Gold Panning

Gold panning in Johannesburg connects you directly to the work that built the city, using techniques that are hands-on and involve actual geology. The process requires patience—learning where to position your pan in the stream, how to work the gravel and water, and what concentration of black sand tells you—which makes it feel like genuine work rather than a tourist photo moment. Johannesburg's water systems still carry trace gold from the historical mining activity, so you're not chasing a fantasy; the gold is there if you know how to look. The activity teaches something about water dynamics, sediment behaviour, and why the Witwatersrand became what it is. For school groups and families, gold panning works because it's physical, it has a real outcome you can hold and keep, and it reveals something true about the ground beneath the city that most people never think about. The guides understand the local geology and can explain why certain sites are better than others, which transforms it from gimmick into something with actual substance.