False Bay Villages tour (8am-6pm)
One of the most picturesque stretches of coastline in the Western Cape overlooks False Bay between Muizenberg and Simon’s Town. Here quaint seaside villages and majestic mountains flank a vast bay. The area is renowned for its beaches, surfing, cafes, restaurants, art studios, breathtaking scenery, and astonishing history. While the villages all form part of the City of Cape Town, here you can easily feel as if you are far away in a rural, countryside setting.
The tour includes a hop on the train between two of the villages, riding right next to the beach and ocean. However, we travel to the area by bus to ensure that we can take you everywhere we have in mind. Our tour is not only focused on leisurely strolls, nature, and charming architecture, but also on insightful storytelling, unpacking the rich history and contemporary culture of the area. An inspiring and most memorable day.
Itinerary:
8:00 Hotel pickup
9:00 STOP 1: Muizenberg
We explore the promenade with its colourful beachside huts. This is surfers’ paradise, lined with trendy and arty cafes. It is also the scene of some astonishing history. It is here that the British first invaded the Cape in 1795 (Battle of Muizenberg), taking over from the Dutch East India Company. The Cape was British for but a short time till 1803. Of course, this was the precursor to the eventual long-term occupation that followed in 1806. We also amble along the remarkable Palmer Road – a charming village street lined with cafes, retailers, artist studios and cottages.
10:00 Walk along the boardwalk next to the sea to Rhodes Cottage.
10:30 STOP 2: Rhodes Cottage Museum
Muizenberg boomed during the Johannesburg Gold Rush era of the 1890s. Many of the newly wealthy Randlords built their holiday homes here and a direct train was even arranged to bring holidaymakers from Joburg to Muizenberg. Cecil John Rhodes – largely associated with the Scramble for Africa and British Expansionism and the man who made his wealth from diamonds and gold – had his own, surprisingly humble seaside cottage here. This is also the home in which he died in 1902 and it is a museum today. Lots could be questioned about the colonial legacy of Rhodes, and this is the perfect place to contemplate his impact on Africa at the turn of the 19th century.
11:15 We walk on along the boardwalk next to the railway and beach to St James.
11:30. STOP 2: St James
We pause at Sonnekus by Ideas Cartel – a stunning restaurant and guest house with sea-view patio. Time for coffee, tea, and snacks. We then explore the famous St James Beach and tidal pools also lined with colourful beach huts, as well as some of the village lanes.
12:30 Drive to Kalk Bay, arguably the most popular and famous village on this coastline.
12:40. STOP 3: Kalk Bay
We stroll along the famous village streets, popping into coffee shops, bookstores, and art galleries before proceeding to the fisherman’s harbour. For lunch we can choose between the renowned Kalky’s for fish and chips, which on a sunny day can be enjoyed on the harbour wall, or a more comfortable and upmarket sit-down seafood experience with the perfect ocean view at Harbour House or Brass Bell.
14:15 Depart and drive to Simon’s Town.
14:30 STOP 4: Simon’s Town
The beauty of this seaside village can easily deceive you, since it is also one of the most strategic locations in South Africa, being the headquarters of the South African Navy. It has been a harbour for – originally used as a winter harbour by the Dutch East India Company when storms in Table Bay were too fierce. Later it became a British colonial port and today it remains the most prominent navy port in South Africa. Simons Town reeks of history on every street corner!
We visit the central square with its famous Just Nuisance sculpture and pop in at the Simon’s Town Museum, exploring some of the tragic Apartheid era forced evictions that affected the area. We peek at what was once another Dutch East India Company’s Garden and stop for coffee at a village café.
Next up is a visit to the most beautiful secret beach, hidden behind what appears to be a private garden gate. We complete the day at Boulder’s Beach where we also meet the famous penguin colony and the institute working for their conservation.
17:00 Depart and drive back to Cape Town
18:00 Hotel drop off.
Open tours: In order to schedule this tour, we need a minimum initial booking of R3400 for transport and driver, PLUS R2900 for guiding and storytelling – which is R6300 in total for up to 3 guests. We will then allow others to join the tour at R2100 per person.
Private tours: If you want to book this as an exclusive private tour, the minimum cost for up to 3 guests is R3600 for transport plus R3600 for guiding and storytelling – which is R7200 in total. If you are more than 3 guests, the private tour will cost R2200 per person.
Prices for private bookings of more than 7 guests could be slightly negotiable, depending on the size of the group.
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
For driving tours, pickup and drop off is included from/to your hotel (one address) as long as it is located in the City Bowl. Pickups and drop offs at addresses further away could possibly be arranged at an additional fee.
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