Business Tour in South Africa

Land in Cape Town and drive to your downtown hotel.  This beautiful city sits between the sea and the mountains.  Get oriented with a cable car trip up Table Mountain, Cape Town’s landmark, from where the city and sea lay spread out before you.  

Tonight enjoy dinner at one of the restaurants at the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, followed by a stroll along the Sea Point Promenade which meanders along the oceanfront, before returning to your hotel for the night.

Learn about some of the political history of Cape Town with a visit to the District Six Museum.  The Museum educates visitors about the people of District Six. During the apartheid period, govenment racial policies forced thousands of people to move to shanty towns outside the city when District Six was declared to be a white neighborhood.

After lunch downtown, enjoy a trip to Boulders Beach on the Cape Peninsula. Best known for its penguins who make Boulders Beach their home, it makes for a wonderful coastal walk. 

Tonight visit Camps Bay for dinner, taking in the picturesque beach and awesome sunsets.

This morning, take a ferry to Robben Island to learn more about the city’s political past. Here you’ll find the prison that held Nelson Mandela during apartheid. Former inmates lead the tours.

After lunch in the city at the scenic Victoria and Alfred Waterfront, head south from Cape Town to the Cape of Good Hope, the dramatic peninsula that divides the Atlantic Ocean and False Bay.  Local wildlife at the Cape includes ostriches and baboons. The scenic highlight here is Cape Point, the southwestern-most point of the continent.  

Tonight, browse the little cafés and shops in Victorian buildings on Long Street. Check out the local entrepreneurial spirit of these small business owners, who sell traditional African crafts or offer food and drink in their bars and restaurants.

After breakfast, head to the Bo-Kaap neighborhood, Cape Town’s Muslim community, known for its brightly colored houses. Visit the Bo-Kaap Museum to learn about the local residents, and have the chance to talk with museum staff about business in the community. Late this morning, you’ll have the chance to sit in on classes at a Bo-Kaap school and assist with the teaching of English to eager local students.

Grab some lunch, then head to the airport in the early afternoon for a flight to Johannesburg, the business center of South Africa.  

Visit the Fashion District, which will give you the opportunity to see stores such as the Fashion District Store and Studio 109 which feature the latest in designs, and be able to talk with owners on their perspective on the fashion business in the city and South Africa. 

Dinner tonight in downtown Johannesburg before returning to the hotel.

After breakfast, take a JoburgPlaces walking tour to learn more about the city and its history. The tour guide will also offer insights into the business environment in current Johannesburg. The tours begin and end at Joziburg Lane, a former storage facility that’s become a food market as well as an apartment complex.

Then head to Oriental Plaza, in the city’s old Indian neighborhood.  Have some Indian food for lunch, and talk with Indian store owners about the business environment within the community.  

 Tonight have an interesting dinner experience at a restaurant that features a local tradition of seating guests at a common table with other dinner guests. This set-up is ideal for group conversation and trying a variety of dishes from an African menu.

This morning, head south of Johannesburg to Soweto, named for the SOuth WEstern TOwnships, for an informative tour.  Learn about the life of local residents, plus some political history at the Hector Pieterson Museum and the Nelson Mandela House and Visitor Center.  Then visit the Apartheid Museum, which explores the history of racial policies in South Africa.

After lunch, visit the vibrant Maboneng precinct, a large urban renewal project that has attracted top artists, fashion designers and chefs to the area. Lovers of good food, interesting art and trendy shops will enjoy exploring the wide selection of galleries, restaurants and stores. See how business has grown in this unique area by talking with local owners.

Round out your day at the Keyes Art Mile, an entertaining area for food, arts and shops. Located in the Rosebank neighborhood, this visit offers the chance to gain fresh business insights by talking with merchants in this upscale neighborhood. Plus it’s an excellent area for dinner before returning to the hotel for the night.

Have one more local experience this morning after breakfast. The Neighbourgoods Market is held in Braamfontein every Saturday, filling two floors with foods from across the city. The market has helped fuel redevelopment in Braamfontein, a historically bohemian neighborhood.

Then head to the Johannesburg airport for your return flight home, having experienced a diverse spectrum of businesses during your study in South Africa’s two largest cities, plus learned much about the political past and modern life of the people of this nation.