adventure travel africa

Soweto
From Pretoria, Jabu
Daily. 3 h tour in Soweto.
Picks up at Pretoria first, then Jo'burg.

Prices valid 31st Dec 2009
Friendly faces though life can be tough in Soweto
  Prices: R400 from Jo'burg, R480 from Pretoria, 
entrances to museums included
Min number: Guaranteed for one person

  This tour is one of the most impressive day tours in the Pretoria/ Johannesburg area. 

Soweto your tour guides gets joined by another guide that lives in one of the squatter camps and accompanies you during your visit of different squatter camps like the Nelson Mandela Camp and Kliptown Camp next to Freedom Square.

You should visit a shelter for street kids, a family, a shebeen and Regina Mundi Catholic church in Rockville where people meet yearly to remember the victims of the uprising on June, 16th 1975. On this day four school kids got shot by the police. It happened after a demonstration of school kids that were against the official school language Afrikaans. The peaceful demonstration turned into an uprising and became headline in the news all over the world.

 You will see the original little house in which Winnie and Nelson Mandela lived before Nelson got put into jail at Robben Island near Cape Town. This house is now a museum not too far away from Bishop Desmond Tutu's residence and the clinic where the victims of the uprising was officially declared dead. There is a monument for Hector Pieterson, one of the school kids that got shot and the Hector Pieterson museum has reopened on June 16, 2001. Hector wasn't the 1st, but is the most famous.

All in all a very informative tour guided by people who live there. They don't just show you the squatter camps but also the other parts of Soweto: Villas with neatly cut lawn and a Mercedes parked in the driveway. You will get the complete historic background of how Soweto came into life. You might even see Winnie Mandela who sometimes sorts things out at the family museum.

About 800 operators in the area doing personal tours to Soweto. The tour operator we are using is called Jabo and supports the people of Soweto with weekly donations for more than seven years now. Expect to be asked for donations for instance at the street kids shelter.
The history of South Africa lies in Soweto!

Tours:
Start from Pretoria or Johannesburg. Jabo picks you up at your hostel, hotel or guesthouse and brings you back after the tour. Pick ups start in Pretoria then Johannesburg.

Departure:
Pretoria : 8.00 and 14h00
Johannesburg: 9.00 and 14h00

Duration:
About 3 hours in Soweto. With travelling time you will be busy for half a day.

Cost:
Pretoria : R 480 p.p.
Johannesburg: R 400 p.p.
Can be booked with one days' notice only.

Not Included in the tour price:

Entry to Winnie's museum R20, entry to Hector Pieterson Museum (R15)
Regina Mundi Church, donation - total R35+

Not included:
Lunch, Tips, Donations.

Other preferred operator from Pretoria/Johannesburg:

Soweto half day tour Special Fridays 09:45 - R350
Private tour or language request: R600


Subject:         Re: To Soweto
Date:        Mon, 19 Jul 2004 16:15:49 +0200 (CEST)
From:         Ilaria Ronchi
To:         wom@mweb.co.za

Dear Hannelie,

I really enjoyed Soweto! I don't know why, but I felt particularly attracted by the township reality. I must say that I am glad to have been there, to have experienced the life of those people. It's hard to see all of that! At the end of the day you're not exactly happy, but you can appreciate more what you have.
E-mail to you soon!
Take care

Illy

Other daytrips available:


adventure travel africa
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