Johannesburg exists because of gold. When the gold-bearing Main Reef was found at Langlaagte in 1886, a mining camp sprang up almost overnight, and the city that grew from it is still called Egoli, the city of gold. You can still go underground and see where it all started.
Gold Reef City: go 75 metres underground
Gold Reef City, south of the city centre, is best known as a theme park, but it is built around an old gold mine and runs what it calls the only authentic underground mine tour in Johannesburg. The tour takes you 75 metres below the surface into the old workings to learn how the city’s gold was found and mined.
Back on the surface, you can try gold panning, watch a live gold pour as molten gold is cast into a bar, and walk through the restored museum houses that show how mine officials lived in the gold rush years.
Planning your visit
- When: the theme park is open Thursday and Friday from 09:30 to 17:00, and Saturday and Sunday from 09:00 to 17:00. It is closed Monday to Wednesday, and hours can change over school and public holidays.
- Tickets: buy online before you go, as theme park tickets are not sold at the gate. Booking the mine tour in advance is essential. The mine tour on its own costs R150, and general admission with the mine tour R355 (prices and times as listed by Gold Reef City in October 2026; check before you go).
- How long: allow about two hours for the tour.
- What to bring: a jersey, because it gets cold underground, and closed, comfortable shoes. There are no toilets below ground, so go before you start.
- Language: tours are conducted in English.
Who should not go underground
Children under four are not allowed on the mine tour, and school groups have a higher limit of six. Gold Reef City also asks guests not to take the tour if they are pregnant, have a heart condition, high or low blood pressure or asthma, have recently had major surgery, or are prone to claustrophobia. The reason is practical: if the power fails, the evacuation route is a climb of 151 steps up a 38-degree incline, and everyone on the tour must be able to manage it.
Gold Reef City is on the corner of Northern Parkway and Data Crescent in Ormonde, south of the city centre.
For current ticket prices and how to book, see our Gold Reef City entrance fees guide.
George Harrison Park: where the gold rush began
In Langlaagte, west of the city centre, George Harrison Park marks the spot where the prospector George Harrison officially discovered the gold-bearing Main Reef in early 1886, on claims granted to him and his partner George Walker on Langlaagte farm. Harrison never grew rich from it: he sold his claim for 10 pounds and moved on. The site has two original mine shafts and wide views over the city. It was declared a national monument in 1944 and is now a provincial heritage site.
Facilities at the park are limited, and heritage groups have reported vandalism and neglect there in the past, so many visitors see it as a stop on a guided Johannesburg heritage tour rather than on their own.
The stamp battery that once crushed ore on the site has been moved to Main Street in downtown Johannesburg, where it is on display in the old mining district. It is worth a look if you are walking the inner city.
