Gain a deeper understanding of South Africa’s complex history and cultural identity through a guided exploration ofJohannesburg and Soweto. When available, the experience includes a visit to the Apartheid Museum, a leading institution documenting the country’s racial struggles and path to democracy. We'll spend extended time in Soweto, a community central to the freedom struggle. Soweto is a large urban residential area southwest of Johannesburg whose name is an acronym for South-Western Townships. Established in the 1930s under government segregation policies that sought to remove Black laborers from the white residential districts of Johannesburg, it became a powerful hub of resistance and home to iconic anti-apartheid leaders. in 1955, thousands gathered in Kliptown, Soweto, to adopt the anti-apartheid Freedom Charter, ushering in decades of protests and resistance. Following the end of apartheid and the 1994 democratic elections, Soweto was integrated into the greater Johannesburg municipality and today is a vibrant cultural center with over a million residents.

Highlights of our visit to Soweto may include the Hector Pieterson Memorial, Regina Mundi Church, Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital and Vilakazi Street, where both Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu lived. For departures happening on a Monday or Tuesday, when the Apartheid Museum is closed, guests will have an expanded tour and historical overview of Johannesburg and Soweto instead of the museum visit. With lunch included, this experience offers a powerful introduction to the people and places that shaped modern South Africa.