Johannesburg

City of Gold, and access point to the Sport climbing Mecca, Drakensberg Alpine, Blouberg Alpine Rock...and, of course, African Safari

Johannesburg is far better than the bad press it receives. The economic hub of Southern Africa the perception is often that it is all work and no play, but if you are there to play, Johannesburg provides plenty of options. While the access to immediate good climbing is limited (it's still not disastrous), Johannesburg's value lies in it's proximity to some of the best climbing area's in the country

Seasons:

At 1700m above sea level, Johannesburg is set on what is known as The Highveld (pronounced highFelt ) and has summer thunderstorms (the rainy season) and cold dry winters.

Summer (Nov-Apr):

Hot day time temperatures often culminating in spectacular thunderstorms, climbing tends to be restricted to early morning and late afternoon to avoid the heat. The exception being Blouberg where summer works well due to the angle of the sun giving longer shade on the wall than winter.

Best mountain wear, tents, backpacks and equipment in South Africa

Autumn  (Apr-Jun):

Along with Winter & Spring, our preferred season for general climbing and adventuring based out of Johannesburg. The days start to have longer periods of climbable temps and the thunderstorms begin to thin out, but the environment is still lush and green from the rainy season.

Winter (Jun-Oct):

Along with Winter & Spring, our preferred season for general climbing and adventuring based out of Johannesburg. In many respects there is little difference between Winter and early Spring except the slight increase in temperature. The days are still dry with crisp mornings and evenings and often pleasant conditions in the sun

Spring (Oct - Nov):

Along with Winter & Spring, our preferred season for general climbing and adventuring based out of Johannesburg. Following the dry winter season the grass is shorter / thinner and the start of the rains add a hint of colour - making for easy approach to the crags (and fantastic game viewing) but no great change relevant to Autumn & Winter.

Travel:

Johannesburg is the primary air travel hub serviced by two airports. Within the City itself the public transport system is very good - by South African standards - however, as with everywhere in South Africa, it is very difficult to rely on public transport to get to the crags (and hitchhiking carries its own risks)

Shopping:

Many shopping malls and so forth cater very well to the shopping needs, and Cape Town is the most Vegan / Vegetarian friendly City in South Africa. Climbing gear stores are limited (due to South Africa's small climbing community), but the available range is remarkably wide and comprehensive. Visit our store here.

Climbing Gyms:

Surprisingly for it's size and remoteness to the great outdoors, Johannesburg only has one indoor Climbing Gym City Rock with The Climbing Barn being an option outside of Pretoria.

girl bouldering in rocklands cederberg outdoor climbing
SPONSORS
RELATED ARTICLES
Climbing regions accessed from
Johannesburg

Magaliesburg

This is some text inside of a div block.
|
This is some text inside of a div block.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.

This is some text inside of a div block.
Boulder
Sport
Trad
Big wall
Alpine
Ice
km
-
km
from
Johannesburg
-
m ASL

Lowveld

This is some text inside of a div block.
|
This is some text inside of a div block.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.

This is some text inside of a div block.
Boulder
Sport
Trad
Big wall
Alpine
Ice
A list of climbs in the Mpumalanga Lowveld
280
km
-
400
km
from
Johannesburg
350
-
1000
m ASL
SPONSORS
RELATED ARTICLES