An acronym for South Western Townships, Soweto was dubbed as such in 1963. The area began in the late 19th century as a temporary neighborhood for gold mine workers, then later became a black Johannesburg ghetto with forced apartheid settlement. In 1976, Soweto garnered international headlines with its deadly uprising against Afrikaans-only language education. The Mandela Family Museum and the recently restored Credo Mutwa Village (with its Zulu and Sotho homesteads) are two can't-miss sights.

Advice from real travellers

Soweto weather essentials