Soweto By Bike: Lebo's Bicycle Tours

Soweto absolutely oozes charm. Okay, maybe not at first glance, and maybe not if you associate ‘charm’ with small European towns in the snow, decorated with fairy lights, only accessible by steam trains. But hear me out. 

There aren’t many fairy lights, there are no steam trains, and there sure as hell isn’t any snow, but you know what there is, in abundance? Friendliness. Colour. Warmth. I swear, the city of Soweto is keeping Plascon in business. There are paintings everywhere, from signs, to store names, to graffiti, and all of it colourful. And the people are some of the friendliest, most welcoming people you’ll meet anywhere in the world.

Now, I haven’t spent a lot of time in Soweto, so when Lebo’s Soweto Bicycle Tours said that I could review one of their tours, I was pretty thrilled! We arrived at Lebo’s Soweto Backpackers (side note: such a cool place!) just before 10am, decked out in our cycling gear and sneakers, and met the rest of the group. We spent about fifteen minutes picking a bicycle - they were all in working order, but each had its own quirks and JD ended up with a mountain bike that sang softly to him throughout the tour. 

Our tour guide, Tshepo, who was born and raised in Soweto, introduced the tour and gave us the history of Soweto. Despite living in Joburg my entire life, there was so much that I didn’t know about this once-township just 30kms away from my house. It was absolutely fascinating (but, no, I’m not going to tell you because, spoilers). We all introduced ourselves and I was surprised to find that, of the 30ish people on the tour, we were the only South Africans!

The tour started with a cycle through the main roads and suburbs of Soweto, with tiny one-bedroomed houses next to mansions, and luxury German cars parked outside of dilapidated compound-style hostels. It was the most juxtaposed community set up I’ve ever seen. And everywhere we went, children would run out of their homes and gardens, yelling to greet us and running to give us high-fives as we cycled past. Many kids ran along with us until they got tired, and then they waved and shouted until we were out of sight. At one point, an excited little girl ran up to me, took my hand, and, ran alongside me all the way down her street. I felt like Lance Armstrong doing the Tour de France! (But, you know, sober.)

Our first stop was a neighbourhood takeout, that consisted of a kitchen, a pool table, a basin, and a couple of plastic tables with a few chairs. There, we were introduced to the local delicacy: cow head. The meat was chopped up into chunks, so that it was difficult to distinguish where exactly in the head it came from, but Tshepo pointed out a piece covered in something resembling small spikes. That was the tongue. 

Our second stop was the Hector Pieterson memorial. We gathered in front of the it as Tshepo gave us the details of that sad day, just a few decades ago, when Hector was killed. As a proudly born and bred South African, it was quite emotional to comprehend how far we’ve come in such a relatively short time - something that, as a tourist in another city, I’ve never felt before. We were given some time to explore the museum, which was a fascinating recollection of the history of the Bantu schooling system and the protests for non-Afrikaans teaching.

I left with a heavier heart than when I arrived, but the tour quickly changed tune as we cycled into Vilikasi street to visit Nelson Mandela and Arch Bishop Desmond Tutu’s homes, and I was reminded of how much hope these two men brought our nation.

Tshepo took us to a local shebeen where we shared beers and chatted to the locals, and then it was time to brave the uphills back to Lebo’s Backpackers. I was happy to hear that this was not the end of the tour, as we gathered around the tables to indulge in kofta (or bunny chow), which, after four hours of cycling, tasted like heaven! We were also offered chicken feet, which I politely declined (because I was so full, of course).

The tour was equal parts fascinating and moving, especially as a South African, and I left with a full tummy and a warm heart. Once more, Soweto had shown me its colour and kindness, and I’m so grateful to live in a country where I can physically experience the progress we’ve made. 

A huge thank you to Tshepo and the rest of the team for a truly marvellous tour! This really is the best way to see Soweto, and one hell of an experience whether you’re a tourist from overseas or Jozi! You can find Lebo’s Bicycle Tours on their website, on Twitter, Facebook, and on Tripadvisor. And if cycling isn’t your thing, they also have tuk-tuk tours on the cutest painted tuk-tuks!