Road trippin in Joburg with Roxette cassettes

Contrary to popular belief, Joburg is actually a worthwhile destination for a road trip; you can easily combine the best of both city and safari in a short space of time. The Pilansberg National Park is a mere 2 hours drive from the bright city slicker lights of Joburg's hub, Sandton. The proximity of the bushveld to the city makes a city safari break quite an attainable goal for even just a weekend in Joburg. Your recipe for road tripping success will need to have the following secret ingredients.

• A car: if you can't organise one, hire a car from Europcar. 
• Friends: A road trip is not complete without them.Call rent-a-friend if you have none.
• Roxette casettes:  Nothing like cruising along with your friends to the melodic sounds of "Join the Joyride".

So, with that being said, here is a rough 4 day itinerary for your trip to Joburg. I've attempted to be as detailed and funny as humanly possible.

The road trip announcement: This is the hardest part of your trip. You will be announcing to your friends that you are going to Johannesburg on holiday. Your naysayer friends will scream "why do you wanna to go Joburg for a holiday?". When confronted with this attitude, just scream back in all your glory and say "Halt nayaysers - Joburg makes for an interesting and lively city break!".  Be sure to back up your vehement statement with photographs and lively road trip stories upon your return.

What to pack: If you're going in Summer pack costumes and Summer gear - it gets muggy. Johannesburg is a Summer rainfall region so be sure to pack a rain jacket. Thunderstorms are quite common. Take money, the Joburg types are social, gregarious creatures who don't sit still. This means you face a culture of eating out, pubbing, clubbing, cocktails and late nights.

The practical things: Hire a car. This is so you can drive from Sandton to the North West Province at your leisure. Book your car hire through Europcar.

To organize beforehand: Book your flights via local carrier Kalula. I managed to book a return air ticket for a mere R700! Try book and early morning flight there and evening flight back so that you can maximise your time in Joburg.

Book accommodation in Sandton for the first and third night, book your second night at Pilansberg game reserve. You can book all of your Pilansberg and Sandton accommodation via Snoozing Travellers where you can book and pay online.

Once your accommodation has been booked, sort out and book your car hire through Europcar. If you're not picking your car up from a depot close to Sandton station (you'll be taking the Gautrain from the airport to Sandton) then ensure your accommodation provider has a transfer service to take you to your hotel. It might be an idea to check if Eurpocar is able to deliver the vehicle to your Sandton accommodation.

Lastly, and most importantly, pack your Roxette cassettes (or cd's, Ipod etc)! There's nothing better than cheesy melodic tunes of a Marie and Per duet. 

 Day 1:

Fly to Joburg. The flight to OR Tambo airport is roughly 3 hours from Cape Town.

Once you've landed, navigate your way to where the Gautrain departs from and book a train ticket to Sandton. I think the ticket is about R120. The Gautrain is similar to the Eurostar - slick, fast and reliable. Hardly reflective of the stock standard South African train!

The Gautrain which goes from OR Tambo airport to Sandton

Once you arrive at the Sandton Station, either make your way via transfer to your desired accommodation, or head to the nearest Europcar depot to pick up your hired car.

Now that your car hire in Joburg and your accommodation is sorted, start thinking about what you want to do for the rest of the day. I recommend a trip to the Apartheid Musuem, which is about a 20 minute drive outside of Sandton. It's a brutal eye opener depicting life during Apartheid.

Once done with your cultural excursion, head to Sandton City for a shopping extravaganza; don't forget to strike a few poses with the disproportionate statue of Nelson Mandela located on the Nelson Mandela Square.

You can also engage in a bit of frivolous fun and shop till you drop in the Sandton Mall. After an exhausting afternoon of shopping, head for a cocktail at the Sandbar in the Sandton Towers, and finish off the evening at the Butcher's Grill on the square for a superb meal and wine pairing.

If you're not up to spending the evening on Nelson Mandela Square you can always embrace the dazzling Palazzo Montecasino and catch the latest theatrical performance.

To top the evening off, depending on how youthful you're feeling, you could always do what the "Jaahburgers" do and go clubbing.

 Day 2:

Today's the day you'll need to get up early and mission through to the North West Province; with the end destination being Sun City & the Pilansberg National Park.

The drive from Sandton to Sun City takes roughly 2 hours of solid driving; but you'll need to account for the many stops and sightseeing activities en route. The roundabout route to Sun City is the most scenic, as it detours past Hartbeespoort Dam.

You'll be travelling along the endless R512 road which is flanked by pockets of unchartered bushveld; with the occassional trout fishing lodge sporadically appearing out of nowhere. On the horizon lies the majestic Magaliesberg Mountain range, which is another area that is great for exploring (on your next trip to Joburg!).

I've made a list of possible detours and stops en route that are of interest.

1) Lesedi Cultural village. This is the first stop you'll encounter. It's a village created to depict traditional Africa. Discover the mystical cultures and traditions of the people of Africa, which are steeped in tribal folklore and ancestral traditions.

2) Maropeng: Maropeng is otherwise known as the Cradle of Humankind. The area is a heritage site where early human remains were found. Discover fossils, explore the Sterkfontein Caves and learn how humankind was born.  The entry fee is R150. Oh, and there's even an underground boat ride.

Underground boat ride at Maropeng

3) Hartbeespoortdam dam. Surrounded by the Magaliesberg mountain range, this dam looks more like an inland sea than a dam. Enjoy waterfalls, sunset boat cruises, paragliding, hang-gliding and hot air ballooning.

View of Hartbeespoortdam from the bridge

 4) The Elephant Sanctuary: A safe haven for African elephants that educates and allows for guest interaction.

5) African curios: There seem to be an abundance of African curio shops en route to Sun City & Pilansberg. If wooden animals are your thing then you're in luck.

Interested buyer or poser?

6) Pecanwood Golf Estate : As the name suggests, this is a place for golfing safaris. It also boasts the only Jack Nicklaus `signature` golf course in Africa.

7) Carnivore restaurant: Africa's greatest and strangest eating experience! Situated on the grounds of the Misty Hills Hotel.

8) Lion Park : Discover rare white lions and other animals.The Lion Park is not a game reserve or a zoo, but a park where the animals roam freely.




Map of the route


View Larger Map

Arrive at Pilansberg to catch the evening sunset, you might be lucky and arrive in time for a game drive. I'm afraid there'll be no Roxette tunes blaring out from your safari vehicle as you traverse the Bushveld of the North West province! I hear you sigh with bitter disappointment.

Stay overnight in your Pilansberg accommodation.

 Day 3:

Put your alarm clock on and head out on a morning game drive. I'm talking 5:00 here - it's the best time to spot the Big 5. The evening game drives are also a must - be sure not miss the opportunity to spot wildlife at dusk.

Once you had your fair share of wildlife, do something completely different and head out to the Valley of Waves. The Valley of Waves is water park with adrenalin inducing water slides, a wave pool and a cocktail bar. If you want to throw your money away try your hand at gambling at the extravagant sun City. Don't forget to go and check out the Palace of the Lost City, quite a masterpiece in terms of architecture and design. 

The Palace of the Lost City

Valley of the Waves, Sun City

 Day 4:

This is your final day in Joburg and the perfect opportunity to catch up on all the sightseeing tours you've neglected. If you can, try and squeeze in a tour of Soweto, discover the history of gold at Gold Reef City or simply spend some quality time enjoying your accommodation.

If you're a foreigner holidaying in Cape Town taking a break to Joburg will add a bit of spice to your South Africa vacation. If you're a South African - give Joburg a chance, it's a great destination that offers an abundance of activities bound to impress even the most exhausting naysayer. Enjoy Joburg and it's surrounds, and in the words of Roxette - Listen to your heart.

* Disclaimer: I'm not responsible for the accuracy of pricing and directions on the particular blog post due to the fact that my memory fails me at the most inopportune of times.