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Soweto and Apartheid Museum Day Tour: Comprehensive Overview of Apartheid Era and Iconic Landmarks
4.8
12 Ratings
Johannesburg
Immerse yourself in the history of the Apartheid era with a comprehensive tour of Soweto and the Apartheid Museum. Explore iconic landmarks, view artifacts, and experience the vibrant Vilakazi street craft market.
Duration:
5 hours
Cancellation:
1 day
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Highlights
- Apartheid Museum - A detailed 2hr self-reading experience through the well-curated Apartheid Museum for the 1st part of the morning from 9 am.
A true sense of what life was like during the racial segregation era was skillfully put together by Historians, Journalists, Filmmakers & various other organisations who had access to the relevant materials & real artefacts.
NB: Please be advised that the tour operator (Explore Joburg) is NOT liable for any operational closures of the Apartheid Museum should the museum be closed without notice.
An alternative 2hr Museum experience is “The Constitution Hill”, home of the Constitution Court of South Africa, Men’s Prison #4, and Women’s Jail which detained political & activists like Winnie & Nelson Mandela, Robert Sobukwe & Gandhi. It is also home to the Old Fort built by the Boer President Paul Kruger in the late 1800s to fend off the British Soldiers.
- FNB Stadium - An outside photo opportunity at this massive historical stadium that boasts a 95 000 seated fan capacity was home to the World Cup 2010 Soccer tournament.
- Baragwanath Medical Centre - A look at the 3rd largest hospital in the world and brief narration on the role it plays for the Soweto residents & international medical research academics.
- Orlando Towers - The old electricity power station was converted into a bungee jumping, entertainment facility & restaurant.
- Hector Pieterson Memorial - An overview summary briefing of the historical site from a local Sowetan site guide. A breakdown of the symbolic structures & what they represent & what life is like today for the average Sowetan.
- Mandela House - The Soweto Mandela House bears a lot of the struggle era stories that shed light on his life with his first wife Evelyne & then Winnie. Detailed information is shared by the enthusiastic site guides who will walk you through the different parts of the house.
- Soweto - Nomzamo Shanty Town Informal Settlement with the guidance of the local residents who curate a 10min walking presentation with an opportunity for questions and answers.
See how the challenging unemployment situation is affecting real people on the ground. Learn how they survive and make ends meet on a daily basis & feel free to bring any form of gift to assist them directly.
What's Included
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Bottled water
- Driver/guide
- Live commentary on board
What's Not Included
- Alcoholic drinks (available to purchase)
- Gratuities
- Lunch
Additional Information
Peruse articles, view video segments, examine artifacts & hear sound clips of comprehensive summary illustrating the timeline of the Apartheid Era in the thoroughly chronicled Apartheid Museum.
Tour & pause at renowned landmarks in Soweto traversing the township residences such as the Orlando Towers, Klip Town Square Freedom Charter, Nelson Mandela House Museum, Desmond Tutu House & the Hector Pieterson Memorial.
The Vilakazi street craft market presents a plethora of vendors showcasing a diverse array of gifts for selection.
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- Minimum drinking age is 18 years
- Vegetarian option is available, please advise at time of booking if required
Location
Apartheid Museum
Northern Park Way and Gold Reef Rd
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.8
(12 Ratings)
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Richardkeisha
Jan 28, 2023
Great tour - This was one of the highlights of my visit to South Africa. Jacob & Life took good care of me. I enjoyed Soweto, Apartheid Museum, lunch... the visit to the Mandela House. Very accommodating.
Review provided by Viator
Monicamk8636qa
Jul 11, 2022
Best township tour - The name of my tour guide was Life, fluent in English, very knowledgeable, descent gentleman. Though I’m a South African learned a lot about our history from Life. I was the only one but felt very safe throughout the tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sinara_f
Jul 11, 2022
Memorable tour - The Apartheid Museum + Soweto was an overwhelming experience to me. Kevin did a great job as a guide, giving me not only the touristic view, but also adding a priceless local perspective to everything he showed me. I felt safe and well-equipped with the team.
Review provided by Viator
Lionel_c
Jun 7, 2022
Soweto walkthrough was eye opening - Excellent tour, but 2hrs is not enough for the Apartheid Museum which we found to be confusingly organized. Our driver/guide Kevin was very informative, and we appreciated the opportunity to walk through the Soweto shantytown and meet some of its inhabitants.
Review provided by Viator
Solowarn
May 7, 2022
The best experience! - Im completely blown away by my trip to Johannesburg, South Africa and that is mainly due to Jacob and his expertly curated tour guide experience. Jacob came highly recommended by the Four Seasons Westcliff concierge. Coming from the United States, you often are worried about visiting a foreign country because you dont know who you can trust. Jacob immediately felt like home. He was welcoming, knowledgeable, insightful, kind, flexible, you name it, thats him. I wasnt sure what to expect but after the first day of touring Soweto, the Apartheid museum, Winnie Mandela’s house, Nelson Mandelas house which included a tour and an amazing dinner as well as many other cool locations, I knew that i needed to keep Jacob around to really experience South Africa. I even cancelled my Safari Experience with another company to book with Jacob instead. I also want to mention that Jacob makes sure to capture these amazing pictures while you get to live in the moment. I felt like i had my own personal photographer (a sensational one at that). If you wanna feel completely at ease, and truly have the best time ever, book with Jacob and Explore Joburg!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sanja_ecuador
Mar 30, 2022
Great time with Explore Jo'burg! - We had a GREAT tour with Jacob. He is very knowledgeable about Jo'burg, Soweto, its surroundings and history. We initially started with a half-day tour but extended it to a full-day tour because we were having too much fun. He picked us up at our location and drop us off again. Great service. HIGHLY recommended!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Maria
Jan 12, 2022
Wonderful Soweto experience - Even though the museum has been closed for Covid, Jacob managed to create a thorough and authentic experience by taking us to main highlights. Really informative and enjoyable.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Samantha415
Oct 25, 2021
Book with Jacob! - Our hotel arranged for Jacob to provide a full day tour with stops at galleries and Soweto. We feel like we completely lucked out! Jacob is smart, knowledgeable and thoughtful. He easily explained the historical significance of the sites we visited, encouraged us to stop for photos, and gave us his take on current events x all in all, an excellent guide to this bustling city. I would definitely book with him again!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Michael_b
Jan 9, 2020
Awesome Personalized Half Day Private Tour - The two of us joined Jacob for this private half day tour during our Honeymoon, and it was absolutely perfect. We asked for an extra hour of sleep (granted, though you don't want to wait til it's too too hot) and Jacob picked us up in a new air conditioned Volvo and we started our tour.
As Americans, we knew very little about Apartheid, and after this morning of conversation and historical immersion, we feel so much more informed. It's a super heavy topic, but Jacob is an intelligent and thoughtful guide who will introduce you to locals along the way to share different perspectives.
Because it was a private tour, we were able to spend more time in the museum on our own and bagged lunch altogether. As for content, we learned a ton about Apartheid, Nelson Mandela, and general African and South African history, so you don't need a background in international affairs to find this tasteful museum and experience very special.
Bring a little bit of cash so you can tip folks like the student tour guide at Nelson Mandela house, etc.
I would recommend this tour, and Jacob as a guide, without hesitation. He made our experience in SA incredibly special. Thanks again!
Review provided by Viator
Deane_r
Apr 29, 2024
A day with Jacob - Thank you to Jacob for a very memorable day out seeing Soweto and the apartheid museum. Also for taking us up the hill for a great view of Joburg. Communication was very good and clear. Would definitely recommend going on this day tour in their very comfortable Mercedes van. Would recommend that if possible more of the other side of Soweto is shown or talked about as well on the tour.
Review provided by Viator
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