If you’re expecting to see wanton violence and guns being waved about as soon as you step off the plane, then you’re going to be disappointed. Johannesburg has a fearsome bad boy reputation and manages to instill terror in tourists before they’ve even started their holiday. Perhaps it’s the electric fences and rolls of razor wire that make tourists jumpy, but for residents - it’s not very frightening. Those who live in Joburg love it.

Johannesburg is a large and busy industrial machine, but with 10 million trees it is also the world’s biggest man-made urban forest. On satellite photos the city looks like a rain forest. In spring, the much-loved Jacaranda Trees explode with colour, and paint the streets a vibrant purple.

The pace of life in Joburg is fast and money rules the day. It is a city that is always on the move – pulsing with energy. It’s full of surprises and is a complete sensory overload. It is the high-spirited child of Africa – sometimes naughty, sometimes sexy, always fun. This is the face of modern South Africa.

It is endearingly called Jozi or Joburg – and by far its greatest asset is its people. Diverse and laidback, Joburgers are a very friendly and hospitable bunch, preferring nothing more than having you over to their house for a braai. They work hard, but they play harder. Joburg’s second best asset is its weather. Summer has tremendous afternoon thundershowers that cool down the hot earth and make everything smell clean and new, and winter days are cold but the skies are exquisitely bright and blue.

People talk about it as a crime-riddled city that is best avoided but those that brave coming to Joburg find out that she’s not quite the monster she’s made out to be. Those bitten by the Jozi bug come back time and time again. Rent a car from the O.R. Tambo International Airport and drive around this cosmopolitan, lively city. You won’t like Joburg: you’ll love it!