johannesburg and surroundings HOTEL, VILLAS AND SPA SOUTH AFRICA Index Johannesburg City, Soweto and Pretoria Tours Shopping Experiences Museums, Culture and Science Nature and Wildlife Johannesburg City Tour Hyde Park, Melrose Arch, Rosebank Mall, Maropeng – Cradle of Humankind Montecasino Bird Park Johannesburg and Soweto Tour Sandton City, Nelson Mandela Square, Origins Centre Elephant Sanctuary The Pivot at Montecasino Soweto Tour Apartheid Museum Bushbabies Monkey Sanctuary Nelson Mandela Museum and Desmond Tutu House Constitution Hill Ann van Dyk Cheetah Centre Dining Footsteps of Mandela Lion Park Qunu Restaurant and Luke Dale Roberts X the Saxon Mining Tours Gold Reef City Pilanesberg Game Reserve Gold Reef City Apartheid Museum Johannesburg Zoo Theatre Cullinan Diamond Mine Pretoria City Tours Pretoria Zoo Auto & General Theatre On The Square Jewel Africa at The Pivot at Montecasino Union Buildings and Pretoria Botanical Gardens Joburg Theatre Outdoor and Adventure Wonderboom Nature Reserve Peter Toerien’s Montecasino Theatre and Studio Natural History Hot Air Ballooning Victory Theatre Maropeng – Cradle of Humankind Art and Craft Galleries Gold Reef City Theme Park Lyric Theatre at Gold Reef City Origins Centre Art Eye Gallery Orlando Towers Market Theatre in Newtown Everard Read Gallery and Circa Gallery Goodman Gallery Golf Kim Sacks Gallery Steyn City Golf Course Stevenson Gallery tog’una African Artefacts Collection African Craft Market of Rosebank Johannesburg Welcome to Johannesburg, one of the world’s largest urban forests. Aside from the Hotel’s own excellent culinary offerings and The Gauteng region is an all-year-round destination that enjoys business facilities, there is a range of world class restaurants in excellent weather throughout the seasons, with moderately cool, and around the city to play host to business lunches or dinners, dry winters and hot summers with the cooling relief of sporadic providing a palate range of culinary experiences. Johannesburg’s thundershowers. flourishing arts and culture scenes provide wonderful gallery and Johannesburg, the powerhouse of South Africa, is a city steeped theatre outings, while a visit to one of the magnificently designed in a rich cultural and political history, which attracts both business museums offers an in-depth exploration of the city’s history, or you and leisure travellers. This vibrant city has a lot to offer visitors, from could take one of our recommended citywide tours for a day of historic sights of political importance, traditional ties or cultural sensory delights. Wherever you go in the city, the warm African connections, to museums, art galleries and craft markets. spirit will surely follow. The charming and vibrant atmosphere makes the city of Whether you want to discover South Africa’s traditional Johannesburg a sought-after destination for visitors from all around roots, diverse cultures or explore the lively spirit of the city and the world. Whether it’s strictly business, a well-needed getaway or surroundings, the Saxon Concierge is on hand to assist you with a bit of both, the Saxon offers the ideal luxury retreat. planning your Johannesburg experience. Johannesburg City, Soweto and Pretoria Tours The Soweto Tour explores the cultural melting pot of South Africa and follows the road that led to the end of Apartheid and the Johannesburg City Tour dawn of democracy. The tour includes a visit to the Nelson Mandela The extensive city tour includes a panoramic view of the city, a Museum, the original Soweto home of Nelson Mandela in Vilakazi drive through the central business district, a visit to traditional Street. Vilakazi Street is the only street in the world to have housed healing markets and the bustling Hillbrow. You will cross the two Nobel Peace Prize laureates, namely the late former President Nelson Mandela Bridge into Newtown, the cultural district of Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu. Also on Johannesburg, where you will visit Museum Africa and step into a the itinerary is the Hector Pieterson Memorial and Museum, where typical shebeen of the 1950s. the state-of-the-art multi-media centre depicts scenes leading up to the student uprising of 16 June 1976. The extended tour includes additional experiences such as a visit to the historic Constitution Hill, as well as the SAB World of Beer, In addition, the tour offers a local craft experience at the Handiworx where you can learn about the history of beer and take a walk project or the Soweto Green, as well as a visit to an informal through the sample brewery before stopping in the Tap Room to settlement, a day care centre and Baragwanath Hospital. There is enjoy a glass or two. also an optional cycle tour from Phomolong. Johannesburg and Soweto Tour Nelson Mandela Museum and Desmond Tutu House The ultimate combination of inner city Johannesburg and vibrant The tour takes visitors to the Nelson Mandela Museum, the original Soweto, the Johannesburg and Soweto Tour explores the rich Soweto home of Nelson Mandela, as well as the former home of heritage and diverse cultures of South Africa. This tour includes scenic Desmond Tutu in Vilakazi Street, Orlando West. views of the city and Newtown, as well as visits to traditional African healing markets and the Hector Pieterson Memorial and Museum. Footsteps of Mandela This iconic tour takes you on an inspirational journey as you explore Soweto Tour the history of the late former President Nelson Mandela and the Situated to the south-west of Johannesburg is Soweto, one of the places and people that he touched in his efforts to end Apartheid. world’s most famous townships and an important monument to Starting at his home in Houghton, the tour includes visits to Apartheid. A sprawling, self-sufficient home to millions, the spirit Chinatown and crosses the Nelson Mandela Bridge into Newtown of Soweto resonates in a plethora of shebeens. and Museum Africa. The tour also includes a visit to the Nelson Mandela Museum, the original Soweto home of Nelson Mandela in Vilakazi Street. Gold Reef City built in 1905, and the Union Buildings designed by Sir Herbert Situated near the central business district of Johannesburg, Baker, offering visitors a magnificent view of the city from the top Gold Reef City has been built around a former gold mine as a of Meintjieskop. reconstruction of the early days of Johannesburg during the gold If you are interested in indigenous flora, you will enjoy visiting rush era. Attractions include historic miners’ houses and a Victorian the Pretoria National Botanical Gardens with its 50 hectares of fun fair, as well as the South African Mint Museum. You can watch indigenous flowering plant species and trees. Another famous molten gold being poured and also experience a trip down the old national landmark is the Wonderboom, a unique 1 000 year old mine shaft. Traditional tribal dancing adds a touch of indigenous Wild Fig Tree at the Wonderboom Nature Reserve. cultural entertainment. Union Buildings and Pretoria Botanical Gardens Apartheid Museum The imposing Union Buildings were designed by Sir Herbert Baker. The Apartheid Museum tells the story of the triumph of the human Visitors to this historic site at the top of Meintjieskop can take in spirit over adversity. The museum is a superb example of design, the magnificent views of the city. The tour also includes a visit to space and landscape, offering the international community an the Pretoria National Botanical Gardens with its 50 hectares of insight into South Africa’s past. The exhibits have been assembled indigenous flowering plant species and trees. and organised by a multi-disciplinary team of curators, film-makers, historians and designers. They include film footage, photographs, Wonderboom Nature Reserve text panels and artefacts illustrating the events and human stories Wonderboom Nature Reserve is a small reserve in the Magaliesberg from the Apartheid era. mountains in the north of Pretoria. The best known attraction within the reserve is the Wonderboom, which means ‘miracle Pretoria City Tours tree’, an immense Wild Fig tree that is estimated to be 1 000 The nearby city of Pretoria is known as the Jacaranda City because years old and stands 25 metres tall, 55 metres wide and has 13 of the abundance of jacaranda trees which are a feast of lilac individual trunks. blue flowers in October. Pretoria, with its rich history, generates a multicultural energy from a harmonious blend of traditions, Visitors can take a short hike up the mountain to view a cave and culture and architecture. The tour includes a choice of either the man-made waterfall that cascades down the western side of the Voortrekker Monument, a well known landmark in honour of mountain into the Apies River. The hiking trail offers spectacular the early Voortrekker pioneers, or the Paul Kruger House, Church views of the surrounding areas. The reserve is also the site of the Square, Freedom Square, the Mirramen Hindu Temple which was historic Fort Wonderboom. Art and Craft Galleries Stevenson Gallery The Stevenson Gallery has an international exhibition programme Johannesburg offers an array of art galleries, some exhibiting the with a particular focus on regions. In addition to exhibiting gallery work of international artists, while others focus on developing local artists, it has also brought in the work of celebrated artists and has South African talent. The Saxon can arrange a tailor-made tour to a in the past participated in international art events. number of galleries and showrooms to suit the particular interests of our guests. togu’na African Artefacts Collection togu’na offers a range of pieces meticulously sourced from across Art Eye Gallery the African continent. Each item on display has a personal history Art Eye Gallery, situated in The Design Quarter in Fourways, is a developed through wear and use over time.