Day trips from Johannesburg

7 min read Updated November 2026 Compare all tours

Most day trips from Johannesburg head north or west. Pretoria and the Cullinan diamond mine lie to the north, Lesedi, the Cradle of Humankind and Hartbeespoort Dam to the north-west and west, and Sun City further out beside the Pilanesberg. Germany’s Foreign Office advises against driving between towns after dark, so plan to be back on the main roads before sunset, especially on the evening programmes.

Pretoria, the capital to the north

Pretoria is about 50 km north of Johannesburg, according to South African Tourism, and is the seat of the government’s administrative branch. The guided half days follow a similar route: the granite Voortrekker Monument on its hill, Kruger House, built in 1884 for President Paul Kruger, Church Square in the old centre and the Union Buildings, which house the president’s offices. The tour with the largest group of reviewers leaves at 8 am and at 1 pm, takes about five hours and needs at least two people to run.

Reviewers like the guides and the punctual pickup. One visitor pointed out that the steps at the monument are hard for people with limited mobility and wished for more time in the historic centre. From late September through October, sometimes into early November, the University of Pretoria says the city’s jacarandas are in bloom. More on the sights and the Gautrain route is on the Pretoria page.

Cullinan and its diamond mine

The Cullinan diamond was found near Pretoria in 1905 and weighed 3,106 carats uncut, according to the Royal Collection Trust. It was cut into nine large stones and 97 smaller brilliants, two of which are in the British Crown Jewels. The mine is still working, and its Big Hole is 1.2 km long, 0.5 km wide and 450 m deep, as What’s On in Joburg reported after a visit.

The surface walk takes two hours and passes the diamond display room, the shaft and the Big Hole. It has no transport, so you need your own car or a combined tour. Rules on the listing are strict: no children under 10, a breathalyser test at the gate, an indemnity form with a passport copy, and no wheelchairs, crutches or walking sticks on the tour.

A private eight-hour tour combines Pretoria in the morning with the mine in the afternoon. Cullinan is about 40 minutes’ drive from Pretoria, and the listing warns of airport-style security at the mine.

Lesedi Cultural Village

Lesedi lies on the R512, Pelindaba Road, about 45 minutes north-west of Johannesburg, says Gauteng Tourism. A village guide leads you through five homesteads, Zulu, Xhosa, Pedi, Basotho and Ndebele, before a song and dance performance in which guests are invited to join. The midday programme runs from 11:30 to 13:30 with a traditional lunch, and the evening programme from 16:30 to 18:30 with dinner.

On the tour with pickup, the meal is at the Nyama Choma restaurant, whose menu includes crocodile and ostrich; drinks are extra. Morning tours leave at around 10 am and return at about 3 pm. The evening version returns at about 10 pm, and the drive back is in the dark, so a guided tour is easier than driving yourself. A full-day tour pairs Lesedi with the Wonder Cave and the Maropeng visitor centre in the Cradle of Humankind.

Hartbeespoort Dam and the Magaliesberg

The concrete arch dam was completed in April 1923 and stands 59 m high in a gorge of the Magaliesberg, where the Crocodile and Magalies rivers meet. Two-hour cruises leave at 10:00, 13:00 and 16:00 and serve South African finger food, with drinks from the bar on board. The Harties Cableway climbs the ridge from Wednesday to Sunday and closes on Mondays and Tuesdays. A private half day from Sandton combines the cableway with a wine tasting, leaving the My Sandton City stop at 08:30 and taking about an hour each way.

Balloon flights over the Magalies River valley start before sunrise near Skeerpoort, west of the dam. The Hartbeespoort Dam page covers the cruise, the cableway and the safari park, and balloon flights has the flights in detail.

Cheetahs and wild dogs at De Wildt

The Ann van Dyk Cheetah Centre has been breeding since 1971. It says more than 600 cheetah cubs and more than 500 wild dog pups have been born there, and that the first king cheetah born in captivity was born at the centre. Its 2025 rate sheet lists a two-hour guided tour daily at 09:00 and 14:00, a one-hour walking tour during the day and, on Wednesdays and Sundays at 08:00, a cheetah run with a guided tour that is not open to children under seven or under 1.2 m. The centre states that booking is essential.

The tour with pickup from Johannesburg or Pretoria takes four to five hours and includes the guided tour of the centre. The cheetah run is only part of the visit if the day’s schedule includes one.

Sun City and the Pilanesberg

A full day of about ten hours combines a morning game drive in Pilanesberg National Park with an afternoon at Sun City. Sun International lets day visitors into the Valley of Waves only with a day ticket bought in advance online, in limited numbers, and tickets cannot be bought at the resort. Ask the operator before you book whether that ticket is part of the trip. The Valley of Waves is closed on 3 and 4 December 2026. For safaris in the park alone see Pilanesberg safari.

Pretoria and Soweto in one day

If you have only one full day, a seven-hour tour starts with the Voortrekker Monument, Kruger House, Church Square and the Union Buildings in Pretoria, then drives to Soweto for the Hector Pieterson Museum and Vilakazi Street and ends at the Apartheid Museum. It is a long day in the vehicle, and the museum comes last, when time is shortest. For Soweto at a slower pace, see Soweto tours.