I am going to pound you over the head with this in every post, but just in case you missed my introduction to South Africa post.
You MUST have your childrens' birth certificates when traveling to South Africa.
It has to do with human trafficking issues. It was initiated in the last 5 years.
You will not get ample warning about this.
You WILL see 5 families struggling with this at the airport upon check in.
You also must have two blank passport pages.
Ok, so with that out of the way.
Johannesburg.
It's safe. It's fine. Use common sense.
Also- for some insight.
They call Johannesburg, the "United States"... of Africa
Meaning, that it's as dangerous as most of the world views the US.
Interesting, right?
Now, with that said. Stay in one of the affluent suburbs like Sandton.
Stay in a well-known chain with security.
Uber is fine.
Don't be flashy with your belongings.
In fact, for this trip. Don't take jewelry or valuables you will be sad to see gone.
Keep your valuables on you (camera, iphone, ipads) or in the hotel vault.
And you will be ok. I promise.
Johannesburg has so much to offer. Do spend a couple days there.
Mo-Afrika does a great tour package (you can book online or through your concierge- it's the same price.) The first stop is the Apartheid Museum where you spend 2 hours, and although you can spend plenty more time, the time they give you is sufficient, but if you are a 'museum' person, you will feel a bit rushed. The kids will think it's an hour and 50 minutes too long, so .... there's that.
Just FYI- You can't take pictures in the museum.
Next up is Soweto.
And it is undoubtedly, the most impactful part of your tour. You will even get a chance to speak to some of the residents there. You won't be able to do this on your own. It's heartbreaking, but really something that you shouldn't miss. I think it's a great time to have a conversation with your kids about how blessed they are. And how kids in different parts of the world live. What's interesting is that they also show you the Soweto Extension which is a gorgeous upper middle class neighborhood just adjacent to Soweto. And you see the stark differences within this district, itself. You also learn a lot about the history at the Apartheid museum, so you'll have a lot of context. (e.g. government raising of neighborhoods, establishment of tent communities etc.)
After that, you get to have
lunch at Chaf Pozi (the iconic dual towers of Soweto), and the barbeque lunch is quite good. There are plenty of sides if you are vegetarian too. Kids ate free. Drinks are not included.
You also get to go past the Soccer Stadium, past the largest hospital in the world, to the Mandela House (tour on your own), to the Hector Pieterson memorial. Overall, it's worth it. I'm generally averse to package tours, but in Jo'burg... you benefit from touring with someone who won't get you into hot water and will keep you safe and will be able to pack a lot in within a day. Plus...like I said- the Soweto part you wouldn't be able to do without a tour like this.
So that's a day's worth.
Second day- Go to Lesedi Cultural Village, where you can learn about all the different tribes. They start out with a video, and then take you through different mocked-up villages with dressed up villagers. There's a pretty cool dance performance highlighting all the different regions, followed by an optional lunch break (more barbecue, which... you might start getting tired of, but they do have unique meats like crocodile, ostrich etc.) The place holds the interest of the kids. It's not too didactic. It's basically a living museum. Most of the people are authentically from the tribes they are representing. So it's not too hokey.
Right across the way is the Lion Safari Park. Again, this is where you can pet lion cubs. The lion handlers are spectacular. They could milk you by not allowing you to take your own pictures (and selling you their photos), but they actually do an amazing job of taking pictures with your camera, and doing their best to give you the perfect shot. The only thing to be aware of here is that they do make you buy the full safari package tour. Which, if you've already gone to Kruger, or are planning to go, isn't worth it. But we bit the bullet to do the lion cub experience, and just 'ate' the cost of the safari drive. You also get to feed giraffes, and frankly, I think the kids enjoyed this more than the actual safari game drives.
If you have another day. Satyagraha House is lovely if you want a glimpse into young Gandhi's life and what inspired him.
And in the evenings- head to Mandela Square for dinner.
Ok, so some kid tips:
#1: Pack some snacks/ bottled water for your Mo'Afrika day tour. It's a long day, and you are driving around in the van for quite some time, and other than lunch, there's really nowhere to stop off for food or drinks. You can leave stuff in the van, so no harm no foul if you pack a bag of stuff.
#2: South Africa was our first no-stroller trip. It was a good call. You really need to be in cars in Joburg (safety) so the need for strollers doesn't exist.
#3: Do the Lion Park. You get those perfect lion pictures, and the kids will have a blast. And across the way is the Lesedi Cultural Village, so make a day of it. I recommend calling an Uber and then negotiating with the driver to wait for you and take you round trip. It's a ways out, so I don't know how you would fare if you let the driver go.
#4: We stayed in Sandton. It was a good call. The Sandton Mall is great and adjacent to the Nelson Mandela Square which has some nice restaurants and is safe in the evenings.
#5: We found the weather in Joburg (end of December) to be unpredictable. It would fluctuate from cold to hot through the day, so pack layers in that bag o' stuff.
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