Johannesburg Activities

Full Johannesburg Travel Guide »    Johannesburg Interactive Map »    Print This Article »

• Cloud 9 Spa (Angela Hardy), 32 Richmond Road, Craighall Park (See directions on website), ☎ +27-11-788-9934, www.cloud-nine.co.za. Tues to Sat 10:30 to 19:00. Cloud 9 is a small spa offering massage, floatation and other spa therapies. From R200.

Have a seat and relax at the Walter Sisulu Botanical Gardens

Play with a cub at the Lion Park

• Township Tour to Soweto, a tour that will take you around the densely populate but vibrant town of Soweto.

• Walter Sisulu Botanical Gardens, (The gardens can be tricky to find as it is not well signposted from the main roads. From the N1 get onto Hendrik Potgieter at exit 80 (Roodepoort/M8 14th Ave). Follow the signs indicating Tarlton (M47) to the north. Pass Clearwater mall, turn left into Handicap Road and right into Malcolm Road where you see the first signpost for the gardens. The gardens will be on your left a couple of hundred meters from here.), ☎ +27 (0)11 958-1750 (SisuluGarden@sanbi.org, fax: +27 (0)11 958-1752), www.sanbi.org/sisulu/mainpage.htm. One of the last green areas remaining within Johannesburg. Lots of birds, including the endangered Black Eagle. There is a restaurant situated within the grounds as well as picnic and braai areas. R18 per person, discounts for students and pensioners.

Parrots at the Montecasino bird gardens

• Constitution Hill, the site of the notorious Old Fort prison complex.

• South African Lipizzaners, 1 Dahlia Road, Kyalami (Follow the N1 towards Pretoria, take exit 108 Midrand, R561 Allandale Road towards Kyalami. Kyalami Road and Main Road intersects at the entrance to the Kyalami racetrack, turn right here. At the second traffic light, turn left and follow Main Road, look out for Maple Road to your right. Turn right into Maple Road and right again into Crocus Road), ☎ +27 (0)11 702-2103 (lipizzaner@hixnet.co.za, fax: +27 (0)11 468-2718), www.lipizzaners.co.za. Other than Vienna, this is the only place you will ever got to see performing Lipizzaners recognized by the Spanish Riding School. Booking can also be done via computicket www.computicket.co.za

• Lesedi Cultural Village, (Just past the Lanseria Airport on the R512), ☎ +27 (0)12 205-1394, www.lesedi.com. Traditional dances and food in authentic Zulu, Sotho, Pedi, Xhosa and Ndebele villages.

• Lion Park, R114 near the corner with Hans Strijdom (R512), Honeydew (From the N1, take exit 90, Randburg/R512 Hans Strydom Dr. and follow this north past Kya Sands. At the 4 way stop with the R114, take a right turn. The Lion Park is two hundred meters down the road on the right.), ☎ +27 (0)11 691-9905 (lionpark@cknet.co.za, fax: +27 (0)11 691-9904), www.lion-park.com. The entrance ticket gives you a visit with the lion cubs (yes, you get to touch them) and a self drive game viewing through the lion camps and game area (antelope, zebra, giraffe and others live here). The Lion Park can be very busy over weekends and public holidays. If you want some quality time with the lion cubs, it is better to go during the week when it is not so busy. If you are going to drive through the lion enclosures, make sure there are no loose objects on the outside of your vehicle and keep your windows closed. The lions are especially fond of 4x4 spare wheel covers, so remove these before you enter. R80 per person.

• Montecasino Bird Gardens, (From the '''N1''', take exit 95 (''Marked: 95 Sandton/R511 William Nicol Dr.'') and head north, cross over Leslie Ave and turn right into Mentecasino Blvd.), ☎ +27 (0)11 511-1864. Open weekdays from 8:30AM to 5PM and weekends from 8:30AM to 6PM (Shows at 11AM and 3PM daily with additional 1PM shows over weekends). Many birds and other small wildlife. Also look out for the 2500 year old tree located near the parrots.

• Visit a gold mine www.africa-explore.co.za/st_kromdraai_gold_mine.html, such as the Old Kromdraai Gold Mine. The Kromdraai Gold Mine was one of the first gold mines on the Witwatersrand (the Johannesburg area today) and is situated in an unspoilt rural setting about 40 minutes drive from Johannesburg International airport and 20 minutes from Johannesburg city.R 1165-00 single ticket.

• Gold Reef City, Northern Parkway, Ormonde (From the M1 South, take exit 5, Johannesburg/M17 Xavier Street and follow Crownwood Rd until intersection with Northern parkway. Turn right into Northern Parkway and follow that road for about 1 km), ☎ +27 (0)11 248-6800 (nfo@goldreefcity.co.za, fax: +27 (0)11 248-6863), www.goldreefcity.co.za/theme_park. An amusement park with a casino. The visitor can also learn about gold mining and go into a mine here. Unfortunately Gold Reef isn't a theme-park of international standards so if you are expecting "Disney Land Africa" give it a miss.
• Ferreira's Mine, Standard Bank Centre, 5 Simmonds Street, ☎ +27 (0)11 636-9111 (info@standardbank.co.za, fax: +27 (0)11 636-4207). Open during normal banking hours 8AM to 4PM. This bank literally sits on gold. An old abandoned gold mine from the late 19^th century was rediscovered during construction of the Standard Bank head office in the 1980s. After taking the access tunnels of the mine into account, construction continued over it. Portions of the original mine as well as the new museum associated with it, have been opened to the public. Entrance is free.