Walking tours through Johannesburg

Walking tour. Photo courtesy witness 1

While travelling by car through a game reserve is a safe, convenient and a popular Gauteng tourist attraction, taking a guided stroll though a few of Johannesburg’s favourite tourist hotspots is also a fine way to spend one’s time. 

Beryl Porter’s Walk and Talk Tours are suited to those visitors interested in taking in the city sights on foot (perhaps with their camera and partner in tow) and at their own pace. Her Walk and Talk self-guided tour of Sandton, the “richest square mile in Africa”, is popular with international tourists, since the audio commentary that accompanies the walk comes in eight different languages – English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Mandarin, isiZulu and Sesotho.

Here’s how it works: a patented electronic system enables visitors to be their own adventure guides and discover a designated area on foot by simply following a route map and street signs. The tourist stops at a marked site on the route map, calls the cellphone number displayed on the sign and/or map and then listens to a three-minute commentary on that site. As the tour group – which could just be you and your partner – moves to designated spots on the map, the walker calls to listen to the audio that accompanies the site pointer. Should the walker forget the information, or wish to listen to it again later, all he or she need do is call the number once more.

The Walk and Talk Inner City Arts and Culture Tour, encompassing Constitution Hill and the Women’s Jail museum, is another visitors’ favourite. It includes stops at interesting art sites in Braamfontein and surrounding areas, such as the Johannesburg Theatre Complex, the South African Ballet Theatre and the National School of the Arts.

On this tour, walkers also get the opportunity to amble through a labyrinth that is set up in the Women’s Jail complex. The labyrinth is designed to give walkers a sense of freedom and peace, as each step represents a move closer to liberty; emancipation from imprisonment.

Aside from these two tours, Walk and Talk Tours also offers specialist guided tours of Johannesburg’s suburbs for groups of eight people or more. The tours are conducted by area experts and include quite a few of the city’s urban zones.

The tour company has also developed several Dinner Hop Tours that are customised to suit each customer’s pocket and preference. The route takes the group – via bus, car, taxi or train – on a journey to a variety of venues to enjoy different courses and entertainment for an evening of food fun.

Contacts

Name: Beryl Porter
Email: enquiries@walktours.co.za
Tel: +27 (0)11 444 1639
Fax: +27 (0)11 444 6128
Website: www.walktours.co.za