Johannesburg “The City of Gold”
Brief History
Standing 2,000 metres above sea level on a vast plateau – the veld and Johannesburg has a near perfect climate of hot climate of hot summers, warm winters and pleasantly cool evenings.
Only just a little over a century old, southern Africa’s largest city has grown from a small mining town astride the world’s richest gold reef to one of the continent’s major financial and industrial centers. Today, post-apartheid Johannesburg is a stimulating cultural melting pot and offers a diverse range of sports, entertainment, music and theatre.
For many visitors to South Africa the Game parks are a prime attraction-there are several close to the city and there is much else besides. Entertainment in and around Johannesburg covers a wide spectrum from the hot discotheques and show extravaganzas of Sun City – the Las Vegas of South Africa, to the Roodepoort Eisteddfod, an international music competition for orchestras, singers, choirs, folk music and dance that attracts participants and visitors around the world.
Shoppers will find much to delight them. Handicrafts (including batik, pearls, minerals, leather and woodwork), curios, antiques and jewellery are excellent buys. Sandton, in the north of Johannesburg is an exclusive and safe residential and business area with numerous hotels. Home to the country’s premier shopping venues – Sandton City and Sandton Square provide an outstanding range of boutiques, shops, restaurants and cinemas.
In addition to excellent art galleries and museums, Johannesburg offers attractions unique to South Africa .At Gold Reef City, a historical reconstruction of a Victorian village, complete with fun fair and pub, visitors may learn about Johannesburg’s early days, go down a mine shaft and watch the gold mining process from extraction of ore to pouring of ingots. Additionally, the Botanical Garden, on the banks of the Emmerentia Dam has the largest rose garden in Africa. At Lion Park north west of Sandton, you can have your picture taken with a lion cub. Life in modern South Africa can be explored in Soweto, home to some three million people, where you will see shebeens (social clubs), football stadiums, spaza shops(informal street corner emporiums selling anything from matches to blankets) and experience the township’s vibrant musical culture.
What Clients are Saying
sharan bhamra
Mar 01, 2013