<align=”center” class=”h1″ style=”font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 28px; color: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-top: 2px solid rgb(255, 255, 255); border-bottom: 2px solid rgb(255, 255, 255);”>Accompanying Person Programme

The following optional tours are offered to Accompanying Persons and Delegates for an additional fee. All tours are subject to cancellation if the minimum number of registrations is not met. Every effort will be made to accommodate persons on a cancelled tour onto another one. Cancelled tour fees will be refunded or credited to other tours by prior arrangement. Full-day tours include lunch. The City Tour is included in the Registration fee and is offered on the following days.

The ‘Full Day Tour’ will see you heading off to the historical world of Gold Reef City Theme Park where you will relive ‘Jozi’s Story of Gold’ and experience a truly magical trip. Discover how gold was discovered on the Reef, descend 75 metres underground – discovering where South Africa’s riches come from and witness the magnificent glow of a live gold pour. Take on the adrenalin-pumping rides as you go against the laws of gravity at the Theme Park. Partake in the local cuisine while exploring the entertainment arena and its abundant offerings. Your next stop is the Apartheid Museum, the first of its kind, illustrating the rise and fall of apartheid. The museum is a superb example of design, space and landscape offering the international community a unique South African experience. The exhibits have been assembled and organised by a multi-disciplinary team of curators, film-makers, historians and designers. They include provocative film footage, photographs, text panels and artefacts illustrating the events and human stories that are part of the epic saga, known as apartheid. A series of 22 individual exhibition areas takes the visitor through a dramatic emotional journey that tells a story of a state-sanctioned system based on racial discrimination and the struggle of the majority to overthrow the tyranny. A light lunch is included in this tour. www.goldreefcity.co.za

 

Soweto (AP 2 and AP 10)

Enjoy a ‘Full Day Tour’ experiencing the bustling life of the renowned Soweto’s eKasi (township). Soweto is a symbol of the New South Africa, caught between old squatter misery and new prosperity, squalor and an upbeat lifestyle, it’s a vibrant city which still openly bears the scars of the Apartheid past, yet, shows what’s possible in the new South Africa” Journey to the museum and memorial of Hector Pieterson, the museum opened in 2002 and houses photographic and audio-visual displays of the struggle of the youth against the injustices of apartheid. Hector Pieterson, age 13, was one the first students to be killed during the 1976 Student Uprising in Soweto. He has since become a symbol of youth resistance to apartheid.

Enjoy a delicious lunch at a local “Shabeen-style” restaurant and shed a few pounds while enjoying a short cycle-trip through some of Soweto’s most popular streets. This tour is not complete until you have seen the Apartheid Museum – the first of its kind, illustrates the rise and fall of apartheid. The museum is a superb example of design, space and landscape offering the international community a unique South African experience. The last stop of your tour will be ‘Regina Mundi’, the largest Roman Catholic Church in South Africa, located in Rockville, Soweto. Due to the role it played as a place of gathering for the people of Soweto in the years before, during, and after the anti-apartheid struggle, it is often referred to as “the people’s church”. In 1997, the late former President Nelson Mandela established the 30th November as “Regina Mundi Day” to honour the church.

Soweto (AP 7, AP 15 and AP 20)

(Half day)

Enjoy a ‘Half Day Tour’ experiencing the bustling life of the renowned Soweto’s eKasi (township). Soweto is a symbol of the New South Africa, caught between old squatter misery and new prosperity, squalor and an upbeat lifestyle, it’s a vibrant city which still openly bears the scars of the Apartheid past, yet, shows what’s possible in the new South Africa” Visit the bustling and renowned street of Vilakazi – made famous for being the only street in the world where two Nobel Prize winners resided in. (Archbishop Desmond Tutu and the late Nelson Mandela). Journey to the museum and memorial of Hector Pieterson, the museum opened in 2002 and houses photographic and audio-visual displays of the struggle of the youth against the injustices of apartheid. Hector Pieterson, age 13, was one the first students to be killed during the 1976 Student Uprising in Soweto. He has since become a symbol of youth resistance to apartheid. Your tour won’t be complete without a visit to ‘Regina Mundi’, the largest Roman Catholic Church in South Africa, located in Rockville, Soweto. Due to the role it played as a place of gathering for the people of Soweto in the years before, during, and after the anti-apartheid struggle, it is often referred to as “the people’s church”. In 1997, the late former President Nelson Mandela established the 30th November as “Regina Mundi Day” to honour the church. Finish your cultural experience by driving through the suburb of Houghton where our beloved Nelson Mandela spent his last days.

(Full day)

Begin your morning with a leisurely drive towards Hartbeespoort Dam while taking in the magnificent sights of “Saartjies Nek” along the dam wall. After a brief stop at Chameleon Village (shopping district) you will continue your journey towards the Ann van Dyk Cheetah Centre in time for your 13:30 tour. Established in 1971, initially as a cheetah breeding project, the Centre has during the past 40 years bred over 800 cheetah cubs. Various conservation projects have been initiated since its inception which also includes a successful African wild dog breeding programme. 

Known in the past as the De Wildt Cheetah Centre the name has recently been changed to the Ann van Dyk Cheetah Centre as a tribute to the woman who has devoted her life to the survival of the cheetahs as well as other rare and endangered species. A light lunch is included in this tour. www.dewildt.co.za for further detail.
 

Take in the incredible sights and sounds of nature with the morning spent game viewing in the Pilanesberg National Park. The crater of a long extinct volcano is the setting of Pilanesberg National Park. The Park boosts healthy populations of lion, leopard, black and white rhino, elephant and buffalo – the “Big 5”. There is a wide variety of rare and common species. 

A few of the endemic species that may be seen here are the brown hyena, the fleet-footed cheetah, the majestic sable, as well as giraffe, springbok, zebra, hippo and crocodile. The bird watching is excellent with over 360 species recorded. After the relaxing morning you will proceed to Sun City for an afternoon at leisure to sample the activities at “The Kingdom of Pleasure”. Enjoy the casino, world-class African cuisine, wave and swimming pools and Lost City (optional extra). The Sun City Resort Complex is one of the world’s largest adult entertainment centres – a luxury theme park for grown-up kids. A light lunch is included in this tour.

Cradle of Humankind (AP 1, AP 9 and AP 17)

This ‘Full Day Tour’ consisting of the Sterkfontein Caves as well as the Maropeng Visitors Centre, is certain to awaken the archaeologist in you. Journey to the ‘Cradle of Humankind’, declared a World Heritage Site in 1999 because of the area’s exceptional contribution to our understanding of the history of humanity, over more than 3-million years. Altogether, there are 15 major fossil sites in the Cradle of Humankind, of which the Sterkfontein Caves is the most famous.

Enjoy lunch at the Cradle’s restaurant and visit the virtual reality auditorium, exhibition spaces, lecture theatre, and shop – all while unfolding the journey of humankind. The fossils “Mrs Ples” and “Little Foot” were both discovered at the Sterkfontein Caves, as well as thousands more fossils of hominids, which are human ancestors. It is interesting to note that more hominid fossils have been found in the Cradle of Humankind than anywhere else on Earth. View also the recent discovery of Homo naledi.

Prepare to ‘trek’ across a city where buildings are architecturally significant and a nation congregates around statues of past leaders. Take this opportunity to stand in front of the heart of the country overlooking a city built on passion and determination. This tour includes the historical Voortrekker Monument – a unique Monument which commemorates the pioneer history of Southern Africa and the history of the Afrikaner, situated in a beautiful setting; the Paul Kruger House – built in 1884, Paul Kruger took a leading role in the Transvaal War against Britain in 1889-1881. At the age of 57 Kruger was elected President of the Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek (ZAR) and took up residence at Kruger House in Pretoria. 

The Union Buildings – the official seat of the national government and houses the offices of the President was completed in 1913. Take advantage of the excellent photo opportunities, meet the local people and view the magnificent new Nelson Mandela statue built at the Union Building in memory of the late hero.