1 month in southern Africa; how long in J'burg??
 

We have a month to spend in the southern part of Africa. We land in Johannesburg and leave from Capetown. I am starting to fill in the rest in regards to safaris etc.

Is spending a few days in J'burg before we head out time well spent? If so, how many - 2 or 3 or??

And I am researching things to see and do there, I have a good deal on hotel that I would like to get while I can.


African Pride Melrose Arch Hotel - thoughts??

Protea Hotel Fire & Ice! Melrose Arch

Thanks~

I find 2 to 3 nights enough time in JNB, if you rent a car you can visit many of the interesting sites quite easily. We usually stay closer to Sandton City or Rosebank as it is a good area to walk around in the evenings to find a restaurant. I'm not familiar with the area that your hotels are in but the reviews look good and the Africa Pride hotel seems to be close to restaurants.

How long in Jo'burg? Depends. We stayed Melville area. Certainly Apartheid Museum worthwhile. A Soweto tour could include Mandella house. Kruger Park to the NE and for other things of interest NW of Jo'burg check comments in recent query "Cape Town + Safari and what else." Our family found several interesting things.

We then headed south to Cape Town and then over to a guest house at Plettenburg Bay.

We will do Kruger NP after we leave Jo'burg and end in Capetown.

I am thinking of doing the HOHO bus. I never do these, but it seems like it might be a good way to get around as it seems public transit is not great??

Hi DebitNM,

Without seeing the rest of your itinerary, 2-3 days should be good for Joburg. I have been living here for a little over a year and really love it, there is a lot to do.

You are correct regarding public transportation. The best is to rent a car if you can. The HOHO bus is a great idea, we did it when we first moved here and really enjoyed it. You can get to many sites on it. You won't be able to hop off and see each one in one day; it would take at least 2. If you would like more info you can see the blog post I did about it (non-commerical) at:

http://underanafricansun.com/2013/12...e-big-red-bus/

Don't miss the Carlton Center, Apartheid Museum and most of all Constitution Hill (I did this lately over Christmas but you can do it from the bus).

Soweto is a must see, we did it on bike:
http://underanafricansun.com/2014/06/17/soweto-by-bike/

there is also an optional tour from the HOHO bus but I have not done that.

There are also some great food and drink markets to visit (opening days depend on the market). My favorites are Market on Main, Neighborgoods Market and the recently opened 1 Fox the Sheds.

http://underanafricansun.com/tag/markets/

There are also many walking tours offered, I have done several by Ancient Secrets but there are others as well:

http://underanafricansun.com/tag/ancient-secrets/

I haven't stayed in those hotels but Melrose Arch is a nice area and there are a lot of restaurants though I haven't eaten anywhere particularily good there. There is a Moyo, the food is just ok but it can be fun in a touristy sort of way if thats your thing (think face painting etc). Melville mentionned above is not so upscale like Melrose Arch but I really like it and there are tons of restaurants and bars.

Glad you are visiting the often overlooked Joburg, please let me know if you have any other questions.

I will be in Jo'burg later this year, are there areas to avoid for a woman traveling alone?

Hi P_M,

There are certainly areas to be avoided in Joburg, but this isn't really related specifically to a woman traveling alone, it would really apply to anyone. Areas like Hillbrow and Yeoville are best visited with a small group tour as well as Soweto and the CBD if you don't know your way around. Tourist sites should be fine, I really can't think of anything particular. Unfortunately, it is not like most European cities where one can just wander, but you probably know that already.

One thing to note for anyone having a car is to never leave anything visible in the car, not even while driving (purse, bags etc should always be in the boot). Smash and grabs are an unfortunate reality here but can mostly be avoided by keeping your stuff out of sight.

Please let me know if you have any other questions, I am glad to try and help. I hope you have a wonderful trip.

That's why I suggest staying in areas such as Rosebank or Sandton CIty. You can walk around those areas eg Nelson Mandela Square in the evenings quite safely, find a restaurant and have a nice evening out. We have walked at night to/from our hotel to Sandton City, but some hotels offer a shuttle service if you don't feel like walking.

Although we always rent a car, we do not drive at night in JNB and if we had to for some reason, we have been advised to never stop at red traffic lights (or robots as they are called in South Africa.)

Thanks for the safety tips kelleyee21 and Odin, that's exactly what I needed.