Gold Reef City
Gold Reef City
4
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
Closed
Tuesday
Closed
Wednesday
Closed
Thursday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
About
Gold Reef City is a premier entertainment destination in the south of Johannesburg, reminiscent of an authentic turn-of-the-century mining town which is conveniently situated close to the centre of Johannesburg or just 20 minutes from OR Tambo Airport. The resort offers a variety of entertainment for both the young and young at heart which includes a state of the art casino, two 4-star hotels, conferencing and teambuilding facilities, a thrilling theme park,a spectacular theatre featuring live productions and a variety of restaurants and fast foods for every taste. Also located on the premises is the world renowned Apartheid Museum and the Red Bus City Sightseeing Tours.
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See what travelers are saying
- AstencijoBasingstoke, United Kingdom296 contributionsWorth a visit with kids above 1.3m hightIt is a great place with young children. But be aware that there are limited number of rides for kids slightly shorter than 1.3m that are no longer toddlers. Otherwise park is fairly small size, so you do not need to walking distances. As we came during the working days, hardly any queues at all. Some water rides were closed which wasn't ideal, but they were open later in the day. Overall a great day out.Visited February 2024Traveled with familyWritten February 21, 2024
- Climber618909586611 contributionUnfair height restrictions for same entrance fee!Our day at Gold Reef City was nice except for younger kids, my son is 7 (and completely an adrenalin junckie) and just under the 1.3m mark, he is 1.26m. I understand there is a height restriction for safety reasons, but he couldn't even go on the "not so hectic rides" like: jozi Express, mermaid shells, run away train, tornado, vortex. I think the kiddies section was just to boring for him. His heart was broken when the other kids could do all the rest. His friend is also 7 but a little taller than him and he went on all the rides. I feel it was ridiculous to pay the full entrance price for him because he basically couldn't do any bigish rides. He could only do the log and raging rapids. I would recommend that they lower the entrance price for kids under 1.3m and or the not so hectic rides (rides that don't go upside down) be reduced to at least 1.2m or at parents discretion.Visited February 2024Traveled with familyWritten February 25, 2024
- Tim M22 contributionsExcellent theme parkVisitor from the UK. Had a great day with my 12 year old. Deliberately chose to go on a Friday when it would be quieter and proved to be right as saw the crowds on the Saturday and was soooo much busier. 4 main rides that we both really enjoyed and others that were fun.Visited July 2024Traveled with familyWritten August 11, 2024
- OlindaBandeiraMaputo, Mozambique11 contributionsBirthday at Gold Reef Theme ParkTheme Park is amazing, incredible games and time passed so rapidly! I went in my birthday, so I didn't pay the entrance and most of the games, but others I had to pay, and their website didn't give complete information. I recommend an update of terms and conditions of what their offer in the birthdays.Visited August 2024Traveled with familyWritten September 15, 2024
- Karen BPort Elizabeth, South Africa215 contributionsGold reef city and mine tour a must to do.It's a must to book online. Tickets are not sold at the gate. Try to get in early as soon as it opens. The mine tour was so interesting it's cool in the mine, so you don't get too claustrophobic. Definitely a good idea to wear tackies. You are really going down into a mine. The gold pouring demonstration is interesting. Try not to sit too close to the front as when they open the furnace it's HOT! The train runs around the park, so a nice idea to go on and the ferris wheel gives you a good look out point. Nice places to stop and eat and quite a few scary rides available.Visited September 2024Traveled with friendsWritten September 21, 2024
- SeegmillerHenderson, Nevada3 contributionsJust another casinoWe went to the casino looking for lunch and ate at KFC. We wanted to go to a movie but none fit in our time frame. I am from Las Vegas, and this was just another casino. Very similar to the Station Casino chain. Bowling looked fun, and the prices were very cheap compared to Las Vegas. We walked from the apartheid museum and had to pay a 10 Rand ($.64 USD) fee to enter. We took uber back to the airport.Visited October 2024Traveled as a coupleWritten October 18, 2024
- gavin20199 contributionsA worthwhile addition to your itineraryWent as a normal heighted adult (a lot of reviews seem to focus on the 1.3m height restriction) on a friday. It was surprisingly full of school kids, with and without the rest of their class and teachers. Honestly, without them the place would have been nearly empty. Arrived around 10am and did the ferris wheel first. No queue. After that little warm up for the high octane rides we did the mine tour before going on to do the golden loop, anaconda and the raging river rapids. I've done the mine tour before but it was quite interesting so it was worth the little ticket supplement to visit. None of the rides had a queue which was more than 4 rides deep (meaning there were 3-4 other turns of the ride before our turn) We then did the runaway train before taking a break for lunch. I can't really comment on the price of lunch as I didn't really look too closely at the prices (What are you going to do? Not eat?) The prices were likely more than outside the park but not so much that we had to skip it and go starving. We had no real desire to go on the smaller rides so we could have left the park at 1pm and be happy we covered most of it. But I needed to revisit one of the shops so we took a little walk around the park. We discovered another interesting ride: the jonzi express which is tucked into one corner of the park so we almost missed it. All in all we were finished and quite happy we got our moneys worth at 2pm. I imagine you could allocate a full day to this and the Apartheid museum across the road. We chose to use the rest of the day to go shopping though. Don't forget to book online.Visited November 2024Traveled with friendsWritten November 9, 2024
- mkakazaDurban, South Africa30 contributionsAbsolutely brilliantWorld class. Read all the reviews and was doubting whether to visit or not. Last visited the park over 25 years ago. The day we visited it was raining in the morning. We were advised that the rides may not all open due to the weather. As the rain lifted the park staff, went out of their way to ensure that rides were activated, tested for safety and the visitors were provided value for money. The variety of rides, and meal options makes this a perfect place to visit.Visited January 2025Traveled with familyWritten January 5, 2025
- Niria AçucenaMaputo, Mozambique163 contributionsFun for allHad an amazing time with my family! The park is clean and well-maintained, with trees providing shade along most pathways. The staff is friendly and always ready to assist. Lines were surprisingly short for a Sunday, with an average wait of just 4–5 minutes. I enjoyed rides like Anaconda, Jozi Express, Raging River, High Flying Maverick, Tower of Terror, Fun Train, and Lazy River across two visits. Pro tip: buy tickets online, or if you’re not a South African citizen, bring your passport to purchase tickets on-site hassle-free.Visited January 2025Traveled with familyWritten January 22, 2025
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.0
1,900 reviews
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691
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Poor
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61
DianaG
Cape Town Central, South Africa175 contributions
Jul 2023 • Family
54yro mom, with 27yo son and 15yo daughter - we had an absolute blast!!! Queues were practically non Existent (we went on a Tuesday which is a day they are normally closed but open during school holidays) so we managed to do all the rides in one day and a few were done more than once. The games are bit expensive, R40 for one round or R100 for 3 or 4. The selection of food was good, we went for the 2 large pizzas for only R180
Written July 9, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
NMP
Lilongwe, Malawi260 contributions
Nov 2019 • Friends
Visited Gold reef during the weekend and I paid for the tickets online which is a great bargain as they are discounted and saves you from standing on long queues. Had access to all the rides but only tried two cause the waiting lines are sooo long and you spend more time there, glad I tried the anaconda scariest by far but if I did it so could you...lol
I love food guys and the food joints here just didn’t tickle my taste buds so I stuck to having ice cream. All in all it’s a great theme park hope to visit during the week maybe it will be less crowed. Side note make sure to wear comfortable shoes and clothing and ladies leave your wigs at home 🤗
I love food guys and the food joints here just didn’t tickle my taste buds so I stuck to having ice cream. All in all it’s a great theme park hope to visit during the week maybe it will be less crowed. Side note make sure to wear comfortable shoes and clothing and ladies leave your wigs at home 🤗
Written January 28, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Patrick K
Delaware29 contributions
Aug 2022
Our kids- theme park and coaster enthusiasts- loved being able to visit the park, and it's an incredible value relative to US parks. (Also, we stayed at the theme park hotel). The 5 coasters offer a range of thrills, the mini-golf is unique although they need to stock more golf balls, the mini tour (small extra fee) was interesting, and the food options throughout the park are varied and good. The park was clean, and although lines were moderate, our kids got through everything in a day.
Written August 13, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Riyaado
Johannesburg, South Africa137 contributions
Sep 2024 • Family
Disappointing and not worth it.
We went on Saturday, 7th September booked the tickets online in advance.
This was a good thing as we entered quickly. There was a sign stating tickets were sold out. The queues for tickets remained open and the sales continued, with buses still entering. The theme park definitely had more people than it could handle.
The website had no notifications at all about rides that were closed (I checked for 2 weeks and on the day as well).
A few big rides were closed. Being 'upgraded' with no work being conducted on them. This included the Anaconda, Maverick, Ship, UFO and a number of kids rides.
The queues on the other rides were now excessively long to accommodate these rides being out of order.
During the whole day, we managed to sit on ~5rides.
Most of the day was spent in queues.
The golden loop at to close for a period of time due to some Mechanical failure and the Miner's Revenge got stuck at the top, with people tied in for more than 20min.
The Ferris wheel had every 3rd cart removed so it could accommodate much less people.
The rides had no photos as it had before at a drop or certain point along the ride. All had been removed.
Some of the queues for rides started to close at 3pm (water rides) while the rest of the rides in the park closed at 3:30pm. This is because all staff want to be gone before 5pm. Noting that the park opens at 9am.
It seems to be a money making scheme getting in as many people as they can at full price tickets, with rides not working and people standing in queues.
Another item would be the number of amusement 'games/'activities' within the park such as the basket ball or pop the balloon. This is an excellent initiative but the prizes were terrible and had absolutely nothing to do with the theme. You could win an alien or a big fish balloon at almost all the games.
The park has a lot of potential. The theme is great. Halaal food stores are available. The space and layout is good. There are many activities and rides but to open for 6hrs during the day is by no where near international standards. Having rides which are not maintained and shut down without notice is also very unprofessional.
We went on Saturday, 7th September booked the tickets online in advance.
This was a good thing as we entered quickly. There was a sign stating tickets were sold out. The queues for tickets remained open and the sales continued, with buses still entering. The theme park definitely had more people than it could handle.
The website had no notifications at all about rides that were closed (I checked for 2 weeks and on the day as well).
A few big rides were closed. Being 'upgraded' with no work being conducted on them. This included the Anaconda, Maverick, Ship, UFO and a number of kids rides.
The queues on the other rides were now excessively long to accommodate these rides being out of order.
During the whole day, we managed to sit on ~5rides.
Most of the day was spent in queues.
The golden loop at to close for a period of time due to some Mechanical failure and the Miner's Revenge got stuck at the top, with people tied in for more than 20min.
The Ferris wheel had every 3rd cart removed so it could accommodate much less people.
The rides had no photos as it had before at a drop or certain point along the ride. All had been removed.
Some of the queues for rides started to close at 3pm (water rides) while the rest of the rides in the park closed at 3:30pm. This is because all staff want to be gone before 5pm. Noting that the park opens at 9am.
It seems to be a money making scheme getting in as many people as they can at full price tickets, with rides not working and people standing in queues.
Another item would be the number of amusement 'games/'activities' within the park such as the basket ball or pop the balloon. This is an excellent initiative but the prizes were terrible and had absolutely nothing to do with the theme. You could win an alien or a big fish balloon at almost all the games.
The park has a lot of potential. The theme is great. Halaal food stores are available. The space and layout is good. There are many activities and rides but to open for 6hrs during the day is by no where near international standards. Having rides which are not maintained and shut down without notice is also very unprofessional.
Written October 10, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Freedom19846916155
1 contribution
Oct 2024 • Couples
I am writing to express my outrage after my recent visit to Gold Reef City. The experience was marred by blatant racism from both staff and other visitors. It was disheartening to witness such behavior in a supposed family-friendly environment.
Additionally, several rides were closed without any notice, which was incredibly frustrating. We had traveled specifically to enjoy these attractions, and finding them unavailable was disappointing.
To top it off, the lines were chaotic, with people constantly bumping into us, and there were hardly any staff members present to manage the situation. It felt unsafe and unorganized.
Gold Reef City needs to address these serious issues immediately. Racism has no place in your park, and visitors deserve better management and communication. I hope to see real change before considering a return.
Additionally, several rides were closed without any notice, which was incredibly frustrating. We had traveled specifically to enjoy these attractions, and finding them unavailable was disappointing.
To top it off, the lines were chaotic, with people constantly bumping into us, and there were hardly any staff members present to manage the situation. It felt unsafe and unorganized.
Gold Reef City needs to address these serious issues immediately. Racism has no place in your park, and visitors deserve better management and communication. I hope to see real change before considering a return.
Written October 12, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Steff v
Johannesburg, South Africa1 contribution
Dec 2024 • Business
We have been going to Gold Reef City for many years. The last few years you can just see how this place got overrated & overpriced.
Many times you go there the main attractions are not operating or down for maintenance.
We went there on 12 December, with all our employees, and you cannot purchase tickets at the Gates anymore.
Just to arrive there and all 4 main attractions where not running due to maintenance or something wrong with it. I do understand that safety comes 1st, but this is December and one would think that they will be ready for the December buzz...
I they know, when you buy tickets at the gate and they say the main rides are not running, people might not spent so much money for entering and have to stand 2-3 hours in queues for basic rides... then the money is already in the bank for them.
Not worth the money & effort for this at all.
Unfriendly staff & no big restaurants anymore for sit down, and everything overpriced inside...
Many times you go there the main attractions are not operating or down for maintenance.
We went there on 12 December, with all our employees, and you cannot purchase tickets at the Gates anymore.
Just to arrive there and all 4 main attractions where not running due to maintenance or something wrong with it. I do understand that safety comes 1st, but this is December and one would think that they will be ready for the December buzz...
I they know, when you buy tickets at the gate and they say the main rides are not running, people might not spent so much money for entering and have to stand 2-3 hours in queues for basic rides... then the money is already in the bank for them.
Not worth the money & effort for this at all.
Unfriendly staff & no big restaurants anymore for sit down, and everything overpriced inside...
Written December 18, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sherpa00237786835
1 contribution
Sep 2024 • Family
7 September 2024. Worst experience at Gold Reef City ! From 9am to 5pm, only managed TWO rides because the park was insanely overcrowded. They don’t cap numbers, just take your money (R265 per person!) and leave you standing in lines all day. Feels like a complete rip-off. This was a birthday celebration
Written September 7, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mark H
3 contributions
Jul 2023 • Family
The queues to get in are horrendous. It has been like this every time that I have been here since the 1990s and makes the visit unpleasant right from the start. They force you to book tickets online as a way of locking you in so that you can't leave due to the queues being too long. We got here at 10am. It is now 11:45am and my wife has advance 10 places in a queue of 50. At this rate we would be lucky to get into the park by 2pm since the ticket office staff are due to take lunch. In the modern day with this being part of the high tech casino next door you would expect over the past 30 years to have used technology to speed up the queues into the park. Sadly no. Not recommended as an entertainment
Written July 2, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Shane
1 contribution
Jun 2022 • Family
R250 per person, over an hour and a half wait per ride (with no wait time indicators), and no one to manage the constant queue jumpers and place-keepers. Definitely not worth the money or time. Might be better during the week, but Saturdays are a dog show.
Written June 11, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
lester s
1 contribution
Jan 2023 • Family
Gold reef city, overbooked and only one ride possible for the whole. Waiting time per ride is more than a hour to two hours. Games are over priced and money making with very little entertainment for a park.
Written January 7, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Does 1 pay the exact amount if they don't go on rides, they're just there to accompany the kids
Written November 9, 2024
Hi do I get parcel counter or place for my bags while riding in gold reef city
Written September 12, 2024
Hi, do kids get free entrance on their birthdays and what is needed as proof if they do ?
Written July 24, 2024
How much is entrance fee for udults an a child aged 6 n a child aged 9 and do u still have free entrance if it's your birthday
Written July 5, 2024
Are there any weight restrictions, it so what are they? My boyfriend weight roughly 175kg and I want to know if he will be able to access all the rides.
Written June 15, 2024
Theo M
Kempton Park, South Africa
On birthdays is it free entrance n free rides or activities?
Written June 4, 2024
How does it work if my uncle pays for me and my boyfriend but he doesn't come with how do we get in
Written June 1, 2024
Mlungisi M
Johannesburg, South Africa
How much are rides at gold reef city theme park
Written May 24, 2024
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*Likely to sell out: Based on Viator’s booking data and information from the provider from the past 30 days, it seems likely this experience will sell out through Viator, a Tripadvisor company.
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