If you only have the time for two tours in Cape Town then we firmly recommend our Understanding Cape Town walking tour PLUS this Bristling Bo-Kaap walking tour. The Bo-Kaap (translated as Upper Cape) is Cape Town’s most famous neighbourhood, known for its brightly painted homes. It is displayed in almost all tourism brochures, videos, and advertisements of Cape Town and is simply a must-visit destination.
This tour delves into the incredible history of the neighbourhood while also enjoying the contemporary culture, including tasting some Cape Malay delicacies, admiring the protest street art and ambling through galleries.
The Bo-Kaap community has special significance to the story of Cape Town, symbolizing resistance, resilience, and rebirth. What was once a poor neighbourhood on the edge of town, lined with white-painted rental homes, is today the vibrant and colourful village, alive with cuisine, culture, and history.
We delve into ancient history, going back to the times of the Khoi and San people, the Portuguese sea trade with the East and the first conflict between Europeans and African people in what today is Cape Town. We delve into the establishment of a halfway station for the Dutch East India Company, the arrival of settler farmers, and the importation of slaves from the Indian Ocean slave ports, and the arrival of exiled Muslim scholars from the East. We discuss the abolishment of slavery in the subsequent British Cape Colony and the introduction of freedom of religion, with many of the freed-slaves making the Bo-Kaap their home.
We contemplate the creation of apartheid by 1948 and how this affected the Bo-Kaap and District Six. We celebrate the era of democracy and freedom of expression which resulted in the vibrant, colourful B0-Kaap of today – complete with colourful houses and Pro-Palestinian graffiti.
We amble along cobblestoned streets, staircases, and walkways. We linger in an intimate square at Faeeza’s Kitchen & Tea Garden, sampling some Cape Malay delicacies (koesisters and samoosas) and sip coffee on the sidewalk at Bo-Kaap Deli. Along the way, we pop into shops and galleries.
It is a sensory and most inspiring experience which will make you understand South Africa and Cape Town so much better. If you only have two hours to do a walking tour in the city, then this is the must-do tour!
Duration:
The tour lasts 2 hours (sometimes stretching to 2,5 hours) and can be booked for 9am, 11am, 2pm, or 4pm.
Rates:
Available as a private tour at all times, at a minimum of R2200 for up to 4 guests
(or R550 per person if you are more than 4 guests).
Any food, drinks, or shopping along the way for guests’ own account.
BOOK NOW:
To book your tour, send an email to gerald@localplaces.co.za or a WhatsApp to + 27 82 894 5216.
Please do not phone as we are mostly busy hosting guests.
Send a message and we will contact you as soon as is possible.
We will respond to your booking request and provide an online payment link for you to pay by bank card to secure the booking.
TERMS & CONDITIONS
Guests participate in all IkapaPlaces tours at their own risk. Neither IkapaPlaces, nor its guides, accept any responsibility whatsoever for any injury, accident or death that may occur while participating in an IkapaPlaces tour, whether in a public or a private space.
A tour booking is only secured upon payment.
Provisional bookings will automatically be cancelled if not paid within 48 hours from making a booking.
Bookings cannot be cancelled once paid for any reason whatsoever and no refunds will be offered for cancelled bookings.
Bookings can be postponed to another date if postponed more than 30 days in advance of the booked date. However, bookings cannot be postponed for any reason whatsoever within 30 days of the tour date, as we would lose the opportunity to take another booking for that slot.
STARTING POINT
We will stipulate the starting point for your tour in your booking confirmation letter. This tour starts in front of the Atlas Spice Shop in Wale Street, Bo-Kaap.
For private tour bookings, it is possible to arrange pick up and drop off from your hotel or accommodation, possibly for an additional fee, depending on location.
