Gauteng Travel Forum

Hi there,

I´ve got a layover in Johannesburg ( 02 nights and one full day). I will arrive on 25 june.
i would like to know a litle of South africa ( culture, people, etc..)
Well, i need suggestions:
What city is better to stay? Pretoria or Joburg?
What guest house, do you recommend?close to the airport.. i prefer
my budget 50/70 usd/day
tours?soweto and lesedi cultural village?
do you know any local operator tour to recommend?

thanks ,

William

I was in South Africa with a tour group from Craigtravel.com a year ago this past March (my second visit). I can honestly say it is the most beautiful country I have ever visited. The people are wonderful, very gracious and welcoming. Experiencing the different cultures is so interesting. Definitely stay in Pretoria, not Joburg. It is a lovely city and safe. I would not say the same for Joburg. I suggest you contact Whynot Travel in Plettenberg Bay (whynot@global.co.za) for advice on accommodation as they are an excellent tour operator there. They can also help you with a tour of Soweto, which is a must-see. Good luck and enjoy!

Hire a car and drive to Sun City Resort in the Pilensburg Game Park, only 2 hours from Joburg. Take a safari, you will see the real Africa. We had a 3 night stopover on a round the world ticket 2 years ago. Something special.You could easily do it with your time frame. You are welcome to view my Sun City page, it might give you something to consider.

We had a car with driver meet us at the airport and return trip, not expensive.

Good Luck,
Mike

I agree with Mike that a trip to Pilansberg will give you a taste of the wildlife and is guaranteed to take you back to South Africa. I would stay in Johannesburg as it is closer and also Soweto is there should you wish to take that tour.

I noticed in DAO's pages that he recommends a place to stay in Jo'burg which looks very nice and seems very affordable. A plus is they pick you up at the airport and also can answer any questions you might have.

http://www.bobsbunkhouse.co.za/

Hi again,

Well, thank you Observe, Mikebb and Canuck68.

You are clarifying my ideas.

Now, i am planning and contacting what you said.

Last year, i went to Namibia- Etosha National park..and it was wonderful...

i really..really recommend to visit there.

Best regards,

William

Mate, personally I would choose Pretoria over Joburg any day of the week and twice on Sunday. In Pretoria you can visit or even stay at the Farm Inn, which is a wonderful accommodation with wildlife abounding on your doorstep. They have gorgeous lions, including the more scarce white lion. When we were there, they had lion pups and for a small fee we spend a wonderful half an hour playing with them. We also had the opportunity to bottle feed them.
The rangers are excellent and very knowledgeable. We even got to hug two cheetah, which was awesome.
Pretoria also has the largest urban game reserve in the world. Rietvlei has a large population of white rhino and many other species of animals. It is a most relaxing day!
Culturally, you can visit the Voortrekker Monument and Fort Skanskop among others. Don't forget to try biltong, droë wors and boerewors from one of the Pretoria butchers (I've heard Groenkloof Butcher is very good!).