Many of you now know that I am a proudly African blogger living in Johannesburg. Even though I have been living here for only two and a half years, this is the one place in the world I have always considered home. It’s beautiful, it’s comfortable, and a part of me is from here… So when my dear blogger friends decided to collaborate on a series talking about the things we love about our hometowns, I jumped at the opportunity to brag about this place I have made mine. After all, home is where the heart is!
Since I have only been living here for a short while, I figured the best way to write this was to go through my pictures and see what triggered special memories. So grab some tea and come along on my virtual tour of what I love about living in Johannesburg!
Related: 4 Assumptions about Africa that you got wrong

O.R Tambo International Airport
This might seem a little strange to some, but trust me, there is logic to this madness. You know how grimy and gross airports are? They are filled with so many different people, some who have not showered in days. And the level of unsafety is through the roof. Close your eyes for a second and you just might lose your wallet… or a kidney. And yet, this one is different.
My experience began with the welcome song that played onboard South African Airways each time we touched the ground. Every time I landed in OR Tambo International Airport, I saw families reunited or loved ones hugging. Every time I walked through the double doors, I was greeted with a sense of home. Landing on South African soil meant that I was going to be with my grandmother, and eventually my husband.
After 2020, I think we can all appreciate our airports even just a little. But in my case, the airport is a reminder of the different emotions I felt throughout my transition to the life I have now. Call it silly, but OR Tambo will always have a special place in my heart.
Living in Johannesburg means you’ll have endless greenery
Have you ever been to Central Park? No? Well, I haven’t either. But where I have been is Walter Sisulo Botanical Gardens. This place is a magical gem that people generally call a park. What makes it special is just how beautiful and well preserved it is. I spoke of Central Park not to be funny, but to create an image of a park that you need to process then destroy. This gem here is filled with hiking trails, a gorgeous waterfall, playgrounds for the kids, and so much more.
But that’s not the only green thing about Gauteng. In case you didn’t know, Johannesburg is referred to as the largest man-made forest in the world. So, driving to work in spring is a magical trip down a jacaranda isle. I’m not much of a runner, but road running in spring is one of my favourite things to do for this very reason!


Related: Life lessons I learnt from a safari
Hartbeespoort is just a drive away
This little community on the outskirts of Gauteng reminds me of the movie ‘Get Out’ every single time. There is something slightly eerie about driving through the miniscule communities in Harties, and seeing an environment where everyone probably goes to the same school and eats at the same restaurants each weekend.
Of course, if you ask someone else, their experience of Harties might be completely different. But the way my brain works, nothing can just be normal. Normal is boring!
What normal people would say about Harties is that it has such a peaceful air to it. If you go up the Harties Aerial Cableway, you can enjoy some drinks with an awesome view. Take a drive down the road and have lunch in the beautiful gardens by the Windmill. Drive a little further and take some stunning photos by the gorgeous Harties Dam.

Living in Johannesburg means going to a casino with kids
Any gamblers out there? This one is for you! Did you know you can take your kids to a casino with you? Yup… it’s not even a joke! The coolest part is that your kids will have so much entertainment that you can take your sweet time!
When my daughter turned one, I took her to Montecasino for a mother-daughter date. I’m sure any of you that haven’t actually been there would consider that to be the strangest choice for a kid who can barely walk, but it was quite the opposite.
Montecasino is a combination hotel, mall, and casino that is built to feel as though you are walking in some Italian street. There are so many restaurants, shops, and entertainment centres for the entire family. And if you get tired of walking around indoors, there is a bird sanctuary just a few steps away.
So yes, I took my one-year-old daughter to Montecasino… to play with the birds!

Close knit communities
We live in a time where everyone is fighting for equal rights and calling for an end to racism. We see protests all across the globe. I’ve even been afraid to permanently move to a country where crossing the street is grounds for violence… And yet that is not what I found here.
While it is true that Johannesburg is unsafe, living in Johannesburg has taught me that unsafety is only a piece of the puzzle. I’d love to do a story-time and share about the time I watched an intruder who attempted to break into my neighbour’s house on my security cameras. But that story can be for another day. What I want to share is the sense of responsibility I felt for protecting my neighbour’s belongings from robbery. And the beautiful part about it is that they carry the same burden for my house too.
Someone once told me that living in South Africa is difficult as a foreigner because everyone is already in their own circles. Three years into my journey here, I can definitely attest to that. But on the flip side, once you do find your own bubble, you will have people that will treat you as their own. For me, the bubbles are my neighbours, my church prayer group, and some of my colleagues. The best part of it is that we come in all shapes, colours, ages and with different qualifications!
Going through a pandemic might have been the eye-opener for me. After all, it is when you are isolated that you see who is really there for you!
I could go on a little more, but let’s stop here for today.
Where are you from? What are some things you love about living in your hometown?
If you enjoyed this post, make sure to read the other versions in the series!
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Love this post of love to your country
Wow the pictures are so beautiful 😍, and that park is just amazing ❤❤
The city is beautifully designed 😍
Ps– I am interested in that story time post 🙄🙄🙄
Hahaha of course you are interested… you are legit my nosy blogging bestie! 😂😂😂
😏😏😏
Thanks Beth! Tell me a little about yours please 🙂
Right now, my country is struggling with politics, but I feel free to be who I am here and the best place for me to live.
😱😱😱The pictures are stunning… Wow! I’m from Ontario, Canada and love how expansive and diverse we are. I’ve only had the opportunity to road trip to the east coast but the west coast is also on my-to-travel list!
Specifically where I live, I love that I am less than an hour away from Toronto and other major cities, and less than 2 hours away from parks and beaches, and anything further is also worth the travel time! 🙂 i also do enjoy have 4 seasons although I wish winter was a bit shorter and less frigid LOL
I had no idea you were from Ontario… in my head everyone is from the US unless otherwise disclosed 😂
Yeah, Canada in general is just cold… you say 4 seasons but I heard about snow in May… care to explain?
Haha yes we just had a frost advisory yesterday LOL.. we do have 4 seasons but they aren’t equal… Summer is like 3 solid months, then fall is like 3 months, spring is like 2 months, then winter is like 4 months but feels like 5 years LOL
More like summer is 2 days! 🙈
Yep exactly lol a weekend summer lol
I loved this post about your favorite things about Johannesburg. I’ve never been to Johannesburg, let alone South Africa, so it is eye opening for me. I never knew that you could take your minor children to a casino. I don’t think you can do that here in the states. But its nice that they’ve turned it into a family affair so that the kids can play while the adults go and gamble lol 🙂
And that park looks so beautiful. It’s entirely man-made? Amazing.
Hahahah you make it sound like we are training our kids to gamble 😂😂😂 but I was shocked too when I realized that the “casino” in the name wasn’t fake and that it was smack in the middle of everything. As for the Forrest, I wouldn’t say it’s entirely man-made, but according to Google standards, the parts that are exceed any other part of the world 😅
Thanks for sharing a little bit of your world with us. I know what you mean about airports and all the emotions they bring – good and bad.
I live in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada – about 100 km (I’d say an hour but it’s more like 3 during rush hour) outside Toronto. It’s a medium-sized city with lots to do but it’s nice to have easy access to the big city when I feel like it. We have a large river (the Grand River) running through our region, so we’re blessed with lots of cool walking trails. We also have 2 universities and a large college in our region so we have a lot of students around, which gives the area a youthful feel.
Oh that must be fun then! I love either very youthful cities or very old ones 😄 They serve very well for two extremes!
I’m so glad you liked this post. Dare I challenge you to write one too?
It’s funny you say that. I have a post coming in a few weeks highlighting some of the walking trails to explore in our region so I already kind of have one in the works.
What a beautiful place! I have another city to add to my bucket list now. Those trees over the street are just gorgeous.
Awesome post! I think it’s wonderful that you appreciate all of the amazing things that Johannesburg and the surrounding area has to offer. I realized when I was reading your post how little I truly know about South Africa. I couldn’t help but think of my own city (Eureka, CA in the United States) when I was reading your piece because it has its share of beauty and ugliness. The ugliness comes not from littered streets but a place where homelessness has taken over. I don’t see homelessness itself as repulsive; it is the treatment of other humans as somehow less important because they are down on their luck that offends me. The flip side is the beauty of my city, which most people see as giant redwood trees, the ocean, and a beautiful environment. For me, the beauty comes in the random acts of kindness I see from others living here, such as the man in his eighties who voluntarily is out picking up trash and going out of his way to be friendly toward others like me who have come across him.
I’m curious to learn more about this series. How did it evolve? Are your thoughts captured on each other’s blogs, or have you written a book together? Kudos to whoever came up with this great idea.
This is incredible! I’d love to hear more about why you decided to move to Johannesburg and your journey since then! This was such a great read, and your photos are absolutely beautiful. Learning more about everyone through this collab has been so wonderful.
Thank you so much for this virtual tour to Johannesburg. I’m glad the way you’ve been greeted at airport. Park site was a pleasant one to me since I’m a nature lover. The greenery again is an awesome thing to feel which is more likely a showering with a bunch of flowers. I like the way you’ve depicted. Thank you so much again for sharing this with us!
Absolutely gorgeous!!! Ive always wanted to know more about South Africa. Thank you so much for sharing this great post!
Thanks for reading Jessica 💖
I love this idea of sharing what we love about our hometowns! I just might do one myself 😊 I love botanical gardens and yours sounds so peaceful and looks so beautiful in the pictures If I am ever able to travel to South Africa I would love to see it and you 😊
I don’t know why my comment initially showed up as anonymous but it’s me…Amy Delicate and brutal who posted it 😁
Oh hahah I was wondering! But I suspected it was you 😅
Thanks hun 😊 I have a room for you here 💖
Johannesburg the City of Gold…I love it. I wanted to study at Wits but I got rejected 😁😁
Hartbeespoort is the whole mood.
Thank you for such a great post about your 3 favorite places in Johannesburg. I love the pictures you included. It looks so beautiful an inviting. I can understand why you shared these places. I also really appreciated your story about your neighbor and how each is looking out for one another. I really enjoyed collaborating with each of the bloggers and getting to know a little more about each. I look forward to collaborating again soon. I also would love for you to write more about your story living in Johannesburg, etc. Blessings.
I’m binge reading some of your older posts and I found this article fascinating and amazing. TAKING KIDS TO A CASINO… TO WATCH BIRDS! That aged strangely 😜