Five Places to Visit in Johannesburg

Johannesburg is one of the four capitals of South Africa and is the largest city in the country. Jo’burg as it is commonly known has a population of over 3.8 million people making it quite a bit crowded concrete jungle. The city of Jo’burg has been known in the past as a city where spiralling gun crime and poverty had manifested but now the city is slowly changing into a city of opportunity. There are a lot of things to see and do in the city of Johannesburg that’ll make the trip here memorable and worthwhile.



1. Johannesburg Art Gallery – Located in the corner of Klein and King George street , it is one of the biggest galleries in Africa that houses local and international art and works on display and hey the admission is free so this place is a must if you’re an art lover.

2. South African National Museum of Military History – The museum is open daily from 9AM to 4:30PM. The museum houses a good collection of military equipment. They also have one of ME 262 jet fighters from World War 2 and a huge South African built G6 self propelled, 155mm howitzer. A good place to visit if you are into military weapons and history.

3. Lion Park – A place where you can play and pet lion cubs and see other kinds of animal too like giraffes, zebras and a lot more. The park can be very busy during the weekends and holidays so go to the Lion Park on weekdays when it’s not that much busy so you can enjoy the place a whole lot more. The park also offers a self-drive game viewing through the lion camps and game area.



4. Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve – Just a short distance from Jo’burg, the place is a popular ecotourism destination with beautiful flora and fauna and 134km of unspoiled natural environment and mountain ranges. The place is a good place to relax and hike and just get away from the hustles of the city.



5. Montecasino Bird Gardens – The gardens are open weekdays from 8:30AM to 5PM and weekends from 8:30AM to 6PM. There are many birds and other small wildlife that can be found inside the gardens and also look out for the 2500 year old tree. The gardens are very beautiful and a must see place to visit and enjoy the sight of different kinds of birds.

Have you been to Johannesburg? Feel free to share your tips and recommendations.

Photo Credits (Flickr Creative Commons): Johannesburg by austinevan/ Lion Park by Crazy Zou/ Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve by Derek Keats/ Montecasino Bird Gardens by Derek Keats