Walking tours are one of the best ways to get to know the culturally rich Cape Town CBD. Here are three tours that offer value for money and great insights.
CAPE TOWN HERITAGE TOURS
Cameron Luke Peters, a 28-year-old writer and tour guide based in Vredehoek, has spent the last three years helping Capetonians feel like tourists in their own city. Obsessed with South African history and the overlapping stories of five centuries of residents from the Cape of Good Hope, he has built a reputable and ever-popular cottage industry conducting weekend walking adventures.
What he offers:
Playful, enlightening, and revelatory, Cameron’s tours are designed to reclaim the streets, folktales, and general sense of belonging that Capetonians, and their visitors, should rightfully own. “I don't have too many challenges, but I like to bamboozle tourist’ expectations of Cape Town. I think most people come to South Africa for an exotic time and a melting-pot experience, but they often don't realise how much of their history is reflected in ours; or how walkable our city can be.”
What’s cool about Cape Town Heritage Tours:
“Don’t stress,” laughs Cameron, “I won’t quiz you on the subject matter covered; the goal is to inspire you and expand the radical curiosity Cape Town seems to inspire.” Recent guest, Shravya Reddy, concurs: "I can't speak highly enough of Cameron's offering. You won’t even begin to understand this city’s full depth and complexity without them.”
Notable info:
Join Cameron at 14h00 on a Saturday or Sunday to discover the secrets of the Central City or set up a private booking, school outing, gift voucher, or custom-made tour. You can also join Cameron’s popular and informative WhatsApp group.
Cameron Luke Peters | 076 033 8164 | www.capetownheritagetours.co.za | Instagram: @capetownheritagetours
CULTURE CONNECT
“Landmarks, galleries, collections, studios, and the route we follow are sensitively tailored to taste and time,” advises Kate Crane Briggs, curator of the specialist tours offered by Culture Connect, who has been involved in art and museums for her entire career. “Key to each experience are the people we meet; sometimes planned, others our friends and the contacts we bump into”.
What she offers:
Just a few of the upcoming tours include: Foodies – Taste the Mother City; Cape Town’s Architecture; and City Walk – History, Art, and Architecture. Kate’s tours are offered on two tiers: public scheduled city tours and uniquely curated private tours, which are specifically tailored to a tourist/other group.
What’s cool about Culture Connect:
A detailed get-to-know-the-city, or a whistle-stop glance at what it has to offer – Kate is skilled at arranging, and in fact delights in, any special experiences that customers may request. The tours are geared towards the discerning and culturally sensitive traveller and help them navigate the myriad creative outpourings which this corner of Africa has to offer.
Notable info:
She says: “For city-orientation and art tours, we generally walk. However, a vehicle can be arranged, which is an option on art- and design-buying trips.”
Kate Crane Briggs | 072 377 8014 | www.cultureconnectsa.com | Instagram @cultureconnect_sa
CAPE TOWN WALKING TOURS
Lesley Cox is currently in her 22nd year of private tour guiding, and believes that “walking tours are the best way to absorb the true spirit of Cape Town”. This special city, she reveals, has a “rich tapestry of history, architecture, memorial art, historical buildings, and stories that have uniquely shaped our Cape Town community of today”. Lesley has an honours degree in History and happily shares stories of the Mother City in a flexible format, and at a pace that caters to each group’s individual comfort level.
What she offers:
Join Lesley for a tour conducted on foot through the Cape Town city centre, that combines an eclectic mix of factors guaranteed to wow tourists and visitors alike.
What’s cool about Cape Town Walking Tours:
“Our Central City has a rich cultural heritage and offers a mix of historical buildings, architecture, museums, churches, art galleries, boutique shops, artisanal coffee shops, and destination eateries. This tour provides an overview and an orientation of the sights and sounds you wouldn’t want to skip over if you attempted a city walk like this without guidance,” she enthuses.
Notable info:
Lesley’s Heritage City Centre tour takes two-and-a-half hours and will please both international visitors and locals. Lesley curates memorable tours, tailored accordingly. Although all the main historical sites are generally included, Lesley also includes a few secret gems just off the tourist beaten track.
Lesley Cox | 073 656 9496 | www.capetownwalkingtours.com / Instagram: @capetownwalkingtours
IMAGES: Cape Town Heritage Tours, Culture Connect SA, Cape Town Walking Tours
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