Vergelegen’s gardens, history, stories and camellia flowers

Vergelegen Lourensford Road, Somerset West I Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa

With over 1 000 camellias, Vergelegen is an International Camellia Garden of Excellence; it is the only one in Africa. Alistair, our guide who lives close by, helped propagate some of them. Camellias flower in Cape Town's winter and will be the culmination of this highly enjoyable tour. A full time tourist guide, Alistair is...

R400

National Gallery Mahlangu Curator Tour

Hatfield St Company's Garden, Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa

Last chance for a tour of the landmark exhibition, Then I Knew I Was Good at Painting: Esther Mahlangu. A Retrospective. It closes at the Iziko South African National Gallery on August 11, 2024. (It will then go to Wits Art Museum in Johannesburg, before the United States in early 2026.) Our tour is led by...

R400

Erik Laubscher & Claude Bouscharain – waiting list

35 Rose Street Bo-Kaap, Western Cape, South Africa

This beautifully designed new, small space has the feel of both a contemporary art gallery and house museum. Dedicated to artists Erik Laubscher (1927 - 2013) and his wife Claude Bouscharain (1922 - 2020), it has a mid century modern feel, in keeping with the style of their art. Our host is one of the...

R750

Salt River Street Art with blind guide – postponed to warmer weather

Winston Fani, Cape Town's (and Africa's?) first blind, qualified tourist guide, describes himself as "I'm not disabled. I’m differently abled." Born partially sighted, Winston lost his eye sight completely when he was 11. He grew up in Gqeberha, moved to Cape Town to be with “the love of his life”, Busisiwe who is also blind....

R400

Cape Town’s botanical history

NEW TOUR Lizzie Gaisford's walk ranges from fynbos and fruit to architectural details and commerce. Plants play a significant role in Cape Town and, consequently, South Africa's history. Lizzie knows central Cape Town like the back of her hand. She led many walking tours here. During Covid, Lizzie moved to Zululand. Working on an avocado...

R400

Welgemeend art, campus and lunch

An old Cape Dutch beautifully kept homestead has exceptional South African modern and contemporary art carefully hung around the home just during August. The annual fundraising exhibition this year is (On)bekend / (Un)known. Unusual, or rarely seen artworks, by well known artists, are displayed with works by artists most of us have never heard of, but...

R650

City History, Art, Architecture and Stories

Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation

Cape Town landmarks are mixed with hidden gems in this walking tour, led by myself, Kate Crane Briggs. History comes alive. We visit briefly the flower sellers on Trafalgar Place, old General Post Office, Adderley Street, Greenmarket Square and Long Street. I point out Grand Parade, City Hall, Company’s Garden, Parliament, Groote Kerk and the...

R400

Muratie owner tour, wine and lunch

Authentic, working wine farm with a long and fascinating history come to life with our tour by Dr Rijk Melck, who with his family own Muratie. Each wine is named after a person who has played a role in its long history.  Recently this was the Johanna Davids rosé; she has lived on the farm since...

R550

Salt River’s Street Art & History

With over 100 murals, Salt River is the place to be if you like street art. The variety is huge - gigantic, tiny, political, pretty, old and new. This tour is a hit, whatever your age or art taste. Home to the annual International Public Art Festival for five years 2017-2021 (I am one of...

R400

Company’s Garden Trees

17 Queen Victoria Street Company's Garden, Cape Town, South Africa

Landscape architect, Clare Burgess' highly enjoyable and informative walk of Cape Town's central park, is back by popular demand. The variety of trees is astounding. Wiki says there are 3 000 plants species in the Garden. Two are from the time of the dinosaurs - some cycads existed in the Mesozoic Era (251.9 million to...

R400

Castle of Good Hope History

Jeanne Bonnema's carefully researched and popular tour covers a fascinating and wide range of stories about the Castle - from its creation to secret army activities during WW2, bombing during Apartheid and her own slave ancestry. We visit places spanning the Dutch East India Company's grand official buildings and small British military jail to the...

R400

Granite Quarry & Museum Paarl

J A Clift, established in 1906, supplies the granite for significant buildings and monuments in and around Paarl. Favourites are the African animal heads on the keystones of the Provincial Building on Wale Street, Cape Town. On a much larger scale are the Rhodes Memorial and Huguenot Monument at the top end of Franschhoek. More...

R400