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Township Tour of Cape Town

Take a different look at Cape Town on this eye-opening township tour, led by a knowledgeable local guide. Stepping away from the history of the dark Apartheid days, the tour instead focuses on the townships’ future, and you’ll learn about ongoing plans to transform the townships from ramshackle to regenerate. Meet local leaders in Langa and Manenberg and sample typical Xhosa food, cooked by welcoming members of these vibrant communities.

South Africa’s townships were created as segregated places for blacks only, until the end of the Apartheid era. Usually located on city outskirts, the townships still exist today and while still facing undeniable problems, they form a fascinating part of South African culture with burgeoning jazz scenes, their own cuisine and even language – known as Xhosa.

After meeting your guide in Cape Town, you’ll head out by minivan to discover some of Cape Town’s most interesting townships, like Langa, Manenberg, Guguletu and Rylands, sampling Xhosa cuisine and meeting local characters. The exact order of visits will be decided on the day of your tour by your guide.

Established just before the Apartheid era began, Langa is Cape Town’s oldest yet most rapidly developing township. Meet the local leaders who are making things happen for this vibrant community, and hear their views on some of the biggest questions surrounding their future: ‘What if the greatest value of savings were in the townships, and not in the wealthy areas? How will the townships become suburbs? What’s their future?’

Close to Langa sits Athlone Power Station, and here you’ll learn about plans for its regeneration into a central station – helping to boost Langa’s economic development and ease the commute for local residents.

The other township that you’ll spend a large amount of time in is Manenberg Waterfront – a community just to the east of the city on the Cape Flats. Meet members of the ‘Proudly Manenberg’ organization and see how they’ve reclaimed the township from the clutches of gangs and hooligans by combating vandalism, setting up neighborhood watch patrols and creating recycling initiatives.

After spending four hours exploring these fascinating townships with your guide and leaning about their future plans, you’ll be dropped off back in Cape Town, having seen a side of the city that many don’t get to see.

  • Local guide
  • Snacks
  • Transport by air-conditioned minivan
  • Hotel pickup
  • Gratuities (optional)
  • Food and drinks, unless specified
At AdventureHero, we love to trek!