Apartheid Museum and Soweto Tour in Johannesburg

Tour guide sent me a message through TripAdvisor the night prior, that they no longer offer pick up at/near the airport, due to fuel surchafges. I didn't see i till checking my email while waiting to be picked. Scrambled to get an Uber, which also didn't work out so had to pay for a private car from my hotel to meet up at the Apartheid Museum. That wasted 90 minutes of the 5 hour tour. Once we found each other, the rest of the tour was great, if a little rushed. We drove by the soccer stadium of the last World Cup Tournament in South Africa, then on to Soweto. Given a drive through tour of the "upper class" part of Soweto and shown the "middle" and "lower" class sections. Did a brief our with a resident of the "lower class' which was very meaningful,. I did ask my guide if this wasn't "poverty tourism" and would I be offending anyone by touring their community and was assured they welcome people visiting and educating us about their lives. I felt very safe and would highly recommend visiting with this guide. My guide and I had frank conversations about health care, crime, and culture and it was a great education for me. We then went on to drive by the Soweto Towers, visited Vilikazi Street to see Nelson Mandela's home. I was discouraged from paying to go in as I would see more memorabilia at the Apartheid Museum. This stop felt a little rushed as we didn't see Bishop Tutu's former home or have any time to shop with vendors on that street. We then went on to visit the Hector Peiterson Memorial, at which my guide gave a great presentation about the events that lead up to Hector Pieterson's murder. It was exceptionally moving and tears were shed. I was then given two hours to visit the Apartheid Museum on my own which was a good amount of time, without feeling rushed. My guide and I came to an agreement that I would pay for petrol for his car, if he could please give me a ride back to my hotel, which turned out to be a great arrangement for both of us. My only recommendation would be if there are any changes to the itinerary, ie: pick-up/drop-off point, communicate that earlier than the night before so arrangements can be made or the tour can be cancelled in favor of a tour that meets the advertised pickup/drop off points. If the tour and guide weren't as great as they were, I would have expected a discount as being picked up/dropped off at my hotel were a major reason I chose this tour. Other travelers might not be as flexible.

We went on this tour on our first day in Johannesburg. Our tour guide, Thabang, was knowledgeable, had a great sense of humor, and really tailored our trip to what our interests were. As someone who grew up in and still lives in Soweto, he welcomed us to his home, and we really had the opportunity to see and interact with a very vibrant community. We felt safe and in good hands every minute of our personalized tour. We would highly recommend him and his organization to anyone.

I have a problem reviewing this as we were never picked up by the operator. I would NOT encourage anyone to use this tour company. They were unresponsive when we tried to call them to ask if they were coming to get us. In fact, their phones only went to voicemail. Find another tour!!

Never showed up cancelled tour without any notification

This insightful tour was awesome. Our local guide gave us a tour of his backyard all the while we felt safe.

It was an excellent tour. Very well run and educational. Our guide was top notch. Highly recommend!

We really enjoyed our visit in Johannesburg. Our tour guide had to pick us up outside of town. The additional charge of $25 was in significant compared to the distance he had to drive and the time it took to pick us up and bring us back. The tour itself was extremely informative and most enjoyable. Our tour guide went out of his way to share other information and area activities. Even got the tour the shanty houses through a friend of his. Highly recommend this to her to anyone considering it.

Don’t do Johannesburg without doing this tour! Really easy to work with. Great personality. Super knowledgeable. Really happy we made the time for this experience! It was fun to drive and walk through Soweto (without it feel like an icky, “poverty” tour); the tour was extremely tasteful and, more importantly, respectable by a member from the community.

Our tour of Soweto and the Apartheid Museum was excellent. Right up front, Thabang gently explored how much detail we wanted and what level of "filtering" we wanted (he could see we had teenagers with us). I greatly appreciated him checking on that and we let him know that we were interested in understanding the full reality of Soweto without filters. He delivered a very informative and educational experience including exposure to the different dimensions of Soweto (upper, middle and lower "class" areas). He shared the reality and challenges facing Soweto (and S. Africa more broadly) without being negative or depressing. We especially appreciated the opportunity to stroll through different parts of Soweto and speak with local residents. While experiencing the depth of poverty in parts of Soweto can be uncomfortable, at no time did we feel we were not safe. For those interested in going deeper than a visit to the Nelson Mandela house and the Museum (which you will also do on this tour), Thabang and Tsalanang Tours are the one of for you! PS - it was super convenient as Thabang picked us up and dropped us off at hour hotel....

Such an amazing experience, learned so much. Our tour guide was very friendly, professional and patient. Highly recommended would definitely do this again!