Last week I departed my beloved (but cold and dark) Berlin in favor of summer, and after 24 hours of travel, landed in Johannesburg, South Africa, with weather reminiscent of back home in Southern California.
I almost didn’t know what to make of it at first. My face started sweating (I suffer from what my family jokingly calls EFS – Excessive Face Sweat), I instantly felt tired in the heat, and I wondered why the heck I was wearing all black, boots, and long sleeves in the middle of summer.
Oh yeah, that’s because I had just left a gnarly German winter.
I landed and quickly changed into summer garb at my AirBnB-rented room at a lovely little house in Randburg.
These days since I’m not staying in hostels as much anymore, meeting people requires a bit more resourcefulness. Luckily in Jo’burg, I had some mutual friends who were kind enough to show me around some really cool parts of the city, thereby allowing me to meet even more new friends, and so on. Plus, some readers of mine noticed via Instagram that I was in the area and invited me out as well. It worked out perfectly!
Here are some great ways to spend a few days like a local would in the city:
Northcliff Ridge
Check out Northcliff Ridge, which my AirBnB host kindly took me to during his lunch break one day.
He mentioned it’s not typically in guide books but provides one of the best lookout points in the entire city. The 360-degree view gave me a great introduction to what would turn out to be a great week in Johannesburg. Stretching in every which direction, the city seems endless.
The best way to get there is to drive a car up.:
Drinks (or bungee jumps) at the Orlando Towers in Soweto
An old power plant that has been revamped into a bar/bungee jump/paint-ball arena is a great place to see some talented buskers and to drink cheap drinks in Soweto.
It’s full of adrenaline-pumping activities and has a great vibe.
A few words on Soweto: It is the largest township in South Africa along the mining belt and was central to the movement to resist the apartheid. It’s also home to many of the city’s most disadvantaged residents yet boasts a heavy amount of history and culture. It’s and also where the Nelson Mandela National Museum is located.
I visited with a friend of a friend who is a resident of the township. He provided me a private tour for less money than many of the group tours I had seen, plus he gives a lot back to his community and can show you a side of the city that not everybody gets to see. Definitely recommended if you find yourself in Johannesburg. Contact him here
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Neighbourgoods Market in Braamfontein
As shown in the video, each Saturday from 9am to 3pm, a parking lot in the heart of downtown turns into a market with craft beer and all kinds of inventive eats. grab some food from one of the pop-up stalls then head up to the rooftop for some drinks and sunshine.
I loved the mix of people here, as well as the large variety of cooked-to-order meals, drinks, and artisanal foods available.
Market on Main
Much like the Neighbourgoods market, Arts on Main is full of delicious food with a patio-bar in the back with a mixed crowd who love to dance and drink everything from champagne to German-style Hefewiesen.
The food and design stalls promote inner-city living and ended up being my personal favorite of the weekend, probably because of the awesome and super friendly people I met there.
There are still plenty of things that tourists normally see that are entirely worth seeing, such as the Apartheid Museum.
But if you end up in Johannesburg and check any of these more local areas out, let me know what you thought!
Have anything to add to this list? Let me know in the comments!
Helen says
Johannesburg is somewhere I’ve not managed to spend a lot of time but need to get back to South Africa at some point. Thanks for the tips Kristin! 🙂
Kristin says
For sure! It doesn’t get enough love for being such a cool city. Maybe much like LA, it takes a car and knowing some insiders/locals to really appreciate it.
travelFREAK says
What a great post! Johannesburg is one of the most vibrant cities I’ve been to!
Kristin says
Agreed and it gets such a bad rap!
Kristin says
It’s not too tall but hey I would too!
Chanel | Cultural Xplorer says
Some good tips on here – thanks! 😀
Anna says
I recently found your Instagram and I’m in awe, this trip looks so incredible!!!! I can’t wait to hear more stories, it looks like you’re having a fantastic time.
Kristin says
Thanks so much! It’s absolutely incredible and I can’t believe how amazing this country is. Definitely LOTS more to come.
Jimmy Dau says
Great video Kristin. You’ve just inspired me to charge up my gopro which I haven’t used in over a year!
Kristin says
Awesome! I love that.
Ragan Wesson says
I love your video – videos are great because they capture so much that pictures cannot. But great pictures, too!
Kristin says
Thanks! I was hoping that as well. More to come!
Michelle | Lights Camera Travel says
Wow that makeshift bunny! Are you going for a swing?
I haven’t yet been to South Africa. I would absolutely love to though!
Kristin says
You mean the bungee? I didn’t do that one but I did just do the tallest natural bridge jump in the world closer to Cape Town a few days ago.
Ben says
Great post. Were you able to connect with my brother while there?
Kristin says
Oh man if you had messaged me about him before I’m so sorry for forgetting! I get so many suggestions to meet lovely people that a lot gets lost in the shuffle. I might return though so send me his details again!
Andrew says
Have a great time exploring!
What are your next destinations planned in SA?
Have you looked into Shark diving yet? 🙂
Kristin says
I might do cageless diving with bull sharks but the cage diving is starting to seem like it goes against my values on how to treat marine life. Figuring out my plans now!
Andrew says
oh really? I didn’t know that I thought they just drew them in closer to the cage. Please share your findings as you look into it – if they do indeed mistreat the sharks it would change my tune on it as well…
Safe and happy travels!
Kristin says
As a diver I’ve been in the water with a lot of sharks. It’s in their nature to avoid people when possible. We’re also constantly told not to feed them. As demand for shark diving increases I’d expect more and more will actually feed the animals, and that throws off the whole ecosystem. It creates an unnatural situation and I can’t help but wonder what that does mentally when humans and blood and feeding are all associated with each other.
That said, I’ve made mistakes in the past and I don’t say this from a soap box, just one person’s thoughts on the matter.
Andrew says
That’s a really good point and it has made me rethink about my bucket list entry for cage diving with a great white. Maybe time to research that one a lot more!
I’ve never thought about it like that, as you say over time it may well change the sharks feeding habits and even areas where they frequent. Well I hope you find a way to have a great shark experience either way!
🙂 Peace
Rashaad says
I can’t believe it took me a while to read this article…
I look forward to reading your travels in South Africa. Will you post articles about Soweto and visiting the Nelson Mandela Museum (I didn’t know there was a Nelson Mandela Museum – but that shouldn’t be a surprise considering everything there seems to be named after Madiba)? It would be interesting to hear a traveller’s perspective of a township.
Kristin says
If you’d like a post specifically about Soweto I can do that. I have been back a couple of times, once just to the Orlando towers and once to Kliptown again to visit the orphanage and Kliptown Youth Program. I’d love to talk about how readers from afar can get involved in a helpful way. Just trying to think around how to do that.
Rashaad says
If you could write an article about Soweto, that would be magnificent. An article about how readers could be a positive influence would be wonderful 🙂 (I actually studied Resposible Tourism Management in the UK so what you is very much responsible tourism)
Laura says
Is South Africa budget friendly? I have two months of vacations from work and uni during the summer and I don’t know where to go yet.
Thanks!
Kristin says
Yes and no. Not Southeast Asia cheap but not Europe expensive.
John Wheaton says
You have come to one of my favorite places on Earth, South Africa. I lived for a year in Pretoria and loved it. If you get the chance, visit Pilanesberg to see the cheetah park, and Kruger National Park to see all kinds of animals. Jo’burg I don’t know so well, and it’s been 15 years since I was in the RSA, so my advice wouldn’t help much, anyways. Pretoria is famous for its jacaranda trees, but they bloom in October, so doubtless they’re not as purple as in the spring.
Kristin says
I do love purple. Definitely still want to check out Kruger.
John Wheaton says
You need to, for sure. It’s a big park, as big as Israel, so to do it right you should stay overnight.
Here’s some elementary South African-speak:
Howzit? = how are you doing?
Lakke (Afrikaans) = sweet! or great! (sounds like LAH-kuh)
Baie danke (Afrikaans) = thanks very much (sounds like “buy a donkey”)
Goie more (Afrikaans) or just “more” = Good morning (KHO ya MOH ruh — the “kh” is like the clearing your throat sound)
Sawubona (Zulu) = hello (to a single person, I’ve forgotten the plural version) the BOH in Boh-na should be drawn out a little: sa-woo BOOHHH-na
That’s all I can remember. 15 years. Too long.
Kristin says
Funny thing – howzit is common to say in Hawaii too (where I have family) so it was an interesting coincidence and something I’m not totally unused to saying! Have heard Lakke a lot.