South Africa · APARTHEID & MANDELA HISTORY TOURS

The 15 Best Apartheid & Mandela History Tours

43 tours  ·  from $49 a head

The museums and the house on Vilakazi Street are the core of it, and a guide is what turns the exhibits into a sequence. These 15 cover the half-day versions and the full days that add Soweto, with entry costs and how long each really needs.

Soweto /Johannesburg and Apartheid Museum Guided Full Day Tour - Johannesburg CBD, Gandhi Square, and the city view
Apartheid & Mandela History Tours, Apartheid History Tours in Johannesburg, Full-Day, Guided, Museums, Soweto & Township Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours, Tours in Johannesburg, Township Tours in Johannesburg

Soweto /Johannesburg and Apartheid Museum Guided Full Day Tour

1.Soweto /Johannesburg and Apartheid Museum Guided Full Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 932 reviews · from $103Our pick

Spend 8 to 9 hours touring Johannesburg and Soweto in an air-conditioned minivan with a local guide. Visit Constitution Hill, Mandela House, Hector Pieterson Museum, Vilakazi Street, Orlando Towers, FNB Stadium, and the Apartheid Museum. Guides may include Nathi, Bobo, or Matti, and the small group size keeps the day personal.

“Smooth day! Very informative and entertaining as well. It was only myself and 1 other so the experience was awesome. Bo Bo is very proud and chill and loves his job. I look forward to recommending to my friends.”

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Jo'berg in 1 Day: Soweto, Apartheid Museum & City Tour - From the National Football Stadium to Soweto
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Jo’berg in 1 Day: Soweto, Apartheid Museum & City Tour

2.Jo’berg in 1 Day: Soweto, Apartheid Museum & City Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 524 reviews · 8 hours · from $142

Spend eight hours with an English-speaking guide exploring Soweto, Vilakazi Street, Hector Pieterson Museum, the Apartheid Museum, Constitution Hill, and central Johannesburg. Pickup and entrance fees are included, with WiFi onboard. Guides such as Khutso, Thapelo, Tinyiko, and Sello are known for clear historical commentary and friendly humor.

“Omg! It was awesome, a big thank you to Khutso and Zanele they were so good to us. Khutso is a top tour guide he told us everything we needed to know. God bless you and I will certainly recommend you guys to others.”

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Johannesburg: Full-Day Tour with Soweto and Apartheid Museum - A quick look at old Johannesburg
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Johannesburg: Full-Day Tour with Soweto and Apartheid Museum

3.Full-Day Tour with Soweto and Apartheid Museum

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 478 reviews · 10 hours · from $104

Spend 10 hours with a French or English-speaking guide exploring Johannesburg and Soweto. Visit Constitution Hill, the Apartheid Museum, Mandela House, and Hector Pieterson Memorial, with hotel pickup, air-conditioned transport, and entry fees included. Guides such as Advice, Bob, John, and Masese are known for clear storytelling and thoughtful care.

“Advice was incredible! Very informative and happy to answer any questions. What a fantastic day! Thank you very much Advice!”

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Full-Day Soweto, Apartheid Museum and Lunch Tour - Starting at FNB Stadium
Apartheid & Mandela History Tours, Apartheid History Tours in Johannesburg, Full-Day, Lunch Experiences, Museums, Soweto & Township Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours, Tours in Johannesburg, Township Tours in Johannesburg

Full-Day Soweto, Apartheid Museum and Lunch Tour

4.Full-Day Soweto, Apartheid Museum and Lunch Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 410 reviews · from $108

Spend about nine hours with MoAfrika Tours exploring Soweto, from FNB Stadium and Regina Mundi to an informal settlement, Vilakazi Street, and the Apartheid Museum. Guides such as Khutso, Cipo, Marc, Sello, and Tsolo bring local insight. Lunch, hotel transport, and onboard WiFi are included.

“I cannot describe in words the incredible experience I had during this tour. It’s definitely a must do if you are visiting Johannesburg. I felt very touched learning about the history and Soweto overall. I will never forget this experience, worth dRead more”

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Half Guided Day Tour of Soweto And Apartheid Museum - Starting at the Apartheid Museum
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Half Guided Day Tour of Soweto And Apartheid Museum

5.Half Guided Day Tour of Soweto And Apartheid Museum

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 356 reviews · from $69

Spend four to five hours exploring Johannesburg’s Apartheid Museum and Soweto with a guide such as Nathi or Bobo. The small-group tour includes hotel pickup, Mandela House, Hector Pieterson Memorial, Vilakazi Street, and time to hear how Soweto changed South Africa. The museum visit is self-guided.

“The tour was as good as I could have imagined. Our guide was informative and helpful to all four of us on the tour. We learned a lot about Johannesburg and South Africa in a short time.”

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Ultimate Johannesburg Soweto Experience with Apartheid Museum - Two hours inside the Apartheid Museum
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Ultimate Johannesburg Soweto Experience with Apartheid Museum

6.Ultimate Johannesburg Soweto Experience with Apartheid Museum

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 313 reviews · from $108

Spend about nine hours with a driver-guide, often a local Soweto guide, exploring Johannesburg’s past and present. Visit Constitution Hill, the Apartheid Museum, Hector Pieterson Museum, Vilakazi Street, and an informal settlement. Hotel pickup, air-conditioned transport, and onboard WiFi are included. Lunch and Mandela House entry cost extra.

“Amazing tour. Our guide Cipoo with MoAfrican tours was so informative and answered every question we had.”

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Soweto: Hop-On Hop-Off Bus, City Tour and Apartheid Museum - Starting at Rosebank or using the Sandton shuttle
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Soweto: Hop-On Hop-Off Bus, City Tour and Apartheid Museum

7.Hop-On Hop-Off Bus, City Tour and Apartheid Museum

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 250 reviews · 1 day · from $50

Pair a Johannesburg hop-on hop-off bus ride with a two-hour Soweto tour led by a local guide. Visit Vilakazi Street, Mandela House, Hector Pieterson, Orlando Towers, and Constitution Hill, then use the bus route to reach the Apartheid Museum. Guides such as DT and KG have been praised for clear, lively storytelling.

“The bus tour was excellent in terms of what it showed us. I’ve lived in joburg my whole life and thought it would be cool to try it out and I was pleasantly surprised. Even I learnt a few things and got to see parts of the city that I hadn’t glimpsed in a while.”

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Johannesburg and Soweto Apartheid Full Day Tour w/Lunch - Morning pickup and the first look at Jozi
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Johannesburg and Soweto Apartheid Full Day Tour w/Lunch

8.Johannesburg and Soweto Apartheid Full Day Tour w/Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 219 reviews · 8 hours · from $93

Spend eight hours exploring Johannesburg and Soweto with a local guide such as James, Vincent, Pascal, or Lauren. Visit Constitutional Hill, the Apartheid Museum, Hector Pieterson Memorial, Vilakazi Street, and Mandela House, then share lunch at a local shebeen. Museum hours matter: the Apartheid Museum is open Wednesday through Sunday.

“James picked me up at the hotel. alone because the other two people didn't cancel their tour. Lucky for me, so I had a private tour. james was very attentive and took a lot of time to explain everything to me in detail. the day was very informative. I felt safe at all times and thank you James for a great day.”

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Apartheid & Mandela History Tours, Apartheid History Tours in Pretoria, Full-Day, Museums, Soweto & Township Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours, Tours in Pretoria, Township Tours in Pretoria

Johannesburg Full-Day Tour(Soweto/Jo-Burg & Apartheid Museum)

9.Johannesburg Full-Day Tour(Soweto/Jo-Burg & Apartheid Museum)

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 110 reviews · from $86

Spend about nine hours with a private driver-guide exploring Johannesburg and Soweto. Expect hotel pickup, an air-conditioned vehicle, bottled water, and stops at Constitution Hill, Mandela House, Freedom Square, Regina Mundi Church, Hector Pieterson Museum, and the Apartheid Museum. Guides have included KG, Pastor, Nthatu, and Lindela.

“A retrospective, in-depth tour offering in/sight and perspective on the present day SA as well as the recent history on a resilient nation who has overcome many battles. Pastor done an amazing job showcasing patience, professionalism and Read more”

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Johannesburg: Soweto & Apartheid Museum Half-Day Tour - Mandela House, a small stop with major meaning
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Johannesburg: Soweto & Apartheid Museum Half-Day Tour

10.Soweto & Apartheid Museum Half-Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 99 reviews · 5h 30m · from $84

Spend about five and a half hours exploring Soweto and Johannesburg’s apartheid story with an English or French speaking guide. Visit Mandela House, see the Soweto Towers and FNB Stadium, pass Desmond Tutu’s home, and spend about two and a half hours at the Apartheid Museum. Guides such as Advice, Masese, John, and Kwanda add local context.

“We loved this tour and learned incredibly much in just 5 hours! It filled all the gaps about what we had previously learned about the complex history of SA. Especially the Apartheid museum is amazing. Our guide did an outstanding job at explaining past and present, and sharing his personal perspective. We can highly recommend spending a few hours learning from him. A big plus of this tour was that we were picked up at an airport hotel and brought back before continuing our onward journey through SA.”

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Johannesburg: Soweto Apartheid & Township Tour with Lunch - From Johannesburg to Diepkloof
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Johannesburg: Soweto Apartheid & Township Tour with Lunch

11.Soweto Apartheid & Township Tour with Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 80 reviews · 7 hours · from $114

Spend seven hours exploring Soweto with an English-speaking local guide, visiting the Hector Pieterson Museum, an informal settlement, Vilakazi Street, Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital, and the Apartheid Museum. Your small group includes lunch, hotel pickup, and Wi-Fi. Mandela House is optional.

“My partner and I did the full day Soweto tour and thoroughly enjoyed it! The guides were very pleasant and spoke good clear English. Our guide Bobo was funny, polite, helpful and took great pleasure in answering everyone's questions. Our pick up and drop off driver was also extremely polite and great to chat with both before and after the tour, cheers Mbali! Both also made us feel very safe in the vehicle on the somewhat chaotic roads. The tour itself was eye opening to say the least. We got a very first hand experience in the environment and it was quite a sobering experience. One that wont be forgotten.…”

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Johannesburg: Half-Day Apartheid Museum Tour - The 45-minute ride from Johannesburg
Apartheid & Mandela History Tours, Apartheid History Tours in Johannesburg, Half-Day, Museums, Tour Reviews, Tours, Tours in Johannesburg

Johannesburg: Half-Day Apartheid Museum Tour

12.Half-Day Apartheid Museum Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 73 reviews · 5 hours · from $49Best value

Spend five hours exploring Johannesburg’s Apartheid Museum with an English-speaking guide and a small group of up to 13 people. Hotel pickup, return transport, museum entry, Wi-Fi, and a three-hour visit are included. Guides such as Mark, Bongani, and Tshepo have added useful context along the way.

“Guy was an excellent tour guide, who stayed with us throughout the tour. He gave us good time to explore the thought provoking museum and lots of interesting information. He was friendly and answered all of our questions about South Africa as first time visitors. Would definitely recommend this trip!”

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From Johannesburg: Pretoria, Soweto & Apartheid Museum Tour - Pretoria begins with the Voortrekker Monument
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From Johannesburg: Pretoria, Soweto & Apartheid Museum Tour

13.Pretoria, Soweto & Apartheid Museum Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 48 reviews · 7 hours · from $186

Spend seven hours tracing South Africa’s past from Pretoria’s Voortrekker Monument and Union Buildings to Soweto’s Mandela House and Hector Pieterson Museum. An English-speaking guide such as Marvin, Nic, Ali, or John leads the day, with transport, entry fees, snacks, water, and a local lunch stop included.

“It was absolutely excellent. Marvin is a fountain of knowledge, and he didn't hesitated to share very important details about the South African history, which I never knew. Also, a very careful driver and good company, brilliant soul; nothing was too much for him, and showed maximal patience and interest whenever I wanted to take a photo of something I found interesting. Thank You very much for being such a fantastic guide, You are true Ambassador for South Africa, showing the best of it to visitors. God bless You Marvin.”

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Soweto & Johannesburg and Apartheid Museum - Starting with Johannesburg’s changing city center
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Soweto & Johannesburg and Apartheid Museum

14.Soweto & Johannesburg and Apartheid Museum

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 41 reviews · 8 hours · from $92

Spend eight hours touring Johannesburg and Soweto by van with an English or French-speaking guide. Visit Hillbrow, Newtown, Diepkloof, Vilakazi Street, Nelson Mandela House, Hector Pieterson Memorial, and the Apartheid Museum. Joseph is one named guide associated with the tour. Museum and Mandela House admission are included, while lunch is extra.

“Une expérience exceptionnelle et très enrichissante. Le tour était parfaitement organisé et profondément intéressant. Un grand merci à notre guide pour sa passion, sa gentillesse et ses explications claires qui ont rendu cette visite inoubliable. Je recommande vivement !”

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Soweto and Apartheid Museum Tour - Mandela House and Vilakazi Street
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Soweto and Apartheid Museum Tour

15.Soweto and Apartheid Museum Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 38 reviews · 7 hours · from $232

Travel from Johannesburg to Soweto with an English-speaking guide, visiting the Apartheid Museum, Mandela House, Hector Pieterson Museum, Vilakazi Street, Orlando Towers, and other major sites. Guides such as Ali, Nic, and Michael have helped make this a thoughtful, history-focused day. Hotel pickup, lunch, entrance fees, and bottled water are included.

“it was our 1st day to Johannesburg, so we were excited about to know the history of South Africa. Michael was our guide , and he was excellent, informative, patient and helped us to under so well. the entire day we absorbed with so much of knowledge and we were very satisfied. we went around the city , constitution hill, Apartheid Museum, Soweto. it's worth tour to understand the cruel history of South Africa.”

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New in Apartheid & Mandela History Tours

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