Travel Guide to Johannesburg – A city in the ascent!

Johannesburg is surely a city in the ascent. This emerging tourist destination in South Africa is ready to attract tourists in a big way. Until now, Cape Town succeeded in luring visitors from across the world. However, Johannesburg has carved a niche of its own and is a flourishing destination in the country.

The city has some of the best attractions, hotels, beaches and bars. If you are visiting Johannesburg for the first time, the information presented here in the form of a travel guide would be beneficial for you in planning a visit to the city quite well beforehand.

But before you book flights to Johannesburg for your holidays, here are some recent updates that you would love to know about this beautiful city. This news is bound to make the visitors to the city quite happy. Media reports recently said that Shongololo Lounge at Johannesburg’s Oliver Tambo International Airport has been recognized as the ‘Best Airport Lounge in Africa and the Middle East’ for 2014. The lounge has been presented the award for welcoming the travelers with the best of African hospitality and luxury. This is undoubtedly good news for all those planning to visit Johannesburg from different parts of the world.
 
Johannesburg offers many reasons to visit the city and the country. This magnificent place is the main gateway to enjoy the sunny climate, gorge on authentic African cuisines and explore the scenic beauty of South Africa. This 2nd largest city in Africa welcomes 10 million visitors to the country every year. It has fast transformed itself as a leading business-cum-leisure destination. Tourists visiting the city can look forward to a number of sporting, leisure, cultural, and fashion and lifestyle activities.

Johannesburg is known as among the world’s most tree-rich cities. At least 90 percent of vegetation comprises of exotic plants. The city attracts nature and eco-tourists in huge numbers with over 10 million trees found here. The presence of such a large number of trees has accorded Johannesburg the status of world’s biggest man-made forest.

For first time visitors the ideal way to explore the city is to go in for a combined tour of Johannesburg as well as Soweto. While doing so, you will get opportunity to visit Vilakazi Street, world’s only street which had earlier been home to Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu, the two South African Nobel Prize winners. Another significant attraction in the city worth visiting is the Maropgeng. It is situated at the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site. It is here that ancestors of South Africans lived for above 3 million years. Apart from visiting the birthplace of humanity, the Sterkfontein Caves here is a must visit. Do remember to visit Johannesburg’s most popular township Soweto. A visit here will help you understand all about Johannesburg, its people and culture. In fact, Soweto is the best place to start exploration of Johannesburg.

Most of the visitors prefer to go on walking tours to explore the city in great detail. But, in case of Johannesburg you should strictly avoid this because the city is quite expansive and undertaking walking tours will consume lot of your energy and time.

To see local cultures and rich heritage of South Africa, it is important that you should visit the Lesedi Cultural Village. It will take you only 45 minutes to reach here from the city centre. It is exciting to see four different cultures – Pedi, Xhosa, Basotho and Zulu – living in perfect harmony with each other. You will get amazing insight into the way of life of these tribes. The Hector Pieterson Memorial and Museum is also a must visit attraction in Soweto, and you shouldn’t miss out on this in any case.