Soweto Tour & Apartheid Museum: Explore the history and culture of a notable township

Immerse yourself in the history and culture of Soweto on a full-day tour. Visit iconic landmarks, including Nelson Mandela’s House and the Apartheid Museum, and learn about the township’s role in South African history.

Duration: 7 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Apartheid Museum - We spend 2 hours in the Apartheid museum. There is a lot of information in the museum. Our guide will take you to the more interesting parts of the museum so you can get a better overall understanding of Apartheid and how South African was shaped as a result
  • Mandela House - Enjoy a 30 minute guided tour of Nelson Mandela’s house where he stayed before he was sent to prison in the 70’s.
  • Hector Pieterson Memorial - Our guide will take you on a journey back in time. Learn about the June 16 student uprisings and how the struggle against Apartheid was catapulted by the killing of a young activist by police.
What's Included
  • 2-hour tour of the Apartheid Museum
  • Bottled water provided
  • 1.5-hour tour of Oppenheimer Tower and cultural experiences
  • 45-minute guided tour of Hector Pieterson Memorial
  • Drive through Soweto’s diverse suburbs
  • Convenient hotel/port pickup and drop-off included
  • Visit to Mandela’s House for 30 minutes
What's Not Included
  • Alcoholic drinks (available to purchase)
Additional Information

Join our unique and interactive full day travel experience through the township of Soweto as well as the Apartheid museum. Our groups are kept small so you can really immerse yourself in the culture and history of this bustling township with its own unique Soul. Borne out of the dark Apartheid regime, Soweto has claimed its spot in South African history. Many of the top ‘freedom fighters’ from Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu lived here. The first part of our tour will start of at what is known as the Oppenheimer Tower-an iconic attraction where our guide will give you a 360 degree view of Soweto from the top of the 42 step tower as well as illustrate the various areas that make up the township. The second part of the tour will take us into the most famous parts of Soweto-We spend some time at Nelson Mandela’s House, Hector Pieterson Memorial and Vilakazi street. We finish with a 2 hour tour of the Apartheid Museum.

Location
Apartheid Museum
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.6
(7 Ratings)
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Zchkai
Mar 4, 2024
Safe, educational and value-added experience of my trip - As a solo female traveler, I appreciated clear communications via email for the registration, payment and confirmation. Once in the city, the office communicated via WhatsApp (once I figured out to look there) to ensure I connected with the correct guide, time and place. Ismael was a safe driver, friendly and professional, with great knowledge and historical info. We covered a lot of ground during the tour: Mandela's home, Soweto, Vilakazi Street, a shack village, Hector Peterson memorial; the Apartheid Museum is a must-see to expand your cultural awareness; great info and displays - could easily take 1-2 hours.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
M5817efjeffs
Jan 20, 2023
Soweto - Excellent guide with a wealth of knowledge of both Soweto and Johannesburg. A full day of highlights and an excellent lunch
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Bergy629
Oct 30, 2022
Wonderful - We organised a guide through our hotel and had a fantastic day being shown the real Soweto. There is so much more to the area than what the negative press and media often display. The warmth of their smiles and the way the locals welcomed us as we walked around will be a lasting memory we'll cherish. Allow two hours, or more, to soak in the stories on offer in the Apartheid Museum. John Lennon said it best, "Imagine".
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Redstorm24
Dec 2, 2020
Guide made the difference - Enjoyed a thrilling day tour of soweto with my guide Rasta. What a gem of a guy. He was brought up here and so had first hand knowledge and experience to share with me. Yes we went to the normal touristy places like Mandela house and the apartheid museum, but what I enjoyed the most was that Rasta took me into the heart of soweto. To the places tourists don’t go. I believe this is tbd best way to get a feel for a place. I felt safe and welcomed at each location. Thankyou so much Rasta for going out of your way to make it a special day for me.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jrrysylv
Feb 14, 2020
Viator: Soweto and Apartheid Museum Day Tour - We were picked up at our hotel (Crowne Plaza Rosebank) by our guide, Musa (Rasta) Matsha and driven first to the Apartheid Museum and then to Soweto where we were put into the hands of a knowledgeable, local resident guide. (1) The Apartheid Museum was very interesting. It's a pity that we were not allowed to take pictures. It would have been nice to have a pictorial record of what we saw there. (2) It was very interesting to observe the many attractions in Soweto - Vilakazi Street, Nelson Mandela House, Hector Pieterson Memorial - and to experience an overview of the living conditions in Soweto, at ground level, as well as from the Openheimer Tower - followed by a close up view of living conditions in Kliptown. Musa (Rasta) proved to be an excellent guide - friendly, pleasant and very accommodating to all of our needs. The local guides in Soweto and Kliptown were also very impressive imparting a wealth of knowledge and understanding of life in Soweto - including life in Kliptown.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Malindalindiwe
Jan 10, 2020
Great Tour - Through to the late Nelson Mandela’s house and we also went to local restaurant.And the food was lovely. Rasta, was an amazing tour guide. 😊😊😊
Review provided by Tripadvisor
James_s
Dec 4, 2019
Bearable - Our driver was new and needed some help. We had to stop and buy water which warmed up quickly without a cooler of ice. He needed to tell us more about what we were viewing as we drove through Soweto. The restaurant he took us to in Soweto wad a local dive. We should have eaten at the apartheid museum. Finally, we had a couple from another airport which he decided to drop off first even though four of us were closer to our guest house. You get what you pay for!
Review provided by Viator
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