Last Updated on March 20, 2026 by Hannah Stephenson
Looking for the best tour of Bo Kaap? I’ve got you covered.
Bo Kaap is one of Cape Town’s most famous neighbourhoods thanks to its colourful houses and fascinating history. However, without a guide you end up missing most of what makes this area so special, which is why I decided to do a local-led walking tour with my family when they came to visit.
I had done a free walking tour before, but going with a guide who grew up here was so much more meaningful. Now, I always recommend this local-led tour to everyone, and in this blog I’m going to share all of the need-to-know details about it.
Tour type: Walking tour
Duration: 1 hour
Group size: Small
Start point: Iziko Bo Kaap Museum
Price: 480 ZAR (roughly £22 or $30 USD)
Where to book: here!
Why Visit Bo Kaap with a Local Guide?
No-one knows Bo Kaap like the people who live here. Our guide, Sedick, was born and raised in the area, so he was able to give us way more insight into what life in Bo Kaap is like. He has seen the neighbourhood change and evolve over the years, and shared lots of real stories and personal insights with us.
I have done a free walking tour in Bo Kaap before, and it really wasn’t the same. It felt very surface-level in comparison to going with Sedick. I mean, he knows basically everyone who lives in all of those iconic colourful houses!
I also believe it’s important to support the local guides in Bo Kaap. The area is very popular with tourists, which has led to gentrification, and locals have to put up with constant crowds and people posing for photos right outside their homes. So to me, it only feels right that the people from the community should be the ones who get to share Bo Kaap’s story and profit accordingly.
Doing a tour with a local guide also made me feel really safe. As I mentioned before, Sedick knew literally everyone. As we walked through the neighborhood with him, so many people stopped to chat and say hello. It felt so much more personal!
I also think it’s safer to go with a local guide. Like anywhere that attracts a lot of tourists, Bo Kaap is a bit of a pickpocketing hotspot, and locals have way more awareness.
Last but not least, this tour ends with a koeksister, which is a classic Cape Malay treat. Koeksisters are basically braided doughnuts drenched in a perfectly spiced syrup, and I promise you, they are absolutely mouthwatering!
You can book this local-led tour of Bo Kaap here, with free cancellation!
About the Tour
The tour is an hour-long walk around Bo Kaap with a local guide who grew up here! We met our guide, Sedick, outside the Iziko Bo Kaap Museum and he told us a little about his life before we set off exploring.
As we walked, Sedick explained the history of Bo Kaap and taught us about its history. The area actually used to be WAY bigger than it is today, but shrank over time due to gentrification and forced removals during the Apartheid era. What you see today is only a small part of what Bo-Kaap once was!
But we didn’t just learn about the overall history of Bo Kaap. As we walked around, Sedick showed us the colourful homes of his family and friends, and shared stories about the lives of local residents, from South African rugby stars to centenarians and freedom fighters. In fact, Sedick himself was a freedom fighter during Apartheid – how cool is that?
It was so interesting to learn about just how tight-knit the Bo Kaap community was while Sedick was growing up. He told us how he would go to his Christian neighbours for food and presents at Christmas, and they’d come to him for Eid! (Unfortunately, a lot of Cape Malay Christians were eventually forcibly removed from the area).
As we continued exploring, it became apparent that Sedick knew absolutely everyone! Lots of locals stopped to say hey, and it was nice to see that there’s still a really strong sense of community here.
Perhaps best of all, Sedick shared with us the REAL story behind why Bo Kaap’s houses are so brightly painted. There are so many different myths about it, but since Sedick lived through the development of the neighbourhood and painted his own house as soon as he had the chance, he knows the real reason. I’ll let him tell you himself, though!
What You’ll See on the Tour
The heart and soul of Bo Kaap!
Seriously, though, you will see a lot of the neighbourhood beyond Rose Street, Wale Street, and Chippanini Street, which are the main three roads that tourists tend to traipse along. Sedick took us away from the main drag along quieter streets where there were no big tour groups – and I certainly didn’t see any of those on the free tour that I did!
We also saw lots of mosques, including the oldest one in Cape Town! There are some really interesting stories behind these mosques, and Sedick also took us to the one he attends. We learned about the mosque community and got a great vantage point over Bo Kaap while we were at it.
On top of this, we bypassed local businesses like specialty garages and art galleries, and finished off with a visit to a deli for our delicious koeksister.
Where to Book a Local-Led Bo Kaap Tour
I found and booked this tour through Viator. This means I got free cancellation and the option to buy now, pay later, which is helpful for budgeting. I actually had to reschedule our tour because I had double booked it with another activity, and it was free and easy to change the date.
Why This Tour Stands Out
This tour is special because it’s led by Bo Kaap locals who were born and raised here. As I mentioned earlier, I’ve done free tours before and they just don’t offer the same level of insight.
It’s so special to hear stories about the neighbourhood from someone who has lived through its evolution, especially because the history of Bo Kaap is a huge part of Cape Town’s heritage. It’s deeply entwined with colonialism and the fight against Apartheid, so it’s a very meaningful place to explore.
Plus, the koeksister at the end is the cherry on top of the cake!
Things to Know Before You Go
How long is the tour?
Bo Kaap: Walk with a Local is an hour long. That’s plenty of time to see everything, but it’s still easy to fit into your itinerary!
What time does the tour start?
There are usually a couple of start times available throughout the day, but availability changes throughout the year. Usually, you can choose between 9 am, 11 am, and 2 pm during the summer, but you can double check that here. In the off-season, they sometimes only offer one time slot per day. We went at 2 pm, as we did the wine tram the day before!
How much walking is involved?
There’s not too much walking involved with this tour – I wouldn’t call it strenuous. I think we covered one or two kilometres over the course of an hour.
Do you really need a guide for Bo Kaap?
You don’t need one, per se, but I still strongly recommend it. Without a guide, you’re kind of just walking around! Exploring with a local means you will learn so much more and get a deep understanding of why this area is so special.
Is the tour suitable for everyone?
Mostly. It’s a quick and easy walking tour with no long distances. Bo Kaap is built on slopes of Signal Hill, though, so there are some fairly steep uphill roads. The tour is also not wheelchair accessible as some of the streets are cobblestone.
What should you bring for this tour?
Make sure to wear comfy shoes to walk around in – I just wore my trusty New Balance trainers. We did this tour during the summer so I also made sure to apply sunscreen beforehand and bring my sunglasses! I’d also suggest bringing a bottle of water with you, as Cape Town summers are famously warm.
Final Thoughts – Is This Tour Worth It?
Yes! This is one of my favourite tours in Cape Town and I can’t recommend it enough. I have done multiple tours of Bo Kaap but this one is definitely the best. Nothing beats exploring with a local, and Sedick was such an amazing guide.
Read 150+ reviews and book this awesome Bo Kaap tour here!
Thanks so much for reading this blog post! I really hope you enjoy this local-led tour of Cape Town, and for more in-depth tour reviews, be sure to check out some of my other posts: