Township Walking Experience

Set off on an adventure into the heart of the real Cape Town. Get acquainted with the sights, sounds and smells of the city with a walk around the iconic Grand Parade, the city’s main public square. Learn about Apartheid’s segregation policies, discover iconic District Six and grab the chance to a take a picture of City Hall. It was here, on the famous balcony, that Nelson Mandela made his freedom speech in 1990.

 
Bid farewell to the bustle of the inner city and climb aboard a commuter taxi, complete with typical local music and fellow South African passengers, for a drive to Gugulethu. Pay a visit to the Gugulethu Seven Memorial, which remembers the dark days of apartheid, then stroll down Main Road to soak up the vibrant atmosphere, complete with street vendors, Spaza shops and hairdressers doing business from decorated steel containers. Get to know the Xhosa people, who live in squatter camps and have come from rural South Africa to make a new life in Cape Town.


Experience firsthand the African concept of ‘ubuntu’ – a shared or communal way of life – which is intrinsic to these communities.  Call by a pre-school to meet the township’s children and listen to their contagious rhythm and song.  Enjoy a drink at a local shebeen, where there’s plenty of time to listen to Kwaito music or play a round or two of pool.  For the brave, there’s even the chance to try freshly brewed umqombothi, a traditional Xhosa beer that is made from maize and has a thick and slightly gritty consistency.  Feast on a traditional South African ‘braai’ (barbecue) at one of city’s favourite hotspots – Mzoli’s – before bidding farewell to Gugulethu.  Call by the scenic Victoria & Alfred Waterfront before heading back into the bustle of downtown Cape Town.