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We offer Standard Tour Operating (STO) rates. Please contact us for detailed information and pricing.

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Be our guest!

Uncover the rich heritage of Cape Town's Bo-Kaap neighbourhood

through authentic local experiences.

Bo-Kaap is a historic and iconic quarter of Cape Town, steeped in hundreds of years of traditions and culture. Through Bo-Kaap Roots, local Guides Bilqees Baker and Rafiq Jacobs work to preserve the community’s identity, historical value, and heritage.

Here, the collective traditions of an array of Cape cultures continue to thrive, and this captivating history is chronicled through song, dance, food, and rituals – many unique to Cape Town. Our tour options support at least 15 other residents directly – and many more indirectly – honouring our ethos of sustainable tourism.

These home-grown experiences include storytelling over tea and Cape Malay koesiesters, cooking classes, meals, and traditional music. Our guests engage members of the community on a personal level – often in their own homes. With community input, tours give the community a platform to deliver its own interpretation of its mutual history, culture, and legacy.

Being locals, our Guides are ever mindful of the needs of the community. Here, it’s both a privilege and a responsibility to develop culturally sensitive tourist programmes. Come join us to discover what this living testimonial to the past has to share.

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Our Tours

Get a glimpse of the vibrant Bo-Kaap with short tours that highlight its rich cultural tapestry. Wander colourful streets, learn about Cape Malay heritage, and savour traditional cuisine. These short tours with knowledgeable locals uncover hidden gems and stories, providing an intimate glimpse into this historic neighbourhood.

Bo-Kaap: Walk with a local

The Bo-Kaap region of Cape Town (also called the Malay Quarter) is known for its impressive multi-colored buildings, spice shops, and delicious Cape Malay food. Learn more about the origins of this neighborhood by going on a guided tour with a guide who is a descendant of the slaves brought to the area by early Dutch settlers. Find out personal stories about the area that you wouldn’t discover otherwise, and ask questions along the way.

1 Hr

R350.00 pp

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Delve deeply into the rich history of the vibrant Bo-Kaap with private tours. Wander through its colourful streets, learn about the unique Cape Malay heritage, and savour traditional cuisine. These longer, more in-depth tours, guided by knowledgeable locals, uncover hidden gems and stories, offering an intimate and comprehensive look into this historic neighbourhood.

SA residents get discounted rates on all private tours. Minimum two (2) guests per tour.

Bo-Kaap Tour With

Storytelling & Tea

~ Walking tour of Bo-Kaap

~ Fascinating history

~ Sights, smells and sounds of Bo-Kaap

~ Unique traditions

~ Colourful Chiappinni Street

~ Storytelling and tea in a host’s home

Our tour starts at 71 Wale Street where we discuss the origins of Bo-Kaap, the oldest suburb in South Africa. Our walk then takes us past the Auwal Mosque, which is the oldest mosque in South Africa, dating back to 1794, when it was started by slaves in defiance of Dutch law. From here we walk to the most photographed street in South Africa, a street with the most colourful houses.Next, we make our way to a home to enjoy a traditional treat and a cup of rooibos tea. The host will regale you with stories of this historical neighbourhood, it’s culture and his personal stories. Cape Town’s famous spice shop Atlas awaits as we continue our tour. Here you will smell the heady aromas of spices used in

everyday Cape Malay cooking, the very spices used by slaves to express themselves creatively in their masters’ kitchens.

2 Hrs

R860.00 pp

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Bo-Kaap Tour With

Cape Malay Meal

~ Walking tour of Bo-Kaap

~ Fascinating history

~ Living heritage area

~ Murals in the archway

~ Colourful houses

~ Authentic Cape-Malay meal

This tour option takes you on a walking tour of the Bo-Kaap and ends in a home of a local cooking host. Your experience becomes heightened by a taste of authentic Cape Malay cooking. Enjoy Cape Malay curry, roti, samoosas, Cape Malay koesiesters, sambals and cardamom tea.

2.5 Hrs

R1,470.00 pp

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Bo-Kaap Tour With Cape Malay Cooking Class

~ Walking tour of Bo-Kaap

~ Fascinating history

~ A melting pot of cultures

~ Colourful houses

~ Bo-Kaap’s famous archway

~ Storytelling through food

~ Immersive Cultural Experience

After experiencing the history, sounds and sights of Bo-Kaap, the walking tour ends with an immersive cultural experience of a Cape-Malay cooking class in a home. This is a team and fun effort with everyone partaking in the making of the meal which they then sit down to enjoy. This option can also be a great team

building option for groups.

3.5 Hrs

R1,840.00 pp

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Bo-Kaap Tour With Traditional Music, Tea & a Traditional Treat

~ Walking tour of Bo-Kaap

~ History and culture

~ Colourful houses

~ Sights, sounds and smells of Bo-Kaap

~ Traditional Cape Malay tea & treat

~ Ghoema liedjies (traditional music)

~ Local musicians

~ Warm hospitality

End your Bo-Kaap walking tour with traditional Ghoema music, which is unique to this culture with music rooted in slavery. Enslaved people were not allowed to speak up against the authorities but expressed their unhappiness or mockery of the slave owners, and even their own restricted religious prayers in the form of

singing. Tea and a traditional treat will be served while the music does the talking!

The session is interactive and great fun with a brief explanation of each song provided to the guests.

2 Hrs

R1,980.00 p/person

Minimum 4 people per group

Additional R900.00 p/person

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Lunch or Dinner & Traditional Ghoema Music

~ Walking tour of Bo-Kaap

~ History and culture

~ Colourful houses

~ Sights, sounds and smells of Bo-Kaap

~ Lunch or Dinner

~ Traditional Cape Malay meal

~ Ghoema liedjies (traditional music)

~ Local musicians

~ Warm hospitality

This is an experience of the senses. Following a one-hour tour that outlines the history and culture of the Bo-Kaap, guests will settle down in a host’s home to a traditional home-cooked dinner while enjoying local traditional ghoema music. This is a light enjoyable tour for guests savouring the warm hospitality of Bo-Kaap.

Please book this option at least one week in advance. Kindly note that the dinner experience will start an hour before the sun sets and is not available on Thursday evenings.

2.5 Hrs

R2,980.00 p/person

Minimum 4 people per group

Additional R 1,400 p/person

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Experience an engaging walking tour of Bo-Kaap, featuring its vivid, colourful houses and rich history. Visit the Auwal Mosque and learn about religion during the enslaved period. Enjoy Rooibos tea and a traditional treat in a storyteller’s home. Explore the Slave Tree, Slave Lodge Museum, and the lives of enslaved people. Discover the fusion of traditions from mixed heritages and visit key city sites like the statue of Nelson Mandela. Conclude with Khoisan storytelling by a descendant of the Khoi people, offering a decolonised narrative of Cape Town.

Minimum five (5) guests per tour.

Bo-Kaap Tour With

Storytelling & Tea

~ Engaging, Historical Walking Tour

~ Visit a local Mosque

~ Fusion of traditions from mixed heritages

~ Vivid colourful houses

~ Personal history in a Storyteller’s Home

~ Rooibos tea and a traditional treat

2 Hrs

R480.00 pp

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Bo-Kaap Tour With Cape Malay Cooking Class

~ Walk with a local Bo-Kaap Guide

~ Visit a Mosque

~ Famous archway

~ Traditions and Culture

~ Striking colourful houses

~ Fun Cape Malay cooking class in hosts home

3.5 Hrs

R900.00 pp

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Bo-Kaap Roots Walking Tour & Cape Malay Lunch

~ Walk with a local Bo-Kaap Guide

~ Visit a Mosque

~ Famous archway

~ Traditions and Culture

~ Striking colourful houses

~ Traditional Cape-Malay meal in hosts home

2.5 Hrs

R720.00 pp

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WALKING TOUR PHOTOS

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The Best Guides Are The People Who Live There

A personal insight into a neighbourhood that is bright, vibrant and rich in culture...seen through the eyes of guides whose roots run deep in the area and know the nooks & crannies better than most.

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