Westcliff
Westcliff is one of the older but most exclusive Johannesburg suburbs. It is home to some of the most impressive residential properties in Johannesburg, with majority of the properties being highly prized historic Sir Herbert Baker homes. It’s located right next to both Parkview and Houghton while also being served by the major arterial roads. This gives residents and visitors of the suburb easy access to the centre of the ever vibrant Johannesburg City. Using the Nelson Mandela Bridge, the suburb of Braamfontein can now be accessed easily from Westcliff.
Westcliff has various attractive features that will make the “Westcliff experience” a memorable one. To begin with, visitors can make a stop at the Apartheid Museum, a truly important stop if one wishes to understand South Africa’s history. The museum is a beacon of hope showing the world how South Africa is coming to terms with the past and working towards a future that all South African's can call their own. The museum is the first of its kind in the country and by far the richest source of information on the rise and fall of apartheid. The Museum has been assembled and organized by a multi-disciplinary team of curators, film-makers, historians and designers. It is also an architectural marvel and an example of design, space and landscape offering all who visit a unique South African experience (even for local South Africans).
Lying on a 54 hectare piece of land in Parkview is the now famous Johannesburg Zoo. Home to 2070 animals and 365 different species, the Zoo has the most impressive array of wildlife in comparison to other zoos in the country and in Africa as a whole. From the extremely rare white lions (one of the few places in the world where you can see them) to more common animals such as elephants, polar bears, chimpanzees, gorillas, hippos, etc Johannesburg Zoo offers visitors insight into the ways of these animals. The zoo is also the only zoo in the country that has successfully bred Siberian Tigers, the largest cats in the world. Without a doubt, the animals and the beautiful setting of the zoo is what makes the experience such a worthwhile one.
Other areas of interest accessible from Westcliff are the National Museum of Military History, situated a stone’s throw away from the Johannesburg Zoo and the Turffontein Race Course for race horse enthusiasts. With all this on offer, Westcliff should be on one’s to do list when in the Johannesburg area.
