Soweto Bicycle Tour 2 hours

What to expect

The tour starts by reaching our panoramic viewpoint on top of ‘Leboland’. Surrounded by the community garden’s pumpkin fields and the greenery of our campsite you will view Soweto with a 360-degree angle. The guide will introduce you to both our history and what we are doing today to take our community forward. Famous landmarks such as the Orlando Towers and the Orlando Stadium can be viewed from here.

Our next stop is the former Men’s hostel in Mzimhlophe which was the home of male migrant workers during the Apartheid era, you will learn about their living conditions and see how life and living conditions have developed to today.

The tour continues to the community of Meadowlands famous for the forced removals from the mixed-race area of Sophiatown in Johannesburg in the mid-1950s.

Continuing our tour, we will along the way be tasting local delicacies and snacks, supporting local businesses around our community.

The tour takes us thereafter to the Hector Pieterson memorial commemorating the student’s uprisings on 16 June 1976, when hundreds of children and youth lost their life when protesting against the Apartheid education system. Walk around the site to take part of testimonies of that day and see the famous photograph of Hector Pieterson. A craft and souvenir market also gives you an opportunity to support our local traders.

We continue to Vilakazi street where we stop at Nelson Mandela’s former home to learn more about this important icon’s contribution to a free and democratic South Africa. We thereafter cycle back to Lebo’s and along the way you can take in more of Soweto, the community and its people.

Arriving back our last experience on the tour is our traditional beer tasting ceremony. Park your bicycle and join us in “The circle of unity” where we introduce you to traditional jewellery, clothing and gear. Have a taste of our two home brewed drinks – Sorghum beer – Umqhombothi and a sweet Maize drink – Mageu.

LUNCH INCLUDED:

All our tours includes lunch which is either served after the tour – 10am slot – or before the tour – afternoon slot. Lunch is served at our “Outdoor Restaurant” with seating in the community park. The meal is a delicious African stew cooked the traditional way – over the fire – served with bread or with the popular staple – Pap (maize porridge).

TIME SLOTS:

Choose between these departure times:

10:00, 13:00 or 15:00.

Lunch is served between 12:30-14:00.

What you’ll need

Camera, comfortable walking shoes, sunscreen and a hat.

The tour includes lunch which is either served after the tour – 10am slot – or before the tour – 1:00 pm slot. Lunch is served at our “Outdoor Restaurant” with seating in the community park. The meal is a delicious African stew cooked the traditional way – over the fire – served with either the popular staple – Pap (maize porridge), or in an hallowed out piece of bread – calles “Kota” or “Bunny Chow”.

Where we’ll be

Lebo’s Soweto Backpackers 10823A Pooe St, Orlando West, Soweto, 1804

This tour leaves daily. Booking essential

About your host

The late LeboLebo – founder of “Lebo’s Soweto” grew up in the house which is today our Backpackers hostel. He was introduced to the tourism industry as buses started coming in numbers in the early 2000’s. He was then selling craft at the Hector Pieterson memorial in Soweto and started inviting some of the travelers he met to his home to experience another side of Soweto than viewing the township from a bus-window. A few years after that Lebo started the now popular Soweto bicycle tour taking people out of the car and on to the streets of Soweto.