[Travel] Johannesburg trip

[Doonhamer7]

I need help on wisdom on NSC - we are heading to South Africa to a wedding later this year 4hrs south of Jo’burg but will be staying in the city for night of arrival and 2 before we fly back. How bad is the situation in J’burg, any tips / recommendations on where to stay (we’ve been told best to stay in Sandown / Melrose area) can we trust cabs from airport, is there power outages every day. On the positives what is the best thing to do for a day in Jo’burg area ( trip advisor says to visit Soweto on organised tour?)

 

[Clive Walker]

Was in Jo’burg a year ago for business in sandown but stayed in Melrose. Load shedding is a major issue with even the traffic lights going down. Don’t be surprised if the lights go out while dining in a restaurant.

SA is Africa but not Africa. Expect to see t both sides of the tale. I loved it.

 

[dazzer6666]

Did loads of Joburg trips with work, usually stayed in Sandton which is alright - hotels around Nelson Mandela Square are good and there are plenty of really great restaurants that are safe to walk to. Also stayed at Melrose a couple of times which was similarly fine.

Downtown Joburg isn't good - I wasn't allowed there after dark (had to be driven back to the hotel from the office before dark).

Personally would pre-book your car from whatever hotel you are staying in to pick you up. Don't be alarmed if the driver is armed - most will be and will happily tell you tales of incidents.......

 

[Brian Fantana]

I need help on wisdom on NSC - we are heading to South Africa to a wedding later this year 4hrs south of Jo’burg but will be staying in the city for night of arrival and 2 before we fly back. How bad is the situation in J’burg, any tips / recommendations on where to stay (we’ve been told best to stay in Sandown / Melrose area) can we trust cabs from airport, is there power outages every day. On the positives what is the best thing to do for a day in Jo’burg area ( trip advisor says to visit Soweto on organised tour?)

Feel free to PM me. I go to J’burg fairly regularly to visit family.

 

[Crispy Ambulance]

Sandton was fine to stay and work in. As dazzer says, downtown was a no go after dark. Got driven through there a couple of times and it looked moody!
Don’t ever have your windows down at traffic lights!
DO go to Soweto if you can - probably the most humbling experience of my life with the rampant poverty everywhere- but plenty of interesting sights including Mandelas’ & Tutu’s houses plus Regina Mundi, the church where it kicked off in 1976.
The countryside outside the city is stunning.
Hopefully you’ll be safe and enjoy it.

 

[essbee1]

We were in Jo'burg, but it was a long time ago. We loved the tour of Soweto. As long as you're sensible,
like in most cities, you'll be fine.

 

[zuidgull]

I lived in Melrose for 9 years, leaving 2 years ago but still living in South Africa.

The better parts of Johannesburg are the northern suburbs centered around Sandton (Sandown is part of this) and Rosebank (Melrose is adjacent to Rosebank)

(Unless taking a hire car) The 3 options I would pick from airport are hotel shuttle, Gautrain or Uber.

Gautrain runs from airport to Sandton CBD and (with a change) to Rosebank. Obviously you would need accommodation in these hubs.

Uber in Johannesburg is pretty reliable, just go for Black or Van. I would want to pre-arrange or do Uber rather than take an airport taxinfor safety reasons.

Yes, there are regular power cuts, in joburg probably one outage of 4 1/2 hrs per day. Probably just means for short stay you should look at hotel or apart hotel rather than house/airbnb as any reasonable hotel will have generator.

Johannesburg is not really much of a tourist destination. Larger hotels will offer that Soweto tour, guess good as anything but doubt it will be your trip highlight.

Hope that helps.

 

[heathgate]

You need to go obviously because of the wedding,.... but man, if I was you I would steer clear. Was in the Cape for a few weeks earlier this year, the safest of provinces, even there you really need to be on your guard, Joburg is a shit storm by comparison.

Uber black everywhere.... do not walk, do not take public transport.... do not hang about after dark.

 

[Icy Gull]

SA is Africa but not Africa.

My thoughts exactly

 

[zuidgull]

You need to go obviously because of the wedding,.... but man, if I was you I would steer clear. Was in the Cape for a few weeks earlier this year, the safest of provinces, even there you really need to be on your guard, Joburg is a shit storm by comparison.

Uber black everywhere.... do not walk, do not take public transport.... do not hang about after dark.

I agree with the last paragraph but it is a stunningly beautiful country, with fabulous weather and a great standard of living.

The problem is Johannesburg does not really show that off. With only 2 nights not really long enough to do a proper bush experience from joburg, but I might be tempted to consider staying in the Cradle of Humankind (cradlehotel.co.za) rather than joburg. Bit bush light but accessible and probably better than staying in joburg.

Should add proviso, have not been there for over 10 years. But have met people from UK there, who were on one day stop over and were amazed you could sit eating lunch watching the game before returning same day for their onward flight.

 

[amexer]

Is it not a bit sad for people living in Soweto having loads of people coming to look.at them living in extreme poverty, I hope they gain financially from these trips

 

[dazzer6666]

Is it not a bit sad for people living in Soweto having loads of people coming to look.at them living in extreme poverty, I hope they gain financially from these trips

Indeed - this article sums it up nicely.

Township tourism: The good, the bad, and the ugly

If you have traveled to a developing country, you have probably seen tours that visit favelas, slums, or in South Africa’s case, townships.

www.worldfootprints.com

 

[KZNSeagull]

Where is the wedding?

 

[The Mole]

Where is the wedding?

Just what I was wondering…

another option might be around Beaulieu (pronounced baloo!) in Midrand.

As everyone has said, be very careful on the roads. A Soweto tour is good - make sure it is a recommended company. Another option is the Cradle of Mankind which covers the evolution of man where they have found the earliest evidence of man. Ironic in a country where most people believe in creation rather than evolutio.

I tend to keep clear of Jozi, but I do know Pretoria quite well

 

[The Mole]

Oh and do expect power outages - it is really bad at the moment - invest in decent power banks to charge your phones, iPads etc

 

[KZNSeagull]

Just what I was wondering…

another option might be around Beaulieu (pronounced baloo!) in Midrand.

As everyone has said, be very careful on the roads. A Soweto tour is good - make sure it is a recommended company. Another option is the Cradle of Mankind which covers the evolution of man where they have found the earliest evidence of man. Ironic in a country where most people believe in creation rather than evolutio.

I tend to keep clear of Jozi, but I do know Pretoria quite well

4 hours south of Joburg I am guessing it's in northern KZN. If it's anywhere near the N3 then getting to the airport isn't difficult. I would rather stay down there after the wedding. But you are right, if they have to be nearer to the airport then nearer Pretoria is better for things to do I would have thought.

 

[Justice]

Is it not a bit sad for people living in Soweto having loads of people coming to look.at them living in extreme poverty, I hope they gain financially from these trips

It seems similar to the favelas in Brazil, they have bars, banks, shops restaurants wealthy and not so wealthy areas after a quick google search.

 

[KZNSeagull]

Indeed - this article sums it up nicely.

Township tourism: The good, the bad, and the ugly

If you have traveled to a developing country, you have probably seen tours that visit favelas, slums, or in South Africa’s case, townships.

www.worldfootprints.com

I don't disagree with this article but Soweto is slightly different in that you have Vilakazi Street and the Apartheid Museum. If the tour includes these places then I would go on it otherwise no, it would be pretty distasteful.

 

[trueblue]

Is it not a bit sad for people living in Soweto having loads of people coming to look.at them living in extreme poverty, I hope they gain financially from these trips

Perhaps it depends on the trip. If you're on board an air-conditioned bus treating it like some sort of drive-through show, then I agree. I worked out there for a month and a group of us did an organised cycle tour which I'd highly recommend. Learned about the history, went to the Mandela museum, had a drink and food with some of the locals and high-fived loads of kids who loved seeing us pasty-skinned idiots go past. Met some really impressive people who universally seemed very happy we'd taken some time to find out about their lives and the hardship they have to endure. If it also puts a bit of money into some pockets in Soweto, all the better. Certainly agree with that article about being respectful throughout, particularly with regards to photos.

 

[amexer]

Why are there still townships in SA