Gold Reef City

Gold Reef City is a large amusement park in Johannesburg, South Africa. Located on an old gold mine, the park is themed around the gold rush on the Witwatersrand. Park staff wear period costumes of the 1880s, and the buildings on the park are designed to mimic the same period. There is a museum dedicated to gold mining on the grounds where it is possible to see a gold-containing ore vein and see how real gold is poured into barrels.

There are many attractions at Gold Reef City, not the least of which are water rides and roller coasters. The liveshows of Idols South Africa are filmed live in the “Hippodrome”, a large auditorium based in the park.

Gold Reef City is located to the south of the Central Business District off of the M1. It is also the site of the Apartheid Museum.

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Sun City

Sun City is the entertainment focus of South Africa. The resort boasts its own lively casino, health spa, botanical gardens, extravaganza theatre and the renowned Valley of the Waves.

Sun City, unique in the context of world resorts, with a combination of features unmatched anywhere, draws thousands of visitors each year to its four top-quality hotels, a Vacation Club plus magnificent sporting and recreational facilities including 2 world class golf courses, and the magical Lost City water-park, The Valley of Waves.

Only 187 km from Johannesburg, the resort, situated in the bushveld of South Africa’s North West province, is surrounded by the imposing mountains of the Pilanesberg. The wide choice of conference venues ensure a level of convention and banqueting facilities which few can beat.

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Pilanesberg Game Reserve is in the Bojanala Region of the North West Province, adjacent to Sun City.

Wildlife:
The park is home to healthy populations of lion, leopard, black and white rhino, elephant and buffalo – Africa’s “Big Five”.
A wide variety of rare and common species exist like the nocturnal brown hyaena, the fleet-footed cheetah, the majestic sable, as well as giraffe, zebra, hippo and crocodile, to mention but a few.

Bird life:
Bird watching is excellent with over 300 species recorded. Some are migrants, others permanent inhabitants; some eat carrion or live prey, others eat seeds, fruit or tiny water organisms.
There is a self-guided trail in the Walking Area at Manyane Complex in the east, which offers environmental education whilst enjoying game viewing and bird watching on foot. Also at Manyane is a walk-in aviary with over 80 species of indigenous birds.

General:
Visitors are offered many opportunities to experience the wonders of Pilanesberg. There are nearly 200 kilometres of excellent quality roads for either self-drives or guided drives, and professional guides operate within the park.
Numerous hides and scenic picnic sites enable the tourist to experience “out-of-car” experiences as well.

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The Johannesburg Zoo was established in 1904, and historically, it has been owned and operated by the City Of
Johannesburg. Recently, the Johannesburg Zoo was registered as a Section 21 (non-profit) company.

The core business of the Johannesburg Zoo is the accommodation, enrichment, husbandry and medical care of wild animals. The Johannesburg Zoo contributes to the quality of life of the citizens of the city through the following:

* Education: Look after the environment, it is the only one we’ve got. This message is spread through numerous awareness programmes, edutainment, as well as smell, hear, touch and feel programmes held throughout the year. The Zoo is the epicentre for the ‘living sciences’. We encourage teachers and parents to bring their pupils and children to the zoo to bring environmental subjects to life . Night tours are a must.

* Conservation: Zoos work with the trees while Parks work with the forest. This governs the relationship with the environment, global co-operation, endangered species preservation and wildlife environmental protection and rehabilitation. In partnership with local, provincial national and regional conservation authorities, private landowners and NGO’s, the Zoo contributes to conservation in various ways.

* Research: Problem solving to improve the stability of wildlife. This is achieved through biological conservation, animal diseases information and medical care given to animals. The Zoo contributes to research in three main ways – own research, academic research and partnership research.

* Recreation: Bringing a world of wildlife to your doorstep. Relaxation in a clean, green environment, a safe and healthy family recreational venue to spend quality time in an interesting and fun way. Accessible and affordable, the Zoo is the City of Johannesburg’s world of wildlife on your doorstep.

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An hour’s drive from Johannesburg are the Sterkfontein Caves, world famous for their fossil finds and a well-known visitor destination. After an extensive face-lift in 2005, the Sterkfontein Caves is now home to a top restaurant, conferencing facilities, improved access into the caves, new walkways and a boardwalk past the excavation site where world-acclaimed fossils have been discovered. The tours at the Sterkfontein Caves, which start above ground and then take visitors deep into the caves, run every half hour, seven days a week.

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Maropeng, meaning ‘returning to the place of our origins’, is the official visitor centre for the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site. Take the journey of discovery of the evolution of life and the origins of humankind. Located within easy reach of Johannesburg, Maropeng overlooks the magnificent Magaliesberg and Witwatersberg mountain ranges and is en route to the popular resort of Sun City.

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If you find yourself not knowing what to do in Soweto than a visit to one of the traditional African taverns (shebeens) or restaurants is a must. If you’re not up for tavern festivities then opt for one of Soweto’s cultural attractions. Don’t miss out on a visit to the important heritage site that is Nelson Mandela’s previous home on the well-known Vilakazi Street – This street was once home to not 1 but 2 Nobel Peace Prize winners – Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela. The house is now a museum and provides visitors with some insight as to where this great man came from.

Well worth a visit is Wandies – A cosy tavern in the middle of this huge “township”, it is popular with both locals and tourists alike. In the suburb of Dube, some 15km from the Jo’burg city centre, it has become a mandatory stop on the route for virtually all Soweto tour operators.

The restaurant has played host to such luminaries as Richard Branson, the CEO of Virgin Airlines, Evander Holyfield, Jesse Jackson, Quincy Jones and the All Blacks.

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