World Cup 2010 Host City: Johannesburg

Johannesburg is the financial, economic and cultural giant of South Africa - and by implication the entire African continent. This is a vibrant, fast pioneering city. It grew from the goldmines that made the city wealthy and it still has that high energy spirit today.

Jo'burg (as it is known locally) will have 2 of the World Cup soccer stadiums:

Soccer City

Ellis Park Stadium

Pretoria is also just a 40 minutes away on a good highway, making Gauteng Province one of the best places to see the World Cup.

Travelling on a safari, self-drive tour or a package tour is extremely easy from Johannesburg as it is central to a number of fantastic game reserves. The flights options from Oliver Tambo International Airport also make a safari to Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Namibia or any of the East African safari destinations very feasible.

Safaris from Johannesburg

The Kruger National Park, Sabi Sand Game Reserve, Timbavati Game Reserve, Madikwe Game Reserve or Pilanesberg Game Reserve and Welgevonden Game Reserve are all with 4 or 5 hours drive of Johannesburg! These are all fantastic safari destinations, some of them are even malaria free (Madikwe, Pilanesberg, Welgevonden).

In addition, within a 2 to 3 hour flight from Johannesburg, safari enthusiast have the choice of Okavango Delta (Botswana), Etosha Pan (Namibia), Kafue (Zambia), Victoria Falls or Hwange (Zimbabwe), to name a few. Alternatively, for visitors want to escape the World Cup madness for a week, Tanzania or Kenya will be less crowded.

Johannesburg Self-drive

Johannesburg has an incredible road network that will allow self-drive visitors the option of reaching the coast (Durban) in 6 hours, the Drakensberg in 3-4 hours, Sun City in 2 hours, the escarpment in 4 hours, Swaziland in 4 hours, not to mention all the safari destinations!

Recommended Safari Destinations: Johannesburg

Greater Kruger National Park:

Timbavati Private Game Reserve

Sabi Sands Private Game Reserve

Thornybush Private Game Reserve

Kruger Park Concessions

Although you do not need to go any further to get your safari fix, if you are interested in getting some variety, you could consider:

Zimbabwe:

Read more about safaris to Zimbabwe

Botswana:

Read more about Botswana

Johannesburg weather during the World Cup months - June/July

Rainfall: Dry

Johannesburg is situated in the highveld and has a summer rainfall (September to May). This dry weather is also superb for game viewing as the animals congregate around watering holes.

Temperatures: Daytime 20C (68 F); night 10C (46 F)
 

Quick links

World Cup 2010 links

World Cup 2010 News | Official FIFA Website

Safari Links

South Africa safaris | South Africa Lodges | Kruger Park safaris | Kruger safaris | Botswana safaris | Botswana lodges | Namibia safaris | Namibia lodges | Zimbabwe safaris | Zimbabwe lodges

Planning a safari | Fly-in safari | Camping safari | Walking safari