Our Soweto and Lion Park tour is designed for those travelers wanting to experience the Culture and Wildlife offered in South Africa. This tour combines history and culture with a fun safari experience. Start in Soweto and experience the vibrant cultural diversity of South Africa and learn more about its turbulent history. End the tour at the charming Lion & Safari Park for a mini safari tour.
Soweto and Lion Park Tour
Soweto is a ‘city within a city’ and home to over 2 million people. It was the epicenter of the struggle for freedom and equality during the stormiest apartheid years in South Africa but today it’s a vibrant city and the heart and soul of Johannesburg.The 1 000-hectare Lion & Safari Park is home to over 85 lions and an array of general game and birdlife. Guests are taken around the safari park in a specialised safari vehicle and experience close encounters with the lions and other animals at the reserve.
Soweto and Lion Park - Culture and Nature
Note
This tour may be reversed; starting at Lion & Safari Park and ending in Soweto.
Soweto tour
After pick-ups, we convene at FNB Soccer Stadium on the outskirts of Soweto. Meet your guide and listen to a short explanation of the famous soccer stadium and the role it played in Soweto’s history.
We set off to the heart of Soweto, driving past Baragwanath Hospital, an enormous taxi rank and the historic suburb of Diepkloof. Our first stop in Soweto is at Motsoaledi informal settlement. We walk to a community care centre that MoAfrika sponsors, meet and greet people at the centre and take in the view of the famous Soweto Towers from the deck.
We continue on through Orlando West to the hub of Soweto. We pass Freedom Square and stop outside Regina Mundi Church for a quick overview (optional to go inside) and then go to the Hector Pieterson Museum for a formal tour.
We make our way down the vibrant Vilakazi Street, past iconic monuments and the homes of Nelson and Winnie Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Time permitting, you have the option of stopping at Nelson Mandela Museum for a visit (own cost).
The morning ends at the massive Soweto Towers. This tour excludes lunch so grab yourself something to eat and drink (own cost) from a café, stroll around the craft market and watch people or join in bungee jumping off the towers (own cost and time permitting).
The Hector Pieterson Museum is currently closed due to COVID 19 regulations this site will be viewed from the outside with a full description from your guide.
Soweto and Lion Park Safari
We leave Soweto and make our way to the Lion & Safari Park, located north of Johannesburg in the historic Cradle of Humankind. The safari park is home to more than 85 lions and an array of wild animals and birdlife.
Guests are taken on a 1-hour mini-game drive in a specialised safari vehicle and have close-up encounters with the safari park’s beautiful Big Cats.
Return to Cub World for snacks and refreshments (own cost) and spend some time viewing the young cubs and other animals at the centre. After a lovely time at the safari park, your guide drops you back at your accommodation in Johannesburg.
Soweto and Lion Park Includes:
- Collection and drop-off from any accommodation in Johannesburg
- Transfers in an air-conditioned tour vehicle
- Hector Pieterson Museum entrance fee – currently closed due to COVID 19 regulations, will be viewed from the outside of the Museum
- Lion & Safari Park entrance fee
- 1-hour game drive
Soweto and Lion Park Excludes:
- Food
- Personal purchases
- Entrance fee Nelson Mandela House Museum
