Media
By -Zuko Komisa
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There are winds of change happening at the Windybrow Arts Centre, we spoke to Frank Leya the CEO and Founder of Honest Travel Experience who took us through the work that is being done in the space to uplift the youth in the community.
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The best way to get to know Johannesburg is to hang out with an insider. In our Ask a Local series we chat to people who we think offer a unique perspective on this city. This week tour guide FRANCK LEYA shares his Joburg with us.
Franck Leya is a Joburg tour guide and the founder of local travel company Honest Travel Experience. Known on Instagram as the Inner City Mayor, Franck's tours specialise in the Joburg inner city and its pan-African street life taking in local markets, street food hotspots,
Redemption in Knowledge
How a few afternoons with Honest Travel Experience changed my outlook on Johannesburg
By -Arianna Meschia
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Just before Covid struck in March, through a series of unforeseen circumstances I found myself alone in Johannesburg. And I really didn’t like it.
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During the three months I’d been there, there had obviously been plenty of nice moments, but I hated not being able to go for a walk when I wanted, I hated taking Ubers everywhere because I didn’t have a car, I hated that everyone kept telling me to be careful all the time
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On Tuesday, I climbed onto a single-speed bike and took a cycling and food tour through the eastern portion of downtown Joburg. It was a perfect day in the city — one of those days when all your problems and stresses magically disappear and everything in the world feels right.
By - olivia Devilliers
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​Honest Travel is all about diversity and inclusivity with a focus on rewriting the African story and reshaping how we do tourism in Africa. They specialise in local tours in both Johannesburg and Cape Town that are beautifully different to your standard tourist experience. Honest Travel Experiences is all about making travel affordable so it can be accessible. Their inner city tours range from food and art market tours in Joburg, neighborhood bike tours through Hillbrow, Yeoville and Berea in Joburg and a District Six and Langa bike tour in Cape Town. For all their Cape Town and Joburg tours follow these links
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By - GirlInBlueJeans
Encountering the city from a bicycle is an eco-friendly form of travel that ensures you get the true feel for the city and its people.
I set out feeling slightly apprehensive: I last cycled over 10 years ago. My head was swirling with so many questions. Would I manage to ride a bicycle for a couple of hours (wondering about my fitness levels at this point )? Was it safe to ride around these suburbs? Would it be worth my while? Well those thoughts of insecurity vanished in a flash.
By - SANET OBERHOLZER
When you think of the city of Johannesburg, a picture of lush, sprawling gardens is not the first thing that comes to mind. But if you ask Franck Leya, he’ll tell you that you’re sorely mistaken.
Leya co-founded Honest Travel Experiences with Zanengcebo Mtembu in 2018, with the goal of making travel inclusive and affordable. “On our website the first thing you see are the words ‘bona fide’ experiences, which means ‘genuine and real’. That is the kind of experience we want to give every person who comes on our tours,” Leya says