Region

Gauteng

Base in Johannesburg or Tshwane (Pretoria) for 2–3 nights; use it as the arrival hub, not the whole trip.

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Key facts · South Africa

Visa: Depends on your passport
Currency: South African rand
Language: 12 official languages
Plugs: M · C · N · 230 V
Time zone: South Africa Standard Time

Month by month hereIn detail ↓

Rules in force · 8Nine African countries on this site have no trip line bec…Across the subregion, plan every road leg to arrive befor…

Africa ↗When a route touches a yellow-fever country — even a transit of 12 hours or more — keep the original yellow card (ICVP) in your hand luggage; health desks and airlines can refuse boarding or entry without it.
Africa ↗Nine African countries on this site have no trip line because governments advise against travel; several others have no-go regions. Read your government's advice for every country on the route before paying deposits.
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Southern Africa ↗Across the subregion, plan every road leg to arrive before sunset: livestock, wildlife, pedestrians and unlit trucks make night driving the main cause of serious visitor accidents.
South Africa ↗Check visa and entry rules for your passport with the Department of Home Affairs or a South African mission before booking; exemptions depend on nationality, and the new Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) is optional for most visa-exempt visitors in 2026.
South Africa ↗Travelling with children: accompanied foreign children no longer need a birth certificate, but unaccompanied minors, South African children and some passports that omit parents' names still do; check with Home Affairs and your airline before you fly.
South Africa ↗Driving is on the left. If your licence is not in English or has no photo, get an International Driving Permit before you travel; rental companies also check it.
South Africa ↗National park gates open and close at fixed times; you must be inside your camp before the gate closes, and speed limits in parks are enforced.

Gauteng is South Africa's arrival province: nearly every international flight lands at O.R. Tambo, and Johannesburg and Tshwane sit 55 km apart on the Gautrain. Two to three nights covers the Apartheid Museum, Soweto and Constitution Hill; then drive or fly out to the Cape, Kruger or the Drakensberg. A car is the practical way to move beyond the rail corridor.

Sleep

Which bed, for how many nights, and what to do from it

Where to sleep

4 places in this region

Sleep base

JohannesburgCity guide
Museums, Soweto, food and nightlife; OR Tambo access.
Best Apr–May, Sep–Oct
JFMAMJJASOND
Open Johannesburg →
Tshwane (Pretoria)Planned
Quieter, 2–3 °C warmer than Johannesburg; government sights.Quieter, 4–5 °F warmer than Johannesburg; government sights.
Page planned: listed so the region plan is complete.

Day trip

West RandPlanned
Gold-mine heritage and small nature reserves.
Page planned: listed so the region plan is complete.
SedibengPlanned
Vaal River towns south of Johannesburg.
Page planned: listed so the region plan is complete.

Night sequences

2 nights: Johannesburg 2: Apartheid Museum, Soweto half-day, Constitution Hill
3 nights: Johannesburg 2 + Tshwane 1 (Gautrain between them), then fly or drive out

Johannesburg + Tshwane + Soweto + a mine tour in 2 days is mostly transit.
Peak traffic 07:00–09:00 and 16:00–18:00 clogs the N1 between Johannesburg and Tshwane, the N3 near Alberton and the N12/R24 to O.R. Tambo.Peak traffic 7:00 AM–9:00 AM and 4:00 PM–6:00 PM clogs the N1 between Johannesburg and Tshwane, the N3 near Alberton and the N12/R24 to O.R. Tambo.

Day-trips door to door

To	From	Door-to-door p50	Last return	Note
Tshwane (Pretoria)	Johannesburg	55 min	check	Gautrain Sandton–Hatfield is about 40 min; last train is evening, check the timetable.
West Rand	Johannesburg	60 min	check	Gold-mine heritage sites; drive, as rail does not reach them.
Sedibeng	Johannesburg	60 min	check	Vaal River towns; a half-day by car.

Bags between cities

No luggage forwarding culture here; travel with your bags or leave them at your hotel between Gauteng and your next province.

When and how

Months, arrival and passes

Seasons at a glance

From each city's month table

Pick a month to see where to go.

Only good-now countries

Country	JJan	FFeb	MMar	AApr	MMay	JJun	JJul	AAug	SSep	OOct	NNov	DDec
Johannesburg	×	×	ok	go	go	×	×	ok	go	go	ok	×
South Africa (country-wide)	go	go	go	go	go	ok	ok	go	go	go	go	ok

Go: the good monthsFair: workable, mixedPoor: heat, rain or hazeAvoid: storms, floods, closuresno data yet

Computed from each country’s own data; hover a country name for the source. Advisory countries are left out.

Climate strip

Month by month

Zone	J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
Highveld (Johannesburg and Tshwane)Whole province, about 1,700 m	wet	wet	wet	ok	dry	dry	dry	dry	ok	wet	wet	wet

ok: workablewet: daily rain

Highveld (Johannesburg and Tshwane): Summer rain falls as short, intense afternoon thunderstorms with lightning; winter nights drop to just above freezing while days stay comfortable. Tshwane runs 2–3 °C warmer than Johannesburg.Summer rain falls as short, intense afternoon thunderstorms with lightning; winter nights drop to just above freezing while days stay comfortable. Tshwane runs 4–5 °F warmer than Johannesburg.

Winter (May–Aug) is dry and clear — good for sightseeing, cold after dark. Summer afternoons can stop outdoor plans for an hour; check the weather radar before a late hike.

Get in

Door-to-door p50, 2026 estimate

From	To	How	p50	Note
O.R. Tambo International (JNB)	Sandton / Johannesburg	Gautrain	~25 min to Sandton	Most international flights to South Africa land here; the rail link runs to Sandton, Rosebank, Marlboro and Tshwane.
O.R. Tambo International (JNB)	Hatfield (Tshwane)	Gautrain	~55 min	Cheaper and more predictable than a taxi at peak hour; trains stop overnight.
Cape Town	Johannesburg	Flight, ~2 h	~2 h	Fly rather than drive the 1,400 km; the N1 route takes two days.Fly rather than drive the 870 mi; the N1 route takes two days.
Limpopo / Kruger area	Johannesburg	N1 south by car	~4–5 h from the park gates	The main self-drive corridor into the province.
Mpumalanga	Johannesburg	N12/N4 or N17 by car	~3–4 h	The Drakensberg escarpment is about a three-hour drive from Johannesburg.
Free State	Johannesburg	N1 or N3 by car	~3–4 h	N1 for the western Free State, N3 for the eastern side.

Regional passes

Verdict first

Gautrain card / single tickets

buy

Pays for airport, Sandton, Rosebank and Tshwane hops; buy per trip or load a card, no national pass needed.

Rental car

buy

Needed for West Rand, Sedibeng and most nature reserves; all national agencies are at the airport.

City sightseeing bus (Johannesburg)

check

Useful if you want a fixed loop without driving; check current routes and days of operation.

Eat and move on

Regional food

Where and when it works

Dish	Where	Timing / trap
Braai and steakhouse grills	Johannesburg: Melville, Rosebank, Sandton	Locals eat out often; book Friday and Saturday evenings.
Township food and shisa nyama	Soweto	Go with an operator or a local host; portions are large and shared.
Cape Malay and Indian curries	Johannesburg and Tshwane	Widely available; ask for mild if you are not used to chilli.
Coffee and café lunches	Rosebank, Parkhurst, Hatfield	Coffee shops are common and mostly unlicensed; restaurants almost always serve alcohol.

Go next

Western Cape

Flight ~2 h to Cape Town

The classic pairing: city and bush, or city and Cape.

KwaZulu-Natal

planned

Flight ~1 h to Durban, or drive ~6 h

Beaches, Drakensberg and battlefields.

Eastern Cape

planned

Flight ~1 h 30 to Port Elizabeth (Gqeberha)

Addo elephants and the Garden Route's eastern end.

Limpopo

planned

Drive N1 ~4–5 h

Gateway to Kruger's northern sections.

Mpumalanga

planned

Drive N12/N4 or N17 ~3–4 h

Escarpment views and southern Kruger.

Free State

planned

Drive N1 or N3 ~3–4 h

Open plains and Clarens.

Northern Cape

planned

Flight to Upington, or long drive

Kalahari and the Orange River.

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Deep dive

Photos, reading and every source

Sources

officialGauteng Provincial Government
officialGautrain
officialSouth African Weather Service
officialO.R. Tambo International Airport
secondaryWikivoyage: Gauteng, revision 5020258 (CC BY-SA 4.0)