The financial, industrial and transport heart of South Africa is Johannesburg or, as it is called locally, Johannesburg. Most of the inhabitants of Johannesburg are black South Africans, who live mainly in Soweto and other suburbs of Jihannaburg. Unlike other South African cities, no language group dominates here, although English acts as a lingua franc.
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How to get
Through Johannesburg, most of South Africa's roads pass: Road No. 1 leads from Cape Town and Bloemfontein, No. 3 from Durban, No. 4 from Nelspruit, No. 12 from Kimberley and Potchefstroom, No. 14 from Upington.
Johannesburg Airport
The main and most loaded on the whole continent International Airport named after O.R. Tambo is the link for flights to other cities of South Africa. The airport is located 24 km east of the center of Johannesburg. Most of the flights to Johannesburg from European cities are at night, whereas the flights themselves arrive at the airport early in the morning. When traveling on one of these flights, one should be prepared for large queues at passport control.
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Climate
Partly cloudy, light rain, thunderstorms +21 ° С in the day +14 ° С at night ° С water |
Partly cloudy, light rain +20 ° С in the afternoon +15 ° С at night ° С water |
Clearly +22 ° С in the day +12 ° С at night ° С water |
| Johannesburg weather forecast for 10 days | ||
Metropolitan area
The subway, which is the cheapest mode of transport, connects the central part of Johannesburg with the suburbs of Soweto and Pretoria, as well as most satellite cities along the Witwatersrand mountain range.
Entertainment, excursions and attractions of Johannesburg
Sightseeing tours around Johannesburg and Pretoria. Visit the Gold Reef-City theme park, an open-air museum that recreates the time of the Gold Rush in Johannesburg, descends into the underground mine, demonstrates the process of casting gold, visits the diamond mine Premier, where the world's largest diamond was found weighing 3106 carats . Visit to the reserve of rhinoceroses, lion nursery and caves. Ethnographic village of Lesedy, one of the largest zoos in Africa, hot air balloon flights.
Gold Reef City
In the theme park "Gold Reef-City", which arose around the largest in the mine in Johannesburg, there are water attractions and slides, a 4D cinema and restaurants, and excursions to the mine itself - the deepest gold mine in the world. The park is open for visitors from Wednesday to Sunday from 09:30 to 17:00, and on school days - every day. The admission ticket costs 160 rand.
Lion Nursery
In the lion cattery, you can not only watch the lions, but even play with them. This nursery, which is neither a reserve nor a zoo, is divided into two areas: a zone for herbivores such as zebras, giraffes, antelopes, etc., and a zone for carnivores. Herbivores freely roam around their "territory", and visitors can observe them in close proximity at any time.
The camp of carnivores is represented by three lions and a clan of hyenas, protected by barriers to prevent attacks against each other. An entrance ticket worth 150 rand gives an opportunity to ride through the lion's "camp" on your own car (the cost is indicated for 1 person). Visitors without a car are offered a tour of the lion camp "camp" worth 225 rand.
Village of Lesedi
Ethnographic village of Lesedy, a kind of cradle of the culture of African tribes, was established in 1993. The main goal of the village is to give an idea of the traditional way of life of some of the peoples of South Africa.
Museums of Johannesburg
There are many interesting museums in Johannesburg, including the National Museum of Military History, the railway museum, the Nelson Mandela National Museum and the apartheid museum.
The collection of the museum of military history is represented mainly by military equipment, among which is one of the few surviving German jet fighters - "Messerschmitt Me.262" from the Second World War. In addition, the museum exhibits the so-called "Rhinoceroses" - South African 155-mm self-propelled artillery mount class self-propelled howitzers, the Museum is open to visitors daily from 09:00 to 16:30, the entrance fee is 25 rand.
Nelson Mandela National Museum is located in Soweto, in a house where, in the 1990s, the first black South African president and leader of the struggle against apartheid lived with his family. The museum is open to visitors daily from 09:00 to 17:00, the admission fee is 60 rand.
The Museum of Apartheid - the first of its kind - was opened in 2001 to show the world how South Africa fought against racial discrimination against blacks. Among the exhibits of the museum you can see provocative frames of films, photographs and other artifacts that tell about the events and human histories of the apartheid period. The museum is open to visitors from 09:00 to 17:00, the entrance fee is 60 rand.
Prices are as of September 2012. Photos of Johannesburg (20)