Mine Tours
Kromdraai gold mine:
First gold mining concession in the Transvaal
Gold was discovered in the Kromdraai area in 1881 - 5 years ahead of the main reef discovery on the Witwatersrand. The Kromdraai Gold Mine received the first gold mining concession from the then President, Paul Kruger. The mine was closed in 1914. Kromdraai gold mine Underground Tour: Walk through a large entrance hole on the side of the hill, walking down through the roughly worked tunnels. The coco pan tracks leading you into the heart of the mountain.
Marvel at the conditions the miners had to endure while extracting the Gold ore and view the old mining methods. The mine conforms to modern safety standards and is regularly inspected and is a safe with an easy walk for all ages.
Blaauwbank Mine:
Experience the "Gold Rush" in a gold mine with a hard hat and lamp
Historic Gold Mine Tour: this is the oldest gold mine in Gauteng. First claims were worked in the early part of 1874. Mines like Blaauwbank led to the discovery of the largest gold deposit in the world that resulted in the Johannesburg "Gold Rush" Experience the mine with a hard hat and lamp. See how the early miners worked the gold bearing ore. Original equipment on view includes coco pans, picks, shovels and rope winches.
You can have the opportunity to crush ore and even pan for gold! View the boarding house of the first diggers with a visit to the "graveyard" of the miners who worked the original claims in those early years.
Gold reef City – Crown Mines shaft 14:
Crown Mines shaft 14 - the world's richest producer of gold.
The Golf Reef City theme park is situated on a 10Ha site which surrounds the historically significant no 14 shaft at Crown Mines. This 19th century gold mine produced 1.4 million kilograms of gold before closing in the 70's. The shaft was opened in 1897, only 11 years after Johannesburg was established and was part of the gold reef stretching 100 km from Boksburg in the east to Randfontein in the west. This made it the world's richest producer of gold, 1.4 million kilograms over its 90 year life span.
This Crown Mines shaft 14 was at its time, one of the deepest gold mines, going down 3500 meters (57 levels) and worked by 30 000 miners. A miner's language (Fanagalo) was developed in 1910. This enabled the miners from different walks of life to communicate. Fanagolo was simplistic consisting of only 2000 words, 25% of these were swear words. For the miners, this was a tough way to earn a living with the heat, dampness, darkness and the ear shattering noise of the drills.
Lighting was by candle-light, posing a continued risk of explosion due to the presence of methane gas. Thousands of miners died in this mine. Donkeys pulled the gold laden coco pans, staying down the mine for three months before going blind. There is gold remaining in the mine; however with the current low price of gold, it is uneconomical to remove. The lower levels of the mine are currently flooded - 19th level to the 57th level. Historical Tours are conducted only up to the 5th level - 226 metres.
Experience the "Gold Rush" in a gold mine with a hard hat and lamp
Operational/Working Gold Mines Tour:
Surface and Underground operational Gold mine tours can be arranged. These are not available all days of the week and require booking well in advance.
Underground Mine Tour Rules: No persons with disabilities, pregnant, or people who suffer from claustrophobia may go on an underground mine tour.
Sorry - Underground operational Gold mine tours are currently unavailable. Operational diamond mine is available - will update soon.
Ekala Eco Tours use qualified and registered guides - not drivers only.
For Diamond mine tours - see - Cullinan Diamond Mine
Ekala Eco Tours - Personalised attention to your needs. We look forward to hearing from you.
Please Contact Ekala Eco Tours - info@ekalatours.com - for - tour details - Personalised attention - Bookings
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Johannesburg Tours - Historical Tours - Cultural Tours - WildLife Tours
Soweto Tour - Johannesburg Tour - Apartheid Museum - Constitution Hill - Gold Reef City - Lion Park - De Wildt Cheetah Sanctuary
Elephant Sanctuary interaction - Pretoria Tour - Pilanesberg National Park - Sun City and the Lost City - Cullinan Diamond Mine
Cradle of Humankind - The Origins Centre - Ekala Eco Tours
For further information on Mine Tours please Contact Ekala Eco Tours. We look forward to hearing from you - info@ekalatours.com