our full journey information for LGBTQ vacationers • Nomadic Boys

Ratz is a brilliant cute homosexual bar in Johannesburg situated in Melville. As one of many oldest homosexual bars within the metropolis, it’s legendary in its personal proper. It has a robust Eighties theme, which was proper up our alley. From the basic rock ballads to Whitney and Madonna’s tremendous hits, we had been in heaven right here! Look out for his or her each day themed particular cocktail – all the time a delight. General, an incredible little homosexual bar for pre-drinks earlier than heading to bounce the hours away in Jozi.

Liquid Blue is one other homosexual bar situated alongside seventh Avenue, simply down the highway from Ratz. Formally, Liquid Blue just isn’t a homosexual bar, nevertheless it’s change into so outstanding within the LGBTQ group that it is established itself firmly within the coronary heart and soul of the homosexual scene of Johannesburg, significantly among the many POC LGBT group. Thursdays get fairly busy right here with college students and younger guys. On weekends you may need to get right here early, earlier than 11pm, in any other case, it is a lengthy queue for entry!

Beefcakes is the enduring homosexual resto/bar of South Africa. There’s one in Cape City’s De Waterkant and one right here in Illovo. Good-looking topless beefy waiters welcome you and flirt(!) with you as you head to your desk, seize a burger, drinks, and benefit from the present of sizzling unique dancers and hilarious drag queens main occasions like “Flamingo Bingo”. The one draw back is that Beefcakes is closely marketed to hen and bachelorette events, so be ready to be a minority in a sea of cackling drunk Sharons and Karens…

The benefit of basing your self in Boksburg (a suburb in East Johannesburg) is that you just’re very near the Tambo worldwide airport in addition to to the Folks Like Us Pub. The one draw back is that it’s removed from every little thing else – round a 30/45 minute cab journey from Melville/Illovo, and central downtown Joburg. PLU is a really enjoyable and intimate homosexual bar. It is buzzing with out feeling hectic. The gang is blended – everyone seems to be welcome no matter gender or colour.

Kitchener’s is pleased with its title as “Johannesburg’s second oldest bar”. For us, it is change into synonymous with the homosexual group because of its themed events, the most well-liked being the month-to-month “Pussy Get together”. One for the women, however because of nights like this, Kitchener’s has established itself as being a really queer-friendly area. Wednesday nights are well-liked with college students once they enter without spending a dime. Weekends are pushed in the direction of a predominantly grownup viewers with a strict “no guys underneath 23” coverage!

Nice Dane is a pleasant neighborhood dive bar near the Playground Market (which is a superb spot for brunch). It isn’t a homosexual bar, however on Saturday afternoons it has traditionally attracted a big LGBTQ crowd, which has over time given the bar the affable nickname of the “Homosexual Dane”! And it is enjoyable. Actually enjoyable! We felt so welcome and rapidly made mates with the locals. Later within the night hip-hop, rap, R&B, and trendy EDM/Home music take over.

Boys boys boys… and their chasers will wanna be heading out to Babylon. That is Joburg’s hottest homosexual bar with the youngsters (significantly the white LGBTQ group). As you enter, fashionable, stylish, and playful is the theme! Flat-screen TVs play what they describe to be “Babylon’s signature mixture of naughty imagery!” We’ll go away you to find what that entails… Drag exhibits and unique dancers in abundance right here, general a enjoyable homosexual night time out in Jozi.

Remedy is without doubt one of the most enjoyable homosexual events occurring each few weeks at numerous completely different areas throughout Johannesburg, primarily in Rosebank. Remedy events are a reasonably large deal once they occur, often attracting a celeb or two. Themed nights prior to now have included “Soiled Twist”, “City Angels Get together”, and “Scorching XXX Buns”. When it comes to music, DJs concentrate on underground home and dance music, with a couple of pop classics thrown in for individuals like me and Seby. Test their FB web page for particulars of the following occasion.

The Homosexual Membership SA is the flagship homosexual hangout over in Boksburg, the place you can too discover the Folks Like Us Pub. Pop camp guidelines the college right here with a wonderful mixture of everybody underneath the LGBTQIA umbrella gathering each weekend to drink and dance. Cocktails are additionally a deal with right here, with a particular themed one to check out every night time. A heads up from us – so far as homosexual golf equipment go although be warned that Homosexual Membership is barely open till midnight.

Situated round 10/quarter-hour drive south of Melville and Illovo, The Third Place is a well-liked alternative for a homosexual night time out in Johannesburg, particularly for gays of their 20s. It is fairly arduous to seek out it each on-line and offline although! It is hidden down a cobbled backstreet on the sting of Newtown with completely no signage. Took us 3 makes an attempt and a number of other pleasant taxi drivers to seek out it. On-line there is no social media or web site – only a naked GoogleMap itemizing. So you may simply should belief us!

The Tennis Membership is a cool venue within the Ellis Park Indoor Enviornment Advanced. It isn’t a homosexual membership however attracts a big queer crowd, and after we say queer crowd, we imply the in-your-face crop-top sporting tight shorts crowd! They often host homosexual nights comparable to a Drag Ball, which aren’t to be missed! Test their web site and FB web page for full particulars of the following occasion.

Johannesburg Delight just isn’t solely the nation’s largest homosexual Delight occasion however the largest on your entire African continent! It takes place throughout the official South African Delight Month in October to honor the primary South African delight parade, which was held on 13 October 1990 at a time when the Apartheid period was coming to a welcome finish. It is so essential that it is earned the rightful nickname of “The Delight of Africa”. For the newest data take a look at the Johannesburg Delight Fb web page.

While not a homosexual occasion, the Rocking the Daisies music competition is just like the South African model of Coachella. It attracts a big queer crowd who come to take in the competition environment. It takes place over 4 days in early/mid-October. They entice a variety of outstanding native acts to carry out right here annually together with some worldwide names like Clear Bandit.

TTK Carbon was our #1 greatest meal in all of South Africa. It is one in all Joburg’s highly-rated eating places (for good purpose). The taster menu was very well thought out with a alternative of wine pairing or “tea pairing” which was novel for us. However the meals right here? Completely improbable. I detest foie gras at one of the best of occasions, however their starter foie gras was simply divine. Each dish we had been served was so effectively cooked, it was a deal with to see what the following one could be.

Have you ever ever tried Ethiopian meals earlier than? Neither had we. We got here with zero expectations and had been blown away. Just like a Nepalese dal bhat, meals are served in a tray that accommodates small plates of various vegetarian and/or meat dishes, every served with the enduring injera (Ethiopian sourdough pancakes) to soak all of it up. It is scrumptious! And what a spot to attempt it – this unassuming cafe is situated within the coronary heart of town. Nothing fancy about it, very native with an thrilling vibe.

Marble restaurant celebrates the quintessential South African custom of cooking on a hearth. Or as they put it, “not only a plate of meals, however a theatre of expertise”…a phrase I will borrow in my on a regular basis vernacular! Every little thing is cooked on coal: meat, fish, poultry, greens, and bread. It is tremendous tasty. Marble can be famend for its views over Joburg – it is situated in Rosebank on a hill, which makes it a prime spot to indicate off in your Grindr date!

Ms. Tina acquired nothing on us. She be hitting up this joint with a couple of beers and a steak! Proud Mary is one other gem in Rosebank, so tremendous helpful for those who’re based mostly right here to your journey. It is vegan pleasant (a rarity in South Africa which could be very meat-heavy in its delicacies), however simply as well-known for its steaks – from tomahawk to wagyu beef. Cocktails are additionally tasty right here and the employees are tremendous welcoming, which creates a extremely heat vibe. Oh and the area? It is huge – no claustrophobia points right here!

Signature is situated within the suburb of Morningside in northern Joburg. It is a little bit far out, however very leafy/residential, and secure. Signature is without doubt one of the most highly-rated eating places within the space. It is well-known for its views, meals, and wine. Every plate is show-stopping – a melody to the palate! They focus on fantastic eating, with a variety of sushi, seafood, fish, and signature dishes like Ostrich Fillet, Beef Twister, and Paradise Fillet. Just a few glorious vegetarian choices are additionally on provide.

Don’t go away South Africa with out getting your self a custom-made jacket (or kimono) from the affable Sebo of Caraci Clothes. The complete expertise includes assembly Sebo (a Joburg born/bred homosexual native) who takes you to the market to seek for and choose your material.

He takes you again to his tailoring store to indicate you ways a jacket is produced from this materials, supplying you with the prospect to check out a bit for your self. Then later within the day, he presents you with your individual custom-made jacket (kimono additionally an possibility) which is one of the best memento you may take again residence with you!

Structure Hill is a former army fort-turned-prison that is most well-known for having incarcerated individuals like Nelson Mandela, and Mahatma Gandhi. Right this moment it is a improbable museum, additionally residence to the nation’s Constitutional Court docket.

They’ve each day excursions taking you thru the complicated, explaining its fascinating historical past. It is fairly an emotional expertise. In addition they host completely different exhibitions and occasions all year long, specifically for Delight Month in October.

The Apartheid Museum is a kind of harrowing however tremendous essential locations everybody wants to go to. It opened again in 2001 telling the story of the rise and fall of apartheid, which turned 20 million South Africans into 2nd class residents when it was applied in 1948.

The museum itself can be a murals – well-known for its distinctive architectural design. We advocate reserving one in all the 3-hour guided excursions of the Apartheid Museum to get essentially the most out of your go to, which incorporates resort pickup/drop off.

While the prospect of waking up at 4am wasn’t essentially the most welcome factor on our trip, the adrenaline of taking a dawn helicopter journey over Johannesburg took over! We did our helicopter journey with Capitalair SA which focuses on each chartered, company, and tourism helicopter excursions.

After a security briefing, we had carry off simply earlier than the solar broke out. We flew across the huge metropolis for round 45 minutes, even recognizing a couple of elephants within the close by Nationwide Park, all with the backdrop of the dawn. It was an unbelievable expertise, one that we are going to always remember!

Townships are a tragic reminder of the Apartheid period. Black individuals had been separated into these mini-cities known as “townships” and refrained from town facilities. Townships had been usually uncared for by the authorities and due to this fact had been ridden with violence and poverty.

The Soweto Township is the place Nelson Mandela lived. While visiting a township right this moment remains to be a giant threat for vacationers, doing it as a part of a Soweto township guided tour is totally fantastic and extremely really helpful: locals within the Soweto Township are used to vacationers and tour teams visiting Mandela’s home.

What was as soon as a run-down neighborhood, the Maboneng Precinct has over the previous few a long time undergone a large renovation to change into probably the most exceptional areas of Joburg. Maboneng itself interprets to “place of sunshine”. Right this moment it is alive with cool artwork galleries, lodges, eating places, cafes, and nightlife.

It is usually nicknamed ‘the Brooklyn of Joburg’. We beloved visiting the weekly Market on Predominant, which is Joburg’s main meals and design market. It is also rewarding to simply wander round, get misplaced within the space, taking within the vibe…however keep in mind, valuables out of sight!

No journey to South Africa is full and not using a safari. Most vacationers will probably head to Cape City and likewise consider a 2/3 day safari as a part of their South Africa itinerary. For those who’re simply staying in Joburg, we advocate testing Pilanesberg Nationwide Park for a safari.

We visited it for a couple of nights and loved a number of safaris right here, nevertheless it’s additionally doable to do a safari as a part of a day journey from Johannesburg. The massive draw with any safari is to purpose to identify ‘The Huge 5′, that are lions, leopards, rhinos, elephants, and buffaloes.