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One Day Africa Soweto Tour

ByThe Scribs and Nibs

By now you may know that I love tours with One Day Africa. I’ve done two in Cape Town (a street art tour and a city bike tour). When my sister visited Joburg, I knew we had to go on a Soweto Tour with One Day Africa.

A township tour is part of a quintessential visit to Johannesburg, of which Soweto is not only the most famous but also accessible for tourists. That said, this is also a great tour for locals. On our tour, my sister and I were joined by a couple, one of whom lives in Glenhazel and had never been to Soweto before.

Depending on where you are in Joburg, Soweto may be closer than you think. From our apartment in Linden, it’s an easy 20-minute car ride. Honestly, I thought it was much further away but I never even googled it until the day before our tour.

Visiting Soweto with a guide gives you incredible access to a walking-talking encyclopedia ready to answer all your questions. Thanks to our guide, Rambo, who told us the info we needed to know about everything we asked, and also sang some tunes for us along the way.

One of my favorite things about going on tours with One Day Africa is that you’ll always feel like you’re wandering around with a friend who knows what’s up.

The Basics

Why Tour Soweto?

Historically, Soweto has been an epicenter of political activity. Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu both spent time in Soweto. The Soweto student uprising in 1976 against the Apartheid government’s policy to enforce education in Afrikaans sparked a violent reaction from the government, leading to massive protests. It’s also a center of art, culture, and activity year-round.

Soweto Tour Experience

After parking, I suggest you get a coffee at Vilakazi Espresso and take a cool picture outside.

Right across the street, you’ll meet your tour guide at the Hector Pietersen Museum and learn about the Soweto student uprising and the history of Youth Day in South Africa. Hearing the history from Rambo is much more impactful than just reading about it as you’ll be in the location where the protests took place. You can go to the museum after the tour. I honestly knew almost nothing about this history until the tour. I feel much more educated now.

Next, we visited an old train station that we crossed over to see the non-touristy side of Soweto. After checking out the local scene, our group made our way to Vilakazi street, where we learned more about life in Soweto during Apartheid and the people who fought for justice.

We walked into The Box Shop Lifestyle, an event space-bookstore-and cafe. I want to come back here for sundowners one day. The views are great!

There is a mandatory stop at the Mandela House, where there is the option to go into the museum (at your own cost). We opted not to go in because we were being told the history well enough by Rambo from the outside. Our group stopped outside the Tutu House. As the family still owns the property, this was pretty underwhelming because all you can do is stand outside by the plaque—however, Rambo has all you need to know about this important figure.

If you see anything you like on the tour and want to take a picture, just let your guide know!

This mural depicts the Soweto student uprising.

I really liked this tile artwork. This spot used to be a school but is no longer.

Optional Activities

Soweto Towers

You’ll get a full background on Soweto’s now-defunct powerplants from your guide. If you have your own car, I suggest visiting this on your own so that you can spend more time walking around Soweto with Rambo. Otherwise, you’ll take a detour to hop on a bus to check them out.

You can bungee jump between the towers for R630/pp. No reservations needed, just show up!

Lunch

We decided not to request a lunch or accept the drink offering from Rambo, though this can be part of your tour as well. Instead, we spent all our extra time asking questions and stopping for pictures. No regrets.

Other One Day Africa Tours

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