Cape Town seen from the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront.
Change how you see South Africa
LocalPlaces transforms the way people experience South Africa,
revealing the stories that shape its cities, its people, and its present.
From Cape Town to Johannesburg, every experience is designed to deepen understanding
through powerful, narrative-led immersion.
How to Experience LocalPlaces
There are many ways to step into the stories of South Africa, each offering a different level of immersion.
Read the stories
Books that uncover the history of South Africa through its cities.
Our book series, authored by Gerald Garner, brings the history of South Africa to life through the lens of its cities.
LocalPlaces – Cape Town is available in print and e-book, with an audiobook to follow, and LocalPlaces – Johannesburg is launching soon.
Walk the stories
Daily tours and private experiences in Cape Town, Johannesburg, Soweto, and Pretoria.
Join our public walking tours in Cape Town and Johannesburg, or explore more deeply through private walking and driving experiences
– including Soweto and Pretoria. These are not just tours – they are narrative journeys through place.
Taste the stories
Storytelling dinners, private experiences, and speaking engagements.
Our storytelling dinners and events combine food with powerful, immersive narratives.
Join a scheduled public dinner, host a private experience, or bring LocalPlaces storytelling into your own event or conference.
Step into the story (Coming Soon)
Immersive Storytelling Pods – physical spaces where stories come alive.
Our Storytelling Pods in Cape Town and Johannesburg will offer a new kind of cultural experience
– physical spaces where stories come alive through immersive, interactive engagement.
Travel through the story
Bespoke, story-driven itineraries across South Africa.
We design and manage bespoke journeys across South Africa, curating every detail into a seamless,
story-driven itinerary tailored to your interests.
Discover trusted experiences (Coming Soon)
A curated travel desk connecting you to exceptional, vetted experiences.
Through our travel desk, we connect you to a carefully selected network of exceptional, story-rich experiences,
personally vetted and recommended by LocalPlaces, and booked on your behalf.
However you choose to engage, every LocalPlaces experience is designed to do one thing:
change how you see South Africa.
Most of our tours and experiences are available 7-days a week for exclusive, private bookings.
Click on the menu tabs to see the options. Only the Understanding Cape Town and Understanding Johannesburg walking tours
can be booked on a per person open/public tour basis, subject to availability of the date.
Contact us:
Please do not phone but send us a WhatsApp or Email instead.
We may not respond immediately if we are busy hosting guests, but we will respond as soon as is possible.
WhatsApp: +27 82 894 5216
Email: gerald@localplaces.co.za
Our Story
LocalPlaces has evolved over time into a platform for urban storytelling and cultural insight.
It began in December 2010, when Gerald Garner published Spaces & Places – Johannesburg, a highly personal guide to the city.
This was later republished as JoburgPlaces. With a background in landscape architecture and journalism – including publishing within the architecture, construction, and engineering sectors – Gerald brought a unique perspective to documenting the city’s history, architecture, and urban character.
Shortly after the book’s release, a foreign corporate group contacted Gerald. They had read the book
and wanted to experience the inner city for themselves – requesting a walking tour for 40 international guests.
That moment marked the beginning of what would become a tourism and storytelling business.
Over the next 16 years, JoburgPlaces grew organically, taking tens of thousands of people through Johannesburg on tours and curated city experiences.
As Gerald spent more time in the inner city, its complexity and energy began to shape his work in new ways.
Beyond storytelling, he became involved in activating urban spaces – working with property owners to reimagine and revitalise historic buildings.
These projects included initiatives such as the Sheds@1Fox, Joziburg Lane, Hangout Jozi at 1 Eloff,
Thunder Walker with Zwipi Underground and Charlie & Gerald’s Town Treasure, and the JoburgPlaces Hub at JSE Newtown.
It was at Joziburg Lane, in 2016, that Gerald met Charlie Moyo. Charlie was involved in running event bars and operations,
but it quickly became clear that he brought something more: a natural gift for storytelling and an unmistakable voice.
What began as a working relationship developed into a close friendship and a strong creative partnership
– one that would become central to the LocalPlaces experience.
Today, LocalPlaces is shaped by both Gerald in Cape Town and Charlie in Johannesburg.
Together, they host guests across these two cities, offering experiences rooted in deep knowledge, lived experience, and a shared passion for storytelling. Between Johannesburg and Cape Town, guests are able to engage with two of South Africa’s
most dynamic urban environments in a way that is both insightful and immersive.
LocalPlaces is built on years of exploration, collaboration, and a commitment to understanding the city – not just as a place, but as a story.
REVIEWS
We have met astonishing people on tour tours, events, storytelling dinners and city immersions. Many of them have become friends and often-returning guests. Below is some feedback from our clients, as well as formal media reviews and references:
Times Live video, 2019
This video link by Time’s Live was shot at our previous restaurant and venue in the heart of Joburg – a historic underground bank vault. Unfortunately, we had to close the venue after the Covid pandemic, but Charlie’s brilliant voice and storytelling can still be enjoyed when you tour with us.
https://www.timeslive.co.za/sunday-times/lifestyle/food/2019-08-20-inside-jozis-hidden-gem-dinner-inside-a-115-year-old-underground-bank-vault/
New York Times recommendation, 2023
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/03/23/travel/things-to-do-johannesburg.html
Telegraph recommendation, 2023
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/explore-south-africa/local-tours/
Highly recommended
“Gerald is not only a very knowledgeable guide, he is also a great storyteller. We really enjoyed our walk with him, learned so much about the history of the city, South Africa and European colonialism. It’s an easy walk with some nice stops for coffee or local snacks along the way. Would definitely do it again!”
Viator/ Tripadvisor review (May 2025)
Wonderful historical tour
“Gerald was very warm and kind. He was so knowledgeable and gave us so much interesting information on the history of South Africa.
He walked us through some lovely as well as historical places. He also was great about recommending restaurants and sights that we might be interested in visiting. I’m glad that we did the tour because it was a nice overview of the city shortly after our arrival”
Viator/ Tripadvisor review (Feb 2025)
Incredible tour with Charlie!
“Charlie Moyo is a gift. We were so lucky to start our first two days in Johannesburg (and South Africa) with him as our guide. We learned about two years of a college level history class in a few hours (I took so many notes!). He is gifted to be able to distill complex layers of history from multiple perspectives in a way that is accessible for adults and youth alike. Our kids kept ruminating on things he said for days afterward. He was kind and accommodating and answered our many questions. We also did the Understanding Soweto Tour with him, which was so special. Highly recommend both tours!”
A must for history lovers
“This is a must for history lovers. Gerald, our guide, was so generous with his time that we had way longer than our 4 hours. We learnt so much about the complex history of South Africa as we strolled around Cape Town. The focus is much more on the storytelling than the walk, which isn’t onerous at all. We enjoyed some refreshments along the way & really appreciated Gerald’s amazing breadth of knowledge and his lively storytelling. This tour set us up for our few days in Cape Town, and Gerald gave us some useful tips to maximize our time in this gorgeous city. Highly recommended!
Viator/ Tripadvisor review (Feb 2025)
Excellent tour
“Excellent tour to get deep and/or more insights into Cape Town and South Africa; very sophisticated and thus not comparable to regular sightseeing tours.”
Viator/ Tripadvisor review (Feb 2025)
Best guided tour
“Thanks so much for today, Gerald. Just talking with John now and we both said probably the best guided tour we have done on any of our extensive travels. We will definitely be highly recommending you.”
WhatsApp message from a guest (May 2024)
Vast historical knowledge
“Charlie is a great tour guide. Very eloquent and has an extremely vast historical knowledge of Joburg and the entire region.”
TripAdvisor review (May 2024)
Our best tour in South Africa
“We are very glad that we did the tour with Gerald at the beginning of our stay in South Africa. The walking tour was well thought out and provided a lot of useful information. We were able to ask a lot of questions and learned a lot. In terms of content, this was our best tour in South Africa. Thank you very much!”
Rachael, TripAdvisor (January 2024)
Interactive and immersive
“We did both a half day walking tour and a full day peninsula tour with Gerald – they were the highlights of our Cape Town visit. Gerald’s command of South African history is simply unbelievable but the way he weaves it into stories and discussion makes it interactive and immersive for all. Cannot recommend enough for anyone visiting Cape Town – you will develop a very strong perspective on the complex history and current situation of the country overall.”
Ben, TripAdvisor (December 2023)
Once in a lifetime experience
“After a long flight to Cape Town from Atlanta, I figured the best way to learn about Cape Town was to book a half-day walking tour. I had read about IkapaPlaces in a NYT article, 36 hours in Johannesburg (even though the article was about Joburg, one of the tour companies referenced was IkapaPlaces – note, I booked the Joburg walking tour as well).
I met Gerald Garner on a sundrenched Saturday, starting along the waterfront, walking our way through the city. Gerald is an excellent storyteller; I learned so much in just a 4-hour time. My wife and I only had 2 days in Cape Town and this was the best way to spend one of those days (the other day was spent going to the Cape of Good Hope/Table Mountain).
The bottom line, if you are looking for a nice leisurely way to learn about Cape Town from someone who can bring the history of South Africa to life, you owe it to yourself to book at tour with Gerald. It was a once in a lifetime experience for me.
Thank you. Gerald.”
Joseph, TripAdvisor (December 2024)
We will be back for more
“Hi Gerald, thanks again for a wonderful tour on Dec 31. We are leaving SA now, but we’ll definitely be back and ask for more of your tours also recommend you to everyone coming here:)”
Taira, WhatsApp (January 2024)
You owe it to yourself
“I had read about JoburgPlaces (Charlie Moyo) in a NYT article (36 hours in Johannesburg). After doing some additional research, I booked two walking tours while in Johannesburg, Atonishing Marshalltown Tour (Understanding Joburg) and Soweto by bus. It was a great call. I learned so much from Charlie as we walked around Joburg. My favorite was walking inside the prior Johannesburg Stock Market and then seeing where Mandela/Tambo law offices were located (across street from the shadow boxing statue of Mandela). We then met our driver for the tour to Soweto. Originally, I was going to just do the walking tour, but Charlie convinced me a visit to Joburg without visiting Soweto would miss out on the story of Apartheid South Africa; Charlie was 100% correct.
The bottom line, if you are looking for a full day of meaningful, informative and entertaining insights about South Africa and Johannesburg in particular, you owe it to yourself to reach out to Charlie and confirm a booking. I am so glad I did, a once in a lifetime experience. Thank you Charlie.
Joseph, TripAdvisor (December 2023)
Mind-blowing day
“Charlie took us on a fantastic tour of Johannesburg. As we had booked a private tour, he had the opportunity to tailor the tour to our interests (as urbanists and housing professionals) and it was a mind- blowing day full of stories and deep history.
Highly recommend! This is the perfect tour for a local, South African or tourist!”
Claudia, TripAdvisor (December 2023)
Tripadvisor review, 2023
This tour was a fascinating look into the history of Joburg and South Africa. Our family of 10 did this tour in the morning and the Soweto bus tour in the afternoon. Charlie is a wealth of information and everyone could not get enough of his valuable knowledge and insight. Gerald arranged a delicious lunch of local foods in between tours. If possible I highly recommend reading Nelson Mandela’s autobiography “The Long Walk to Freedom” before traveling to South Africa.
Tripadvisor review, 2023
This tour was a highlight of my entire trip to South Africa. I learned SO MUCH from Charlie about the history of Johannesburg and how it shaped the city of today. Charlie is an excellent storyteller and kept my mom and I engaged throughout the half-day tour. We felt comfortable asking questions and referenced things we learned from Charlie throughout the rest of our trip to South Africa. I’ll recommend this tour to anyone I planning a trip to Johannesburg.
Tripadvisor review, 2023
This is an awesome tour where you gain a great understanding of Joburg’s history. It was totally made by Charlie Moyo our guide who is so much fun to spend 4 hours with. He is knowledgeable and is a great storyteller. We found him through an article in the New York Times entitled 36 hrs in Johannesburg. Don’t miss this tour. A true appreciation of Joburg.
Tripadvisor review, 2023
This is a fantastic walking tour. Gerald is an encyclopedia of South African & Cape Town history and he is very passionate about sharing it all with you! This tour is the perfect introduction to Cape Town and a great way to visit so many different neighborhoods on foot. Plus after a long day of travel to get to SA, walking around the city for a few hours was just what we needed.
Gerald was patient with all of our questions and super helpful with others suggestions for meals & districts in Cape Town. He was flexible with our speed and offering to stop shops of interest. Our family really enjoyed meeting our first “local” and I cannot recommend this tour enough. Just do it.
