Welcome Cape Town Walking Tour (Alfred Basin)
The Alfred Basin, Cape Town’s original harbour, holds many secrets in terms of the trade routes traversing the Cape from the West to the East. It also personifies the Scramble for Africa and the eventual formation of the country, South Africa.
This quick and easy, two-hour walking tour focuses on the Alfred Basin, Cape Town’s original harbour, constructed between 1860 and 1870. As well as some of the prominent historic sites such as the Amsterdam Battery and Chavonnes Battery. The Alfred Basin holds many secrets in terms of the trade/shipping routes traversing the Cape. It also personifies the Scramble for Africa and the eventual formation of the country, South Africa.
The tour presents the role of the harbour in the formation of South Africa as a country. It is a comprehensive storytelling experience, starting out in the 1870s with the 2nd Industrial Revolution, the Scramble for Africa, and British Expansionism. Before taking the guests back 1000 years to precolonial history, from the Khoi and San to the Portuguese seafarers and the establishment of a refreshment station for the Dutch East India Company. It proceeds to the competition between France and Britian for control of the sea routes, and the eventual British occupation and colonization of the Cape by 1806.
The tour then continues to the discovery of diamonds and gold and returns to the Scramble for Africa/2nd Industrial Revolution that led to the Anglo-Boer War (South African War) and the formation of the Union of South Africa in 1910. The entire story is told in the context of the strategic importance the Alfred Basin, as a harbour, played in facilitating these events.
We start our exploration at Ginja Restaurant at the Victoria & Alfred Hotel. From here we proceed across the pedestrian bridge and along the walkways adjacent to the Cape Grace, the marina and canals, all the way to Battery Park. From there, the tour moves to the Silo District, encircling the Alfred Basin in the process. After a pause in front of Zeitz MOCAA, the tour takes in the Chavonnes Battery adjacent to the Clock Tower. Lastly, we cross the swing bridge and walks past the old Port Captain’s Building to return to the Victoria & Alfred Hotel.
This 2-hour tour can be booked for any day (7 days a week), as long as the time slot is available.
LocalPlaces members get 50% off all quick walking tour bookings.
The per person rate for open tours is R350 (knowing that others may then join the tour).
A private tour costs a minimum of R1600 for up to 4 guests or R400 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 LocalPlaces – 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. Most (but not all) tours start at Ginja Restaurant at the Victoria & Alfred Hotel on the V&A Waterfront.
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.
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