7 Days in Johannesburg: Family Trip

Day by day

Day 1: Arrival in Johannesburg. Montecasino looks like a Tuscan village with painted ceilings of sky, little lanes and a piazza. After the flight the children walk around here on level, sheltered ground while you come to rest in one of the restaurants. The casino area remains reserved for adults, while the rest of the complex is freely accessible. Go to bed early, as the Highveld and the time difference affect children more than expected.

Day 2: Gold Reef City Theme Park. Gold Reef City turns a real gold mining past into an amusement park with roller coasters, rides and a tour that makes mining tangible. Smaller children find carousels, and the bigger ones throw themselves at the loops. Anyone with energy left in the evening moves on to the Walter Sisulu Botanical Garden: picnic lawns, birdwatching and a short path to the waterfall bring calm after the bustle.

Day 3: Johannesburg Zoo. Johannesburg Zoo spreads out widely and lies in the Zoo Lake park close to the centre. The white lions are famous, and many African species also live in enclosures that are easy to see into. Plan long walks under trees and fill up water bottles. School-age children can go tracking for themselves with signboards and feeding times.

Day 4: Apartheid Museum. The Apartheid Museum is demanding in the morning: parents with older children read and talk here about the South Africa of recent history, while younger ones are better off with the programme afterwards. The Sterkfontein Caves near Krugersdorp show, with a guide, the site where a three-million-year-old early human was found. Expect steps and damp, cool cave air, so a light jacket is worthwhile.

Day 5: The Wilds Nature Reserve. In The Wilds Nature Reserve you walk on paved paths among sculptures of animals, which children tick off like a treasure hunt. The city lies as a backdrop behind the hills, and the climbing wall offers an opportunity for parents and teenagers. Because the park lies in the middle of the city, the paths are short, you often find shade and you can easily cut the visit short.

Day 6: Sci-Bono Discovery Centre. Today two stops share the day. In the Cradle of Humankind, a World Heritage site, children see where the first humans lived and walk through an exhibition on evolution. Back in the city the Sci-Bono Discovery Centre awaits with experiments where touching is expressly encouraged. Primary school children in particular quickly stay longer than planned.

Day 7: Farewell to Johannesburg. For the farewell you choose the Museum of Illusions Johannesburg: rooms with skewed perspectives, mirrors and optical illusions in which children marvel at themselves shrinking or growing. The visit is compact and independent of the weather, ideal before the transfer to the airport. Leave enough buffer, as traffic on the approach roads varies greatly.

Map

The route connects Montecasino, Gold Reef City Theme Park, Walter Sisulu National Botanical Garden, Johannesburg Zoo, Apartheid Museum, Sterkfontein Caves, The Wilds Nature Reserve, Sci-Bono Discovery Centre.

Accommodation

Costs

Swiss Vibes does not quote flat-rate prices, because the number and age of children and the rooms change the price. After the planner, a quote for the family follows.

Packliste, Warmes Reiseziel

Frequently asked questions

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