Johannesburg Holidays, South Africa

An Introduction to Johannesburg 2012

Johannesburg is the capital of Gauteng, South Africa's smallest province. It has fast developed into the economic powerhouse for it's entire continent with a constantly increasing span of suburbs crawling away from the city centre. Over 10 million people live in Johannesburg and have fast paced, restless spirits which they have imparted into the fabric of the city. This is also known by the African name Egoli, 'the place of gold'. The city's major development started around 120 years ago and has revolved around Witwatersrand (White Water Reef) ever since.

Holidays in Johannesburg 2012

Many if not most tourists go to Johannesburg for the animal parks and reserves however some manmade attractions can be used to make some excellent days out. The most popular of these is a 'Heritage Route' or 'Shebeen Crawl' tour. This takes tourists through the township but doing so should only be done with a professional guide as the area is a maze.

Flights to Johannesburg 2012

Johannesburg's airport is the major one for not only South Africa, but also the surrounding countries as well; almost all holidays will go through the city. Because the airport is so important there are very regular flights from almost every UK airport. Airlines like British Airways and South African Airways have frequent flights directly to Johannesburg. Direct flights from the UK can take as little as eleven hours in the average jumbo jet.

The History that Holidays in Johannesburg 2012 will Reveal

Now Johannesburg is a city of splendid contrasts. Glass-paned modern luxury high-rise hotels and office blocks stand next to age old Victorian buildings, almost in ruin. The affluent northern suburbs are filled with extensively impressive private homes and give way to the squalid streets and tiny matchbox houses in the huge Soweto township to the south. The gaping chasm between the north and the south, the rich and the poor has given the city some interesting history. Johannesburg was almost nothing until the rich gold-bearing rock reef was found. The initial gold rush started in the late 19th century and a decade later Johannesburg was South Africa's largest city; the frenzied development of the last century has yet to slow down in the ever-expanding city. The multitude of great attributed has led to Johannesburg being a terrific location for holidays.