Soweto walking tour with a taxi ride
Recommended by 94% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Pretoria, South Africa
- 3 hours 30 minutes (approx.)
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Get a local’s perspective on the history and highlights of Soweto with this combination of a walking tour and a taxi ride. A great way to learn about the township's essential sights; the tour showcases Mandela House, the Orlando Towers, the Tutu House, and The Hector Pieterson Museum. You can also get plenty of great tips on the local food and drink scene—with a delicious lunch included along the way.
- A guide points out Soweto’s key landmarks, including Mandela House
- Learn about the local craft beer scene during a visit to Vilakazi Street
- No need to bring snacks: Enjoy a lunch of delicious local cuisine
- Exploring Soweto with a guide helps you learn key facts about its history
What's Included
- Lunch
- Tour Guide
- Museum entrances
- Alcoholic Beverages
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Hector Pieterson Memorial8287 Khumalo Rd, Orlando West, Johannesburg, 1804, South Africa
We meet at the Hector Pietersen memorial Orlando West Soweto. I will be waiting near the door of the museum, opposite the curio Shop. Type the name on your GPS it's easy to find.
End point
- SOWETO TOWERSChris Hani Rd, Klipspruit 318-Iq, Johannesburg, 1809, South Africa
Ticket Redemption Point
8287 Kumalo Main Rd, Orlando West, Soweto, 1804, South Africa
Itinerary
1
Hector Pieterson Museum and Memorial
1 hour 15 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included
2
Mandela House
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included
3
Vilakazi Street
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
4
Orlando Towers
45 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Near public transportation
- Infants must sit on laps
- Infant seats available
- Transportation is wheelchair accessible
- Surfaces are wheelchair accessible
- Most travelers can participate
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 30 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
Maya_P
Wow, what a brilliant tour. This has been the highlight of our time in Johannesburg. Sibusiso is fantastic, so knowledgeable and interesting. My family are from Johannesburg, but it was my partner’s first time visiting. We were both slightly concerned about feeling as if we were invading on people’s privacy in Soweto having read about some other tours. Sibu’s tour was not at all what we were worried about, it was full of interesting facts about Soweto, its history and current affairs in South Africa as we walked and talked, it didn’t feel at all invasive. Lunch was great (huge) and our drink with him at the end was lovely. Cannot recommend enough. Thank you so much Sibu.
Reviews
4.8
based on 47 reviews
Michael_A, Feb 2026
A truly interesting tour. Sibongile, our guide, gave us a wealth of information about life in Soweto. The tour is done on foot and by local bush taxi, which allows you to really immerse yourself in the neighborhood and meet the people who live there. I was surprised that day to see other Westerners mainly around Mandela's house or the Hector Peterson Memorial. The city is much more than just those two sites. The people are welcoming, and there's nothing to be afraid of.
Response from Host, Feb 2026
Thank you so much Michael
Maya_P, Jan 2026
Wow, what a brilliant tour. This has been the highlight of our time in Johannesburg. Sibusiso is fantastic, so knowledgeable and interesting. My family are from Johannesburg, but it was my partner’s first time visiting. We were both slightly concerned about feeling as if we were invading on people’s privacy in Soweto having read about some other tours. Sibu’s tour was not at all what we were worried about, it was full of interesting facts about Soweto, its history and current affairs in South Africa as we walked and talked, it didn’t feel at all invasive. Lunch was great (huge) and our drink with him at the end was lovely. Cannot recommend enough. Thank you so much Sibu.
Response from Host, Jan 2026
Thank you so much Maya. I'm glad you had a great time in Soweto.
Andre_H, Nov 2025
The history and culture of the tour was amazing . I would recommed and share a revied of this tour to family and friends.
Response from Host, Nov 2025
Thank you so much.
Yosef_B, Apr 2024
Unfortunately, our experience on the tour fell short of expectations. Despite the promise of four main highlights, three were either skipped entirely or only briefly touched upon. Firstly, the visit to the Mandela house left much to be desired, as we only lingered outside while the guide discussed mundane details such as marriage dates, neglecting to delve into Mandela's profound accomplishments. Additionally, despite the advertised free entry, we were unable to step inside the house. Secondly, the Soweto brewery excursion was entirely omitted from the itinerary, leaving us without the anticipated experience. Thirdly, our time at the Soweto towers was disappointingly brief, with minimal information provided, and the decision to visit was based more on convenience than genuine interest (as our guide said “ it’ll be easier to get an Uber from here” Lastly, the tour was significantly shorter than the promised four hours, lasting only two and a half hours.
Response from Host, Apr 2024
Hello Yosef. I'm sorry about the experience you had. I will be having a serious conversation with the guide.
I would like to also apologize for the misunderstanding about entrance fees, the tour does not include museum entrances fees you pay for yourself.
The four hours also includes the time spent in the Museum and lunch which you refused to have.
Once again I apologize about the brewery I had no knowledge that it's now closed. I will communicate with Viator to refund you some of the money.
Regards Sibusiso
Alexander_K, Feb 2024
We had a wonderful guide who made us live like a local citizen for a couple of hours. We were able to walk thru the city of Soweto discovers things that are not " on the books " what an amazing experience. I would recommend to anyone who is looking for a unique tour guide and unique way of knowing more about Soweto story !
Paola_P, Jan 2024
Sibu is just the best. He knows everything about Soweto and also everybody there! Our walk together was pretty cool and the whole tour is totally worth it. I highly recommend this tour for everyone interested by Soweto's History - and if you can choose Sibu, even better!
Brian_C, Jan 2024
Sibu is a great guy and incredibly knowledgeable about Soweto and the broad history of South Africa. The tour is very interesting and never felt scared with him. He’s kind of the man about town.
Fair warning… it’s a lot of walking (5k/3mi thereabouts) in the hot sun. Bring sunscreen and just bear the walk in mind if there’s any kind of mobility issues.
Susanna_A, Jan 2024
Sibusiso was an excellent guide. He was very knowledgeable, and I had a great morning walking around Soweto with him
Thanyani_G, Jan 2024
Lebo(Rambo), our guide made our experience truly memorable. He made our visit quite interesting. The Taxi ride was one of the best experiences.
Yoshi_L, Dec 2023
We had a lovely experience with our knowledgeable guide Sibusiso who gave us lots of insights and info about soweto.
I can recommend this tour if you’re wanting to learn more about soweto.
Had a nice meeting point with a cup of coffee before starting the tour.
Went past the famous sights where the schoolkids were protesting back in the days. Here our guide gave us info about that time. Walked through the streets of soweto in a safe environment with our guide looking after us. Had a traditional joburg lunch break what was delicious.
Optional mandela house tour what we took. End of the tour we went to a beer brewery for a nice beer tasting. After that a taxi picked us up to go to the famous Soweto towers.
Estrella_I, Aug 2023
Our guide Sibusiso was great he showed us really interesting things that we may not have known or found without him.
He took us to a beer tasting and we had a lot of fun.
The taxi ride was also very nice.
We had a great experience!
Response from Host, Aug 2023
Thank you very much Estrella. I'm glad you all enjoyed.
Daniel_H, Jan 2023
We really enjoyed our tour with Sibusiso. He’s real, knowledgable and relatable. He took careful care to adjust the tour for my partner’s mobility needs. The tour has a relaxed and feel and basically it was great to just walk and talk with him through Soweto! Thanks very much Sibusiso!
Sonja_L, Nov 2022
I had a great time exploring Soweto with Sibu. It's a very interesting area, rich in culture and history. Great experience to learn more about the lifestyle of the locals first hand. And Sibu answered aaaaall my questions. I appreciate especially that he did the tour just for me. I hope tourism will pick up more with Covid restrictions being lifted.
Alice_C, May 2022
I had a great time doing the tour with Sibusiso ! I was looking for a well-informed guide and I was very pleased with Sibusiso, he knew a lot ! He could tell me everything about Apartheid time, Mandela's and Tutu's lives and the upraising of 1976. He is from Soweto and saw all that happening. He lived it.
But this tour is not only cultural, you get to feel the vibes of the past and present Soweto while you are walking around and this is a really good experience ! Soweto is really different to other part of Johannesburg. You eat like the locals at lunch and Sibusiso takes you to specific places that he knows and likes.
If you are interested in it, Sibusiso can also take you to some areas of Soweto where tourist usually don't go because these areas are very poor and people are suffering there. I requested to visit one of these communities. For me it was a very nice experience and I feel very grateful that Sibusiso could take me there.
I would recommend the tour with Sibusiso to everyone : Walking in Soweto while listening to the story of this very famous township is great and Sibusiso knows a lot and he is truly interested in his place and people. And his price is really good as well so don't hesitate ! 😁
Response from Host, Sep 2022
Thank you very much!
MELISA_D, Oct 2024
Imperdible experiencia para conocer su cultura. La guía ed super atenta y amable dándonos explicación de todo
KellyCristina_L, Apr 2023
O guia Lebo foi incrível! Conhecer o Soweto pelos olhos de um morador tornou a experiência ainda mais incrível e tocante. Ninguém, que tenha a mínima sensibilidade e conscientização, faz um passeio desse e volta a mesma pessoa.
Conhecer a história, tão triste, de perto, e sentir a amabilidade e simpatia dos moradores do Soweto faz com que a admiração por esse povo só aumente.
Lebo foi perfeito! Extremamente simpático, nos apresentou tudo de forma clara e tranquila.
Response from Host, Aug 2023
Thank you very much for your response.
From $39.16
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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