Jacarandas in Johannesburg

This is the time of the year when the famed purple flowers of the jacaranda trees bloom. And what’s more, the jacarandas in Johannesburg line the streets, creating purple canopies all over town. The effect is so dreamy.

Jacaranda Walks

2023 update: Check Joburg In Your Pocket’s Jacaranda in Your Pocket photo competition here. There are some amazing prizes!

2022 update: I highly recommend going on a tour because last year I heard some phone-snatching stories from people who went walking around the neighborhoods of Rosebank and Saxonwood by themselves.

There are plenty of walking tours taking place around the city due to the yearly #JacarandaInYourPocket photo competition on Instagram.

Jacaranda Tour Operators

• Be sure to follow Joburg in Your Pocket for their events; they typically have the most going on every year from biking and city buses to walks.
• For some unique history and jacaranda, see what Joburg’s Heritage Foundation is doing; they tour some of the city’s most historic mansions (with jacarandas)
• Visit the CBD with Dlala Nje either on a walking tour around Ponte City or go to their 5101 Bar for Sunset.

I highly recommend going on a walk in a group, especially if you are unfamiliar with the area. That said, many of the GPS points I share below are from my own adventures (with Wilhelm) by foot or bike. Tours typically cost around R500 and are totally worth it.

Dlala Nje Jacaranda Walk

Dlala Nje started their very first Jacaranda Tour in 2023. I hope they have more in the future! Dlala Nje runs inner-city immersions and experiences in some of the city’s most misunderstood areas. They operate out of the iconic Ponte City Tower (aka, the Vodacom building). The Jacaranda walk was most similar to the Hillbrow Walking Tour (which I’ve done and loved).

The experience took us through Berea, Yeoville, and Hillbrow with explanations of the history of the neighborhood. Even though I had been on the history tours before, it was fun to see the inner city brightened by the jacarandas.

If you want to catch this view, then book a Sundowner Experience Thursday-Saturday.

Johannesburg in Your Pocket Walks

As I mentioned, the Johannesburg in Your Pocket Jacaranda events are the best way to see the sea of purple. Their events are hosted by professional photographers, bloggers, and local tour experts from across the city typically throughout October. I’ve been on two media walks and have been blown away every time by the thoughtfulness of the events, from scouting the best photo location to the history of the neighborhood. These walks usually go slow becuase people are taking pictures!

Villa Arcadia

In October 2023, our tour group visited Villa Arcadia, which was built in 1909 for Sir Lionel and Lady Florence Phillips, one of the influential Randlord families. Since then, it’s been an orphanage from 1923-2002, and later (as I found out from one of the other participants who had been here in the early 2000s) a rave (!!) and party center.

In 2005, Hollard bought the property and restored it to its former glory; it’s now part of the Hollard Campus. Our tour took us around the kloopies and then through the house, ending with an excellent tea.

Jacarandas in Johannesburg facts

Jacarandas were imported to South Africa from Brazil and Argentina in the 1880s by JD Celliers. JD Celliers was an Afrikaans poet.

Nelsonia Nurseries owner William Nelson is credited with lining the streets of Joburg with these purple blooms after growing them in his nurseries. Nelson is reported to have planted over 100km of trees in the Kensington neighborhood of Joburg.

As Jacarandas are alien to South Africa, it is now illegal to plant them as they consume copious amounts of water. In 2001 they were named a “category three invader,” which means no new trees can be planted and they must be kept out of biological reserves unless they were previously there.

That being said, jacaranda trees can live up to 200 years old, so we will still have jacarandas around in Joburg in our lifetimes.

According to a random Google source and then later confirmed by a tour guide, the word “Jacaranda” is believed to mean ‘fragrant’ in a native Peruvian dialect.

Bloom Times & Peak

Jacarandas typically bloom between September and November. Usually, Pretoria has its peak bloom before Joburg as the weather there tends to be a little warmer. How weird, right? The cities are just 40 minutes away from each other…

Each neighborhood is a little different. During my own little “jacaranda watch” around our Melrose Estate neighborhood when we first moved to Joburg, I noticed that the trees took about a month to turn brilliant purple. Nearby, the Rosebank neighborhood usually blooms before the rest of the city. Later when we moved to the Linden neighborhood, I noticed the third week of October is usually peak.

Watching the city transform into a patchwork of purple is incredible. And I can’t get enough.

Where can you see the Jacarandas in Johannesburg?

These are some areas that I’ve seen excellent jacarandas in Johannesburg:

Melrose Estate: the intersection of Jellico and Jameson and then walk around. GPS location.

Saxonwold: wander around Bristol Rd and Bath Ave. GPS location.

Parkwood: Walk around the area near the tennis courts. The lighting here is perfect during golden hour. GPS location.

Waverley: For views of jacarandas on hilly streets, check out the area around Bruse St and Burn St. GPS location.

Westcliff: Head to the Westcliff stairs for Jacaranda and Bougainvillea views. Be sure to walk between the two different stair locations. GPS location.

Rosebank View: The cover shot of this blog post was taken from the rooftop of the Workshop17 Firestation. It’s not typically open to the public, but Jacaranda season would be a great time to trial their co-working spaces. I went on a tour with Joburg in Your Pocket to see this incredible view.

If you can’t get access, a good alternative is the Radisson Red‘s rooftop bar for treetop views.

Linden: Check out 6th Street. There is also a big bougainvillea at the end of the street and right across is the popular Goddess Cafe. GPS location.

For more, check out some of these articles on spots to view jacarandas in Johannesburg:

• Fellow blogger Travel with Mariska has a post about where to see the jacarandas in Pretoria. Check it out here.
• Johannesburg in Your Pocket suggests Melrose, Dunkeld, Parkwood, Rosebank, Killarney and Saxonwold, Melville, Greenside & Parkview, and so many more. Check out their page for an extensive list of Jacaranda viewing in Joburg and Pretoria.
• Joburg.co.za suggests Modderfontien, Kensington, Melville Koppies, Observatory Ridge, North Cliff Hill, Four Seasons Westcliff, Carlton Center, and Rosebank.

White Jacarandas

There are a few white jacarandas around the city. I’ve heard of two in Joburg. One is around Jellicoe Road in Rosebank. The other is at the intersection of Benmore Rd and Outspan Rd in Morningside. The white jacarandas were imported from Peru in 1962 by a resident of Pretoria.

There are also some white jacarandas on Herbert Baker St. in Pretoria.

The oldest Jacarandas

If you’re searching for the oldest Jacarandas around, head to Pretoria. Apparently, the biggest and oldest jacaranda in Pretoria can be found on the corner of Eastwood and Stanza Bopape Sts. At the same time, some local history (from one Google source) notes that the first two jacaranda trees in Pretoria were planted by JD Celliers on Celliers Street in 1888.

Notes: YES, I have enhanced all the purple in the photos. I promise this editing effect makes it look more like it does in real life. It’s just so hard to capture the brilliant colors!