The largest airport in South Africa is known as the Johannesburg OR Tambo International. It is also the hub of air transportation for Southern Africa. If you are flying to South Africa, then Jhb OR Tambo is the major airport, unless you made a booking for a flight to the Lanseria airport.

OR Tambo formerly known as JHB International caters to nearly 20 million passengers a year and accounts for almost half the air traffic moving in and out of South Africa.

It’s tough to even think that the lively Johannesburg of today was once a shanty tiny town packed with miners dreaming of diamond. Johannesburg is not only the biggest and the busiest trade centre of South Africa; it is also an excellent tourist destination.

Gold Reef City provides a glimpse into the past of Johannesburg. It offers a visit to a mineshaft as well as some more modern forms of entertainment. For a closer look at the heritage of the area, drop in to the Lesedi Cultural Village, a multi-ethnic group consisting of Zulu, Xhosa, Basotho and Pedi people. This can be a fulfilling and enlightening experience as you watch dances and learn about the history and culture of these people.

Some tourists head for places like Soweto and Nelson Mandela’s previous home, the Regina Mundi Church, and the Hector Pieterson Memorial Museum. Take a break and enjoy a refreshing drink at a ‘shebeen’. The most popular one is the Wandie’s Place.

The Johannesburg Zoo houses its animals without the use of bars and has gone to great lengths to reproduce the animals’ natural habitats. This is a good alternative if you can’t go to a proper nature reserve. While you are in the vicinity you could also rent a rowboat and spend a bit of time on Zoo Lake to do a bit of bird watching, and if you feel a little peckish at the end of the day, pop in at Moyo’s for the best African cuisine accompanied by the best African music that this city has to offer.

A mere hour’s drive from Johannesburg is yet another important sight to see: The Cradle of Humankind, a World Heritage site. The Sterkfontein Caves are found here – the site where Mrs. Ples, a three million year old skull was first discovered in’47.

Johannesburg is great for shopping. It offers wonderful shopping experiences; arraying from urban malls like Sandton City, Nelson Mandela Square, and Hyde Park, to a several effervescent Oriental and African flea markets. Most tourists just cannot leave the place without purchasing some striking arts and crafts, which are found for sale, at these markets. Some of such items are bead work, local wire-work, traditional carvings, and fertility dolls.

Food and wine are a treat in this city. With cuisine influenced by the melting pot of cultures here, you can literally sample just about anything: Malaysian, Indian, French, Mexican, Italian, Moroccan, Creole and African. So make sure you have plenty of time in Johannesburg and explore all that this wonderful city has to offer its visitors.

Graham McKenzie is the content syndication coordinator for South Arica?s leading Flight comparison & Booking portal, which includes Alitalia Airlines amongst others.

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