I’m really excited to interview Kenzeo Mpoyi of Tanta Chicago about Johannesburg, South Africa. Kenzeo’s tips for the best things to do in Johannesburg are awesome because he grew up in Johannesburg after moving there from the Congo in the 90s. Although he now lives in Chicago, he still has family there and considers it his home.
Please take a moment to subscribe to our podcast. It is available on all of the major podcast channels, such as Apple Podcasts, Google, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn, and iHeartRadio.
Johannesburg skyline. Photo by Clodagh Da Paixao on Unsplash.
Johannesburg, South Africa
We share a lot of resources and local suggestions in today’s podcast, but you should also check out City of Johannesburg, the local visitor’s bureau. They are a wealth of information and can help you plan an itinerary based on your time, budget, and interests.
If you’d like to learn how to travel for free using airline miles and hotel points, check out my free 7-day email course.
Witpoortjie Waterfall at Walter Sisulu Botanical Gardens. Photo by Msalili on Pixabay.
Getting around Johannesburg
The local airport is O.R. Tambo International Airport (JNB), which is about a 20-minute drive to downtown. Use our Expedia tool below to find flight, hotel, and rental car options.
Kenzeo says that the best way to get around is to either rent a car or hire a tour guide. For the best rental car offers, visit Avis, Budget, or Hertz.
Lion drinking water. Photo by Sharon Ang on Pixabay.
Places we talked about on the podcast
Here is a map of all of the places we talked about on the podcast episode with Kenzeo Mpoyi about Johannesburg, South Africa. You can zoom into the map and click on each dot to explore the city.
- Red dots = best places to eat in Johannesburg, South Africa
- Green dots = best things to do in Johannesburg, South Africa
- Yellow dots = best places to stay in Johannesburg, South Africa
Who is Kenzeo Mpoyi?
Kenzeo Mpoyi is of Congolese origin and was raised in South Africa. He primarily grew up in Johannesburg, but he also lived in the beautiful city of Cape Town. He and his family came to South Africa in the 90’s fleeing political unrest. His minority ethnic tribe was persecuted, and genocide was committed against them.
His family settled in Johannesburg, and his parents worked hard to provide for their family of 12 in a foreign land. They tried their best with the little they had to support their children. While in college, Kenzeo worked as a server in restaurants and then a hotel so he could support himself through his education. At the hotel, he fell in love with the hospitality industry, the service to others, and creating memorable experiences for people. With that, he decided to follow this path and worked diligently until he found himself in Dubai, working for some of the best chefs and hotels in the world.
After 6 years in Dubai, his passion and keenness to learn and experience the world brought him to San Francisco. In San Francisco, he worked for the Acurio Restaurant Group. He started at their flagship restaurant called La Mar for five years. Now, he calls Chicago his home and is the general manager of Tanta Chicago Peruvian Cuisine.
Photo by Mistey Nguyen.
Here is an article about Kenzeo:
You can connect with Kenzeo on through the Tanta Chicago website and on social media at Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
Click here to download our 1-page guide of Kenzeo’s tips for Johannesburg.
Big thanks to today’s affiliate partner – AwardWallet
This episode is brought to you, in part, by AwardWallet. Using airline miles and hotel points makes travel affordable, but keeping track of all of those loyalty programs can be a challenge. That’s why I use AwardWallet to track my miles and points balances, reservations, and special goodies like free hotel night certifications and airline companion passes.
Having everything in one easy-to-use dashboard helps ensure I don’t let any rewards expire and makes logging into my accounts super easy. Go to WeTravelThere.com/awardwallet to start your free account.
Jacaranda trees. Photo by Sharon Ang on Pixabay.
Stay tuned for our next episode
Sandra and her family.
Listen to the next episode when Sandra Wilson of Horse Cave/Hart County Tourism shares the best things to do in Horse Cave, Kentucky. In this episode, Sandra and I talk about exploring the Hidden River Cave beneath the city, feeding a kangaroo from your hand at Kentucky Down Under, and eating fresh Amish donuts at Farmwald’s Bakery. We hope you’ll join us when We Travel There.
What’s your favorite part of Johannesburg? Send us a Tweet, let us know in the comment section below, or continue the discussion in our Facebook group!
Please take a moment to follow the podcast on your favorite podcast apps, like Apple Podcasts or Stitcher, so you don’t miss the next episode! While you’re at it, give us a rating and Tweet the podcast to your friends.
To see which cities we’ve interviewed and scheduled, please visit WeTravelThere.com/map. If you’d like to be a guest on the show, please submit an application at WeTravelThere.com/guest.
Related episodes
To learn more about destinations in Africa check out our other episodes:
- Table Mountain, Robben Island & Penguins in Cape Town, South Africa
- Safari Walk, Karura Forest & Bomas of Kenya in Nairobi, Kenya
- Badagry Museum, Freedom Park & Lekki Conservation Centre in Lagos, Nigeria
- Doing Good Deeds In Monrovia, Liberia with Stefan Lako
- Bahia Palace, Jardin Secret & Exotic Ski Resort in Marrakech, Morocco
Leave a Reply