Maboneng meaning “Place of Light” is a fitting name for a district that has fast become a center of the creative energy for Johannesburg’s urban artists, designers and entrepreneurs. Only a few years ago, this inner-city neighborhood was largely viewed as a no-go zone due to urban decay. Today, as the result of plan to place art at the center of the revitalization efforts in Johannesburg, the now popular Maboneng cultural precinct is living up to name as the “Place Of Light” and drawing tourists from aroundthe world eager to be witness and be part of this transformation.
One of the oldest markets in Johannesburg. Once an old horse stable, now houses over 176 market stall, with traditional medicines, African attires, beaded items, artefacts, walking sticks and craft works. A truly hidden treasure and an authentically genuine place to buy souvenirs to take back home.
We visit the largest second hand bookstore in the Southern hemisphere. There are books stacked everywhere in this 8 storey building, plus LPs, maps, porcelain &postcards
Built between 1969 until 1976 by the American architectural firm Skidmore, Owings and Merrill. The Carlton Centre is a skyscraper with a panoramic views of the City of gold. At 223 meters above Johannesburg we will narate the history of the city, from the gold rush in 1886, to the urban decline in the late 80s and 90s and now the re-birth of the city centre.
Remember the lawyer? Gandhi Square, is named after Mahatma Gandhi the Indian leader and human rights activist, who spent 21years in South Africa and had his law firm in downtown Johannesburg.
A walk through the Main Street mining district towards Chancellor’s House. In the 1950s, the humble 3-storey Chancellor House was home to Mandela and Tambo Attorneys where they set South Africa’s first black-owned law firm. Opposite the old law firm now stands “The Shadow Boxing Sculpture” designed by artist Marcos Cianfanelli based on a famous Bob Gosani image of young Mandela boxing.
Our walking tour with Kaiser was wonderful! Glad we wore comfy walking shoes because we stopped at many noteworthy sites. It was inspiring to see the vibrant arts community of Maboneng. Highly recommend!
Our Inner City Walking Tour was one of the highlights of our trip to South Africa. Our guide Kaizer was not only very informative but also entertaining and personable. He made the area come alive for us. We felt safe at all times. We loved that the tour included Maboneng but was not limited to just that area. There are a lot of Maboneg tours out there, but Maboneng makes a lot more sense when you see it in the context of the history of the downtown area and Joberg in general. In short, we had a great time: saw some great art, bought some original art to take home with us, learned a lot of history, had some delicious coffee, and made a genuine human connection. What else can you ask for?
Kaiser was a wonderful guide, sharing all his knowledge of the city. We had lots of laughs and he made me feel very safe.I would highly recommend him as a guide. Well worth taking this tour. I thoroughly enjoyed it. One thing that was rather annoying is that I ended up waiting an hour for the tour to start since there was a shortage of tour guides. However, they apologized and all ended up fine.
I visited the Maboneng district, the Johannesburg's most "hipster, creative and colored" area, according to my amazing guide ! I saw a lots of beautiful street arts, and the HallMark building, which offers a 360° view of Johannesburg. Thank you to my guide Kaiser, the best in town !
This walking tour starts and ends in Maboneng and takes about 4 hours - but the time flies by. Kaiser was an excellent and fun guide who took us through the developing "hip" streets of Maboneng to the City Centre and on to New Town and Market Square. Saw interesting street art, enjoyed great views of the city, Nelson Mandela's old law office and were told about the city's history, apartheid and liberation. A great way to see the city.. Would.highly recommend this tour which also supports a youth employment program- Joburg tourist ambassadors. Learned a lot about the experiences and aspirations of young South Africans speaking.to them. Don't.miss it if you are in Johannesburg
Kaiser was an amazing and knowledgeable tour guide! I learned so much, and I was able to see parts of the city that I didn't see on my previous visit.
For someone who grew up in Johannesburg and has lived overseas for many years, a walk through the inner city was the perfect way to see how things have changed. Arriving with warnings from locals ringing in my ears, i was anxious, but our guide, Ikoh, put us - me and two family members who live in Johannesburg- at ease from the start. A second guide followed behind. We felt safe at all times. Seeing Maboneng, learning how the rejuvenation of the area started and is continuing, was eye-opening. Venturing into the CBD, past the offices of Anglo American and the old Carlton Hotel, and seeing where Mandela and Thambo worked all added to the experience. I recommend this walking tour to locals, who will be surprised by what they see. Visitors from overseas will be fascinated by this walking tour.
I had a great walking tour of Johannesburg with Ikoh. He was exceptional. The tour started in the creative hub of town called Maboneng. The other guests and I learned about its unique character and from there walked through the hustle and bustle of the CBD. We had a short stop at a cafe and ended the tour at the west end of downtown next to the Mining District at Mandela’s former law firm. I learned so much from this tour: the history of the city, its challenges and how it has evolved to the present. The tour was informative, safe, and eye-opening. Go ahead and book this tour. You will love it and leave the tour with a deep appreciation of Johannesburg!
Very thorough guide throughout the golden triangle of the city, rich in information and culture this is a must do tour. -sam
Such a nice tour with a thrue local guide. He will give u a lot of fun and hystorcal facts. You really feel secure and confortable.
It was amazing the experience of learning about Maboneng walking around the neighborhood. The arts are very beautiful. Kaizer is an excellent guide and the experience will be even better.
This tour was amazing! We got to see so much beautiful art, architecture and culture while feeling safe the whole time. The guide took us through the city explaining the history and showing us the hidden gems. Would absolutely recommend this tour if you want to see the city and learn a lot about its history, especially if you enjoy art!
Our walking tour through Johannesburg with Eco was fantastic! From start to finish, we felt completely safe and comfortable. Eco’s deep knowledge of the city’s history and culture made the tour both informative and engaging. His passion for the city and attention to detail truly enriched the experience. We highly recommend this tour to anyone visiting Johannesburg – the perfect way to explore, learn, and connect with the heart of the city!
The guide was amazing, and made it an unforgettable experience. It is Nice to have a local with you when you are in the city.
Lovely tour guide with a great sense of humour. The tour was exciting and I saw the hidden gems of the city. Would definitely recommend!
Kaizer was a very knowledgeable guide who made the experience very fun ! Highly recommend to request him as your tour guide
Everyone at Curiocity is amazing! Every single bartender, Verna and Tanya, are amazing. They aren’t just your hosts but they become your friends. The rooms were clean and the bathrooms were nice. The bar is cheap and they have lots of drinks! I 100% recommend!!!
The guide was very knowledgeable, passionate, and made sure to look after us. I feel like I was able to gain a better understanding of Johannesburg as a whole having been on this tour!
The employees at Curiocity made me feel safe and at home. They made my experience at Johannesburg what it was; I would recommend them to any and every backpacker!
It was amazing, Highly recommand it!! We saw every things that need to be viewed and more, everything with a lot of storys!
We absolutely loved our experience walking through Maboneng and the inner city of Joburg with our awesome guide Ikoh. Ikoh was not only super informative about this vibrant city, but he provided such an in-depth knowledge about the nation's politics and people which created some amazing discussions. The street art and artist initiative in Maboneng is impressive - highly recommend! Thank you again Ikoh for showing us such a wonderful time, from your Australian friends Jen and Liam.
Absolutely brilliant experience. We live in Jo'burg and took the tour to explore a part of the city that we don't have the opportunity to visit in our day-to-day. Iko helped us to discover a whole different experience of Jozi. The street art was stunning, and so powerful, and we felt like we were walking back in time and seeing the history of Jo'burg come to life. And we met some really great people! A fabulous experience, and we will definitely be booking again with Iko to explore other parts of our hometown.
A very Nice walking tour, our guide was amazing🤗 we Saw a lot of different things, like the Nelson Mandela House. And in general we learned a lot about Johannesburg and Soweto
Excellent tour, kaizer and Eco told us a lot of interesting facts and stories about Jo'burg and maboneng district. Saw amazing street art, learned about the minimg history of the town as well as Mandela's anti-apartheid activities Finished the tour with a fascinating visit of traditional healers market. Highly recommended!
Great tour guides, super helpful, very hospitable. We had a great time! Do the street art tour! And then try to fill 100 characters.
So glad we decided for that tour! The guides made us feel very safe even walking through shady areas of Johannesburg. I totally recommend to at least first do this tour before walking around on your own! An awesome mix of culture, street art, sightseeing and authentic food places.
Was one of the most educational, and interesting tours I have ever experienced. Ikoh is extremely knowledgeable and knows ALLLL of the history of the city. Kagiso, makes sure you are safe and secure while walking. I highly recommend this tour if you visit JoBurg….it’s an absolute must.
Such a great tour! Fantastic guides and world class art. I’d highly recommend this tour. It’s maybe the best street art tour I’ve done anywhere.
Wonderful experience great guides who gave incredible insight as well as a nice view of the city, highly recommend
This was a fantastic walking tour! We learned a lot about the history of the neighborhood and Johannesburg more generally. We got to see a lot of great art, stunning views of the city, and safely wander around the central business district. You definitely need to keep safety in mind while you are in Johannesburg, but you'll be perfectly safe on this tour. I strongly recommend you check it out!
The tour was amazing, very informative about the history, architecture and street art. I’ve learned a lot from Kaizer, who was super kind and answered all my questions.
Amazing tour! Iko is such a good guide. He knows well the community of Maboneng and the artists. I learned a lot and felt safe the whole time. I definitely recommend doing tours with Curiocity, their staff is friendly and very professional.
Mind-changing experience! Fantastic and highly recommendable! We did hear that Johannesburg is rather unsafe so we first thought we might not risk visiting the city. Then, we found this walking tour and decided to do it -- best decision ever! Ikoh, during the tour named "The King of Joburg", showed us all the hidden (and numerous) gems within this vibrant and diverse city. At the same time, we felt completely safe with him and could enjoy the city. So instead of being afraid of the city, we could really learn to know and appreciate all aspects of this very interesting city. The mix of fantastic street art and great style within the less developed parts of the city is mind-blowing. So, Ikoh: You changed our view of the city! Thank you very much for that! All the best!
The tour today was amazing!!! Ikoh was a fantastic tour guide, sharing so much passion and knowledge. I felt completely safe and guided , a great way to end my stay in Johannesburg. Thank you Ikoh!!
Great experience, abling people to walk around Joburg vibrant Maboneng and other uncommon districts. Highly recommended, especially thanks to our local guide Eco :)
Our Maboneng walking tour with Eco was amazing! We learned so much about the incredible street art and artists in the area and the booming creative scene. We could feel the creative energy walking through the streets and loved having such a knowledgeable local guide with us. He took time on his birthday to show us so many secret gems in the area like the healers market, pop up incubator spaces, and new bars. We had a wonderful time and highly recommend any tour with him!
This walking tour started at the CurioCity Backpacker place at 301 Fox street. We walked for 4 hours with Eco, Mostly through Meboneng but then through the other downtown neighborhoods. We did not stop anywhere for very long but with our loquacious guide, all of us learned a lot about downtown Joburg and how the area has been revitalized. I wanted to see downtown Joburg but it would not be safe to do so on my own so it was nice to have such a knowledgeable guide lead us on this journey. This was a unique walk because downtown joburg does have a crime problem and much of the downtown area is not particularly scenic but revitalization is happening and the juxtaposition between the revitalized and the decrepit makes for an unusual journey.
Our group participated in the night walking tour and the penthouse dinner was SPECTACULAR! the night started at the penthouse for traditional Braai. Our host barbecued right on the patio. The intimate penthouse was absolutely a whole vibe! The attention to detail was top notch, the hosts attended to all of our needs and we were a group of 15! The penthouse was beautifully decorated and the food was sooooo delicious. The night ended with a short walking tour thru Maboneng ending at the Curiosity Backpackers Bar. Amazing drinks, fun atmosphere, fantastic music. Overall 5 star experience! Highly recommend!!!
Experience was great! Amazing see the arts around Maboneng, Ikoh was super friendly and with awesome knowledge of the history.
Excellent tour! Great guide. You can literally feel Jozi vibes! It helps so much to have a guide on your side who makes you feel safe!
The whole trip was enjoyable, brought back fond memories of the town I grew up in. Thepso our guide was also very accommodating & knowledgeable.
Our tour guide was phenomenal! He was extremely knowledgeable and offered us an authentic glimpse of the city. Highly recommended!
You will experience the nice neighbourhood of Maboneng, lots of street art and a bit of the city centre.
A number of things didn’t go our way on this tour. The weather was not great, which was fine and tour group took care of this by providing umbrellas. Which was awesome. The guide however wasn’t the best, he was pretty unorganised and seemed to be making up his tour as he walked. Some of the information he gave us was inaccurate and he seemed to be rushing us through most of the key places we wanted to see. In Moboneng he rushed passed all the funky interesting things we came to see, at the top of Carlton he made us race through and almost got a bit frazzled when we wanted to pause and take in some of the views. We had guests from abroad with us and it was disappointing that we couldn’t showoff and experience showcase some of Jozis heavy hitters. A better prepared guide would have made the world of difference.
Went on this tour today and all I can say is this : I have lived in Joburg for 14 years and have never experienced the city like this. Very professional and friendly service. Jazz was an amazing tour guide and knew everyone around town. Loved every moment of it.
‘Jazz’ our stellar tour guide, took us on a journey, not only through the inner city but through the nuances of history and the possibility of the future. A safe, friendly and very informative tour. A showcase of the hidden gems in Johannesburg.
Our tour guide, Tshepo was very knowledgeable around the history of the city. He took us through the journey of how JHB was formed during the gold rush years, how things changed during the Apartheid era and what is expected to come in the future. Highly recommended and informative.
I did this tour with Curiocity backpackers hostel, the guide who brought me is kaiza. A very nice and detailed person with a funny attitude. This tour in my opinion is very important to know all the fundamental aspects to understand how it was built.
Super ballade à pied et en minibus (perso, j aurais préféré tout à pied) Merci à brite, super sympa, jovial, nous a fait découvrir des endroits atypique que nous n aurions jamais connus !
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