purchases.
Base price (One guest): From R 1 750.00 (Including All Entrance Fees)
Additional guests: From R 350.00 (maximum of 7 guests)
Note: Entrance fees for the optional attractions are not included.
Cullinan Village and Diamond Mine
You will be collected from your Johannesburg at 8 am by a qualified guide making use of a fully registered and insured VW Kombi. We will travel to the small mining village of Cullinan, situated 45 kilometers North East of Pretoria. Here one can explore the famous Cullinan Diamond Mine which was established in 1903 and is where the 3 106ct Cullinan Diamond was found on the 26th January 1905. Surface tours of the mine last for one and a half hours, underground tours take four hours. A tour of the mine can be followed by a look around the Cullinan Diamond market. The village also plays host to various museums, coffee shops and markets. A day tour to Cullinan can be designed to suite specific interests of the guests, horse riding, quad biking and abseiling are among the adventure activities on offer. The Zonderwater Prisoner of War Camp cemetery and museum is also of interest, it housed around 100 000 Italian prisoners between 1941 and 1947. There is also the Willem Prinsloo Agricultural Museum which showcases the history of South African agriculture from the Stone Age up until 1945, exhibitions include SAN rock paintings and engravings as well as Iron Age figurines.
Included: Travel, Guide, Bottled Water, All Entrance Fees
Excluded: Lunch, Refreshments, Gratuities, Additional Activities and Personal Purchases.
Option 1: Surface Mine Tour:
Base price (One guest): From R 1 850.00 (Including All Entrance Fees)
Additional guests: From R 350.00 (maximum of 7 guests)
Option 2: Underground Tour:
Base price (One guest): From R 2 100.00 (Including All Entrance Fees)
Additional guests: From R 790.00 (maximum of 7 guests)
Rietvlei Nature Reserve
You will be collected from your Johannesburg at 8 am by a qualified guide making use of a fully registered and insured VW Kombi. We will then travel to the Rietvlei Nature Reserve in Tshwane (Pretoria), this is a 3 500 ha Reserve representing the Grassland Biome of Gauteng. On arrival you will be driven around the reserve in the Kombi allowing you the opportunity of viewing and photographing White Rhinoceros, Buffalo, Zebra, Black Wildebeest, Ostriches, Warthogs, Springbok, Eland, Waterbuck and many more animals and birds. We then stop for lunch at the coffee shop in the Reserve (Closed on Mondays) alternatively guests can bring their own snacks and have a picnic at Marais Dam. Following lunch we will continue with the game viewing drive with various opportunities to stop at a number of viewing hides.
Included: Travel, Guide, Bottled Water, Rietvlei Entrance Fee & Game Drives
Excluded: Lunch, Refreshments, Gratuities and Personal Purchases.
Base price (One guest): From R 2 075.00 (Including Entrance Fee & Game Drives)
Additional guests: From R 290.00 (maximum of 7 guests)
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Maropeng & Sterkfontein Caves
You will be collected from your Johannesburg accommodation at 9 am by a qualified guide making use of a fully registered and insured VW Kombi. We travel to the UNESCO World Heritage Site (one of ten in South Africa) known as the Cradle of Humankind, it is famous for the discovery of the famous pre-human skull affectionately known as “Mrs Ples”, and an almost complete hominid skeleton called “Little Foot”, dated at 2.3-million and 4.17-million years old respectively.
The 47 000-hectare site has unearthed the best evidence of the complex journey that our species has taken to make us what we are – and is therefore a place of pilgrimage for all humankind. The area is not only a place of ongoing scientific discovery into our origins, but also a place of contemplation – a place that allows us to reflect on who we are, where we come from and where we are going to.
We begin our journey of discovery at the Maropeng Visitors Centre, Maropeng is a Setswana phrase which means ‘returning to the place of our origin’. Here we travel from the beginning of time all the way to the future of our planet. Next, we visit the world-renowned Sterkfontein Caves, this site is home to the oldest and most continuous palaeontological dig in the world. We will be taken on a guided underground cave tour to learn more about the science of palaeontology.
Included: Travel, Guide, Bottled Water, All Entrance Fees
Excluded: Lunch, Refreshments, Gratuities and Personal Purchases.
Base price (One guest): From R 1 750.00 (Including All Entrance Fees)
Additional guests: From R 450.00 (maximum of 7 guests)
The Rhino and Lion Park
You will be collected from your Johannesburg accommodation at 8 am by a qualified guide making use of a fully registered and insured VW Kombi. We travel to the Rhino and Lion Park situated in the world-famous UNESCO World Heritage Site know as the Cradle of Humankind. This park is 12 000 hectares in size and is home to over 650 heads of game, some of which are highly endangered. There are separate camps containing Lions, Cheetahs and Wild Dogs. We will also visit the Bothogo Wonder Cave (which on the same property) for an informative underground tour of this beautiful cave with its impressive stalactite and stalagmite formations. This cave was discovered by Italian miners in 1898, here they mined calcite which can be found in the various formations within the cave. Calcite was used in the manufacturing of cement, toothpaste, used in agriculture as well as in the extraction of gold.
Included: Travel, Guide, Bottled Water, All Entrance Fees
Excluded: Lunch, Refreshments, Gratuities and Personal Purchases.
Base price (One guest): From R 1 850.00 (Including All Entrance Fees)
Additional guests: From R 550.00 (maximum of 7 guests)
Tswaing Meteorite Crater
You will be collected from your Johannesburg accommodation at 8 am by a qualified guide making use of a fully registered and insured VW Kombi. We travel to the Tswaing Meteorite Crater 50 km North of Pretoria. Tswaing (meaning Place of Salt) in Setswana, is a 1.13 km impact crater which was formed as a result of a 50 m meteorite slamming into the earth’s crust some 220 000 years ago. Here we will explore the 2000-hectare reserve on foot, walking the 7.2 km Tswaing Crater Trail which encompasses the crater as well as the saline lake. There are many opportunities to discover more about the natural and cultural history of the area. Tswaing is also home to an extensive wetland system, herds of kudu, impala, zebra and other animal species as well as more than 240 species of birds. A visit to the museum is also included in the tour.
Guests are welcome to bring their own snacks/lunch and make use of the onsite picnic area.
Included: Travel, Guide, Bottled Water, All Entrance Fees
Excluded: Snacks, Lunch, Gratuities and Personal Purchases.
Base price (One guest): From R 1 700.00 (Including All Entrance Fees)
Additional guests: From R 300.00 (maximum of 7 guests)
Dinokeng Game Reserve
You will be collected from your Johannesburg accommodation at 6 am by a qualified guide making use of a fully registered and insured VW Kombi.
We travel to Gauteng’s only free roaming ‘Big 5’ Reserve situated 50 kilometers North East of Pretoria. Here we will explore the bush searching for various animals and birds, amongst them are Rhinoceros, Lion, Elephants and Buffalo.
Some of the additional activities which can be arranged are bush walks, open vehicle game drives as well as stopping for lunch at one of the many private lodges within the reserve.
Included: Travel, Guide, Bottled Water, All Entrance Fees
Excluded: Lunch, Refreshments, Gratuities and Personal Purchases.
Base price (One guest): From R 2 800.00 (Including All Entrance Fees)
Additional guests: From R 650.00 (maximum of 7 guests)
Note: Prices excluded optional activities.
