Experience Johannesburg

Johannesburg is a huge urban sprawl, and though all the hotels and major malls have moved to the northern suburbs, some of the city center is enjoying a renaissance. The area near City Hall and the Newtown Cultural Precinct has been completely overhauled. The streets have been gentrified with stylish lighting, paving, and small wooden sculptures on concrete plinths. Soweto, too, is well worth a visit, although you should take a guided tour. Jo'burg is a sprawling city that can seem rather boring if you don't know what to look for, where to go, and how to interpret what you're seeing.

Though Johannesburg is rarely associated with the great outdoors, it has its share of pleasant parks and nature reserves hugging the outskirts of the city. In the outer areas it's possible to envision how the inland plateau must have appeared to the region's first settlers. Beyond this to the north lies the largely unspoiled Magaliesberg region. Here you can get a restful break amid lovely mountain scenery, farmlands, and quiet country roads. Also close by is the fascinating Cradle of Humankind, a World Heritage Site with a spectacularly rich fossil record. It was here that the remains of the first hominid, Australopithecus, were found, as well as records of the earliest known use of fire.