Community Tours
The Backpack community tour
From R610 full day
Many hostels in Cape Town offer township tours, many of these tours are coordinated by businesses that benefit hugely, but unfortunately little money is fed back into the local community.
True to our Fair Trade accreditation, The Backpack & Africa Travel Centre teamed up with a Bo-Kaap resident from the Cape Malay community and have enjoyed supporting the growth of his tour company, Impeckable Tours. Nizaam is a friendly and warm tour guide, who will take you around the Bo-Kaap, one of the most colourful areas in Cape Town; rich with culture and history of the Cape Malay people who were moved to South Africa many years ago as part of the slave trade.
The Backpack community tour is a first hand experience of the effects of South Africa’s policy of ‘resettlement’ and forced removals during the time of Apartheid. You will visit the Bo-Kaap Museum, enjoy lunch at the Eastern Food Bazaar, followed by a visit to the District Six Museum in the centre of Cape Town.
The afternoon is spent in Heideveld in the Cape Flats. Here The Backpack & Africa Travel Centre supports a local NGO soccer and rope skipping academy that provides approximately 100 children with fun and healthy afternoon activities, life skills tutoring, help with homework and gardening skills. The GCU Academy operates from Woodlands Primary School in Heideveld.
You will have the opportunity to learn about the history of this area, an area comprised of warm and friendly people still struggling with the long term affects of South Africa’s unfortunate history. Meet Mario Van Niekerk, a resident from Heideveld, who runs the project and has dedicated his life to the growth of his community.
Most of the funds from this tour go towards Impeckable Tours and the GCU Academy.
Great White shark diving!
R1500.00
Get up close and personal with a Great White shark! Reaching lengths of more than 6m and weighing up to 2,250 kg, the great white is arguably the world’s largest known predatory fish. This exhilarating day out on the ocean allows you to get as close as you ever will to these great animals (in the safety of a cage). Learn from the experienced and specialised crew on board and come away with an in-depth knowledge of the Great White shark biology and conservation projects in the area of Cape Town.
The Backpack & Africa Travel Centre hostel supports this Fair Trade in Tourism accredited company for the community development and environmental programs they conduct.
San Spirit discovery
This fascinating insight into the culture, heritage, knowledge and modern-day life of the San of Southern Africa entails accompanying a group of qualified San guides,
who will lead you through a truly exceptional experience.
During a three-hour tour the San will demonstrate their skills, share their ancient knowledge about oral history, tracking animals and identifying plants with you. They will also teach you words in some of their languages and enlighten you about recent achievements in obtaining their rights to land and intellectual property. The San-guided experience provides a unique opportunity for you to listen to accurate accounts of the past and present lives of the San.
The Backpack & Africa Travel Centre hostel promotes this Fair Trade in Tourism accredited company for the community development and environmental programs they conduct.
The Backpack and Africa Travel Centre continues to do our best to help our local community; from knitting blankets for orphanages during the winter, to trying to amass used soccer boots for kids with nothing but a passion for the game. We are not just a hostel in Cape Town; we believe that by understanding, addressing and helping the social needs of the economically and socially disadvantaged communities in Cape Town, we are able to work towards a just society in which all people get to share in the wealth of the country.
