Coffeebeans Routes

Soweto Futures

Soweto is the tail that wags the dog. On this half day journey get insight into how Soweto is shaping the future of the City of Gold.

PRIVATE TOUR
Duration: 4 hours (approx)
Starting from USD 250 pp / ZAR 3791 pp

Book via info@coffeebeansroutes.com

 

Highlights

  • Tour of the Soweto Theatre
  • Taste local Soweto craft beer tasting
  • Meet and engage a local entrepreneur
  • Taste some Soweto traditional snacks

Inclusions

  • Any entrance fees
  • English speaking guide
  • Air-conditioned mini-van
  • Collection and drop-off
  • Tasting fees and snacks
  • Hosting fees
  • Mineral water

Exclusions

  • Discretionary gratuities
  • Lunch or Dinner

Special notes

  • While history is a constant thread, the focus of Soweto Futures is the present and the future
  • Suitable for all ages
  • Soweto Futures engages guests with Soweto residents

There is so much heritage and history to Soweto, that often the fact that it is current and contemporary and modern, the fact that it has a future, is totally overlooked. In addition to the incredible histories of Soweto, the powerful stories of the Soweto Uprisings, and those of resistance figures such as Mandela and Tutu, there are the extraordinary stories about now, about the Soweto that is being shaped as you read this.

These are the stories that this tour is most interested in, with stories of Soweto’s past as a constant thread.

Our half day Soweto Futures tour defies many of the assumed notions of what Soweto and her people is like or should be like. We visit the Soweto Theatre, one of the most exciting pieces of architecture in Johannesburg, probably in South Africa. We visit a hip fashion boutique, pop in on a design emporium, visit an urban farm, and sample Soweto brewed craft beer…

All in all it’s a refreshingly contemporary and futuristic take on one of South Africa’s most famous suburbs, designed to provide a sense of how Soweto is helping to shape the future of Johannesburg.

A typical itinerary could look like this:

  • 14h00 Collection at hotel, introduction to the programme
  • 14h45 A tour of the Soweto Theatre
  • 15h30 Meet a Soweto entrepreneur, pop in at local design boutique
  • 16h30 Beer Tasting at the Ubuntu Kraal Brewery
  • 17h20 Return to accommodation
  • 18h05 Drop off at hotel

Along the way, between locations, guests learn about the history of Soweto, and the role it has played in South Africa’s political, cultural and economic past. As the tour takes place on a private basis, there is the opportunity to follow guest whim and explore off the programme.

In the Media

NEW YORK TIMES
"...authenticity ...an adventure"
NEW YORK TIMES
"A cultural treasure hunt"
NEW YORK TIMES
"A Culinary Gateway to Cape Town"
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC
"A fascinating window on life"
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC
"A fascinating window on life"
SUNDAY TIMES UK
"A new & novel way to get inside the city"
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
"...an especially rich experience"