Touring Soweto by bicycle

Touring Soweto by bicycle

Category Area Focus

Touring Soweto by bicycle will give you a chance to feel the distinguishable rhythm of one of South Africa's most dynamic townships. If bicycles are not your thing, you may instead take the trips on foot or in a tuk-tuk. You can see much more of Soweto on a bicycle trip with Lebo's Soweto Backpackers than you ever could from a vehicle or a bus window. You have the option of going on a two-hour, four-hour, or all-day tour, during which you will get the chance to view famous historical sites, churches, migrant worker hostels, and the world-famous Vilakazi Street.

What you'll see on the tour

The tours begin in the beautiful neighbourhood park with a friendly greeting from a bilingual staff of guides. Once on the path, you'll encounter some significant inclines that will wind you up to one of Soweto's high points, where you'll get sweeping views of Orlando East and the Orlando Stadium.

Visiting the past

The tour continues to Soweto's Meadowlands neighbourhood. In the early 1950s, hundreds of people were forcibly evicted from their houses in Sophiatown, Johannesburg, and this section of the township was built particularly to house them. Sophiatown was renowned for its thriving literary community, swinging jazz scene, and many of South Africa's most innovative minds of the time throughout the 1940s and 1950s. The love for music is still felt throughout the neighbourhood.

Vilakazi Street and the Hector Pieterson monument are stops during the tour through Soweto's past. On June 16, 1976, tens of thousands of Sowetan students protested in the streets against the Bantu educational system and, in particular, the new law mandating that all instruction in black schools be delivered in Afrikaans. Hector Peterson, 13, was one of the first children to be killed as the apartheid police violently reacted to the demonstration. In 2002, the Hector Pieterson Memorial and Museum in Soweto was inaugurated. 

Vilakazi Street has become the unquestionable number one tourist attraction in Soweto in recent years. This is where Nobel Peace Prize winners Nelson Mandela and Rev. Desmond Tutu lived. It is home to one of the most popular destinations in Soweto, the former South African president Nelson Mandela's house, now known as the Mandela Family Museum. Here you may discover the narrative of Nelson Mandela's life before and after he was imprisoned.

What you'll eat on the tour

You will get the experience of seeing the famous Mzimhlophe, which was built to shelter black male miners during the height of Johannesburg's first gold rush. Here, you'll get the chance to sample some local specialities, such as braised cow heart and liver served with phutu pap from a traditional street food vendor.

After riding through Soweto's neighbourhoods for many kilometres, you may take part in customary African customs and join a "circle of togetherness." You may meet locals while singing and dancing to traditional music at this location. Take a sip of umqombothi, a traditional African beer, or a homebrew amageu. Enjoy a hearty meal of homemade curries and stews prepared by Lebo's talented neighbourhood chefs before taking a seat in a hammock and unwinding in the peaceful park.

Book your Soweto adventure with Lebo's and take a refreshing bicycle, Tuk-Tuk, or walking tour to learn more about the vibrant history of Soweto. It's no doubt that Soweto is a thriving city, filled with a rich history and a sense of community. Contact the Seeff team if you're looking for the ideal home in Soweto. Our property professionals are area experts with access to a variety of properties in Soweto that are available for sale or rent. 

Author: Seeff