World City Guide

Tours of the City

Walking Tours
With its cosmopolitan buzz, street music, markets and busking acts, as well as a multitude of alfresco cafés and restaurants to take a rest in, Cape Town is a great city for exploring on foot. Wanderlust (tel: (021) 426 4252; e-mail: wanderlust@iafrica.com; website: www.wanderlust.co.za), offers three ‘Cape Town on Foot’ walking tours of the city. The Full City Walking Tour takes two and a half hours to cover the main sights of the city centre; these depart from the Cape Town Tourism office (see Tourist Information) Monday to Friday at 1100 and cost R100 per person. The one-hour City Highlights tour also departs from Cape Town Tourism office at 0930 Monday, Wednesday and Friday, costing R50. The one-hour Bo-Kaap Experience tour departs from the Bo-Kaap Musuem, 71 Wale Street, at 0930 Tuesday and Thursday and costs R75 (including museum entrance fee).

Bus Tours
Hylton Ross (tel: (021) 511 1784; fax: (021) 511 2401; e-mail: info@hyltonross.co.za; website: www.hyltonross.co.za) runs a regular open-topped double-decker bus tour, the Cape Town Topless Tour, which takes in all the major sights of Cape Town, with a running commentary. The two-hour tour can be hailed anywhere along the route and takes in the V&A Waterfront, Sea Point, District Six (Zonnebloem) and Camps Bay. Buses run from the Cape Town Tourism office (see Tourist Information) daily 0930-1910 (summer), 0930-1710 (winter). The R90 hop-on hop-off tickets are valid all day and can be purchased on the bus, at the Cape Town Tourism Visitor Information Centres or in advance from Hylton Ross. The company also offers half-day tours of the city, including Table Mountain (cableway tickets not included) and a boat trip of the V&A Waterfront, departing daily 0745-1230 and costing R250, as well as a full-day township tour, Monday-Saturday 0830-1300, costing R260 (concessions available).

Grassroute Tours (tel: (021) 706 1006; fax: (021) 705 0798; e-mail: grasrout@iafrica.com; website: www.grassroutetours.co.za) offers a half-day Rainbow Tour of District Six (Zonnebloem) and the townships, with an option of extending the tour with a trip to Robben Island. Pick up and drop off is arranged and tours (excluding Robben Island) run from 0830/0900 to 1300/1330.

Boat Tours
Waterfront Boat Company (tel: (021) 418 5806; fax: (021) 418 5821; website: www.waterfrontboats.co.za) offers a range of tours, from harbour tours to excursions and champagne cruises, departing from the V&A Waterfront Quay Five. Tours range from a half-hour harbour cruise (R30) to a full-day fishing trip (R1,600). Whale-watching tours are available during the season (Jun-Nov); these take three to four hours and cost R350. Thrill seekers might enjoy a high-speed one-hour motorboat trip to Clifton beach for R300. A popular pastime is a spectacular sunset sailing experience across Table Bay, which costs R170 and includes sparkling wine.

The Waterfront Information Office (tel: (021) 408 7600; fax: (021) 408 7605; e-mail: info@waterfront.co.za; website: www.waterfront.co.za) provides information on other tours available from the V&A Waterfront.

Boat tours to see the Cape Fur Seals on Duiker Island in False Bay are operated by Drumbeat Charters (tel: (021) 790 4859). All cruises, which depart from Hout Bay Harbour, cost R45 and take approximately 40 minutes.

Bicycle Tours
Daytrippers (tel: (021) 511 4766; fax: (021) 511 4768; e-mail: info@daytrippers.co.za; website: www.daytrippers.co.za) organises a number of bicycle tours, including the ‘Cape Point Tour’, which follows the Atlantic Coast past Hout Bay and Chapman’s Peak to the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve and on to Boulders Beach. The full-day tour costs R350, including picnic lunch and entrance fees. Other cycling tours include a Winelands tour, various mountain biking tours, and a whale-watching tour (Jul- Nov). Adventure Village (tel: (021) 424 1580; fax: (021) 424 1590; e-mail: info@adventure-village.co.za; website: www.adventure-village.co.za) operates a similar service.

Other Tours
Civair (tel: (021) 419 5182; fax: (021) 419 5183; e-mail: info@civair.co.za; website: www.civair.co.za) and NAC Makana Aviation (tel: (021) 425 3868; fax: (021) 425 3858; e-mail: info@nacmakana.com; website: www.nacmakana.com) both offer 20-minute, 30-minute and one-hour helicopter tours. Civair flights cost R1,800, R2,700 and R5,400 respectively, while NAC Makana flights cost from R1,600, R2,400 and R4,800 respectively. Civair also offers 50-minute Winelands tours from R9,000.