Half Day Cape Town Anti-apartheid Struggle Tour

Gladstone told us heaps about the history and culture of the places we visited, including his own story. It is absolutely worth doing this tour to learn more about South Africa and its people and how it continues to evolve. We really appreciated the time we spent with Gladstone and the opportunity to walk around the township and see the community spirit with our own eyes. We highly recommend this tour.

Our tour guide was excellent. We where only 2 people for this tour and learned a lot. The houses in Bo-Kaap are really beautiful, but more important were the historic info. In this regard the detailed tour of Langa was excellent.

Amazing bit of history It was wonderful seeing the creativity and beauty in south african We loved every inch and corner Being zimbabwean it was so nice to see the real beauty we have close to home

Guide was very knowledgeable and informative. Saw a large variety and learned history of the township

It was okay. The tour operator was personable, sharing his home and story. The highlight was all the cute little kids. You get to experience something you normally wouldn't.

Gladstone our guide was superb. Very informative and knowledgeable. He was friendly and thorough. We went over our allotted time by almost 2 hours because it became a friendly interactive experience. We met some locals and got to buy beautiful artwork. It was just my husband and I on the tour so we really got an amazing experience.

Our guide was so helpful and knowledgeable with local information! Gained a real feel to local life in Bo Kaap and Langa!

We were happy we took this tour to learn about what happened during and post-apartheid to so many in Cape Town. The news we heard abroad years ago only introduced us to what the people have endured over the years. Ian did an excellent job guiding us on this emotional journey for us learning the difficulties suffered over the years and the possibility of change in the future.

Our tour guide was very knowledgeable so we learned a ton. However, I wish we would have spent a little bit more time walking around one we were in Langa. We basically stayed in the museum the whole time and then walked to grab water so we more so saw the townships from the vehicle.

We were very pleased with both of these tours. We were the only ones in a private vehicle booked to learn about both of these Districts. Our driver was very informative as he lived himself in Langa Township. Learning about these two districts in South Africa near the City of Cape Town introduced us to how the less fortunate people of the area live, and, the ongoing efforts made by the existing Government to change these areas for the better for the inhabitants presently living there, by building newer, more habitable houses for them.

Bhegisisa (Gladstone) our tour guide deserve accolades for providing us with insightful introduction to the history too often unknown to the world outside of South Africa’s struggle for an equality.

<p>This was an excellent tour and my daughter and I were the only two on it. We spent more time in Langa than Khayelitsha because we found the museum in the Langa community centre to be so interesting and sobering. Our guide had spent considerable time staying with a friend who lived in Khayelitsha when they were teenagers, and he later had cause to go there regularly because one of his jobs before becoming a tour guide was collecting bodies of the deceased, often at night, with poor lighting and no proper addresses. We could only imagine the incredibly difficult conditions he worked under. The only regret we have is not having booked with Roots Africa Tours directly, because Viator contracted it out to Springbok Tours who contracted it out to Roots Africa, so at the end of the day our guide would have received very little compensation for his efforts.</p>

<p>I booked this tour for my spouse and I before leaving for our African trip in early September 2017. I would highly recommend this tour which included a visit to Bo-Kaap as well as the townshipos of Langa and Khayelitsha. Our guide was Ed and he was extremely professional, very knowledgeable and approachable with questions about the townships and Capetown in general. Thanks Ed for your patience and making the tour enjoyable for us.</p>

<p>Great experience to see the Townships and good explanation about District Six. Would have liked to have left the vehicle more often to walk around.</p>

<p>Great tour!<br/> Our guide was really informative and friendly. <br/> Helped us also book a wine tour that fit within our schedule. <br/> He grew up during the apartheid era and gave us first hand accounts of life during that time.<br/> Overall amazing tour!</p>

<p>Our party of 6 ranged from 24 - 71 yrs. All of us very much enjoyed the tour and found it both informative and a wonderful experience. Owen our tour guide was a lovely man, very knowledgeable and was happy to answer any questions that we had. <br/> The highlight of our tour was our trip to Khayelitsha where we were lucky to have the opportunity to meet a group of young people that were having choir practice. They happily sang to us which was a joyous and moving experience.<br/> This tour was great value for money and I would highly recommend 10/10</p>

<p>Informative, insightful and thoroughly enjoyable tour that contextualizes the history and politics of the apartheid era and the current social and economic challenges the township residents face. Never condescending or hokey managed to strike a perfect balance and bring a human face to South African politics. Truly excellent.</p>

<p>The tour was ok, but felt very rushed. Also 1 of the places we got to that we were suppose to tour was closed. I think this tour has the potential to be a good tour but maybe they need to organize it better.</p>

<p>The trip was an excellent idea. Meeting inhabitants of the two townships, especially Khayelitsha opens up your eyes to the conditions in which the majority of the county lives. A solo visit to those areas would be difficult if not impossible. Our guide Dustin spoke excellent Englidh and was fun to interact with. The background related to the colorful Malay part of town at the beginning of the tour was also interesting although our hotel Hilton was actually on the same street so we could easily spend more time there later</p>

<p>Excellent tour! Our guide was knowledgable and offered many personal insights. He even arranged for our group to have a walking tour of one of the townships with a local resident. Ended the tour with a deeper appreciation for South Africa's history and a sense of optimism for its future. Highly recommend this tour for all visitors to Cape Town.</p>

<p>This tour was enjoyable and informative and an eye opener. On the day it was just my husband and I and our tour guide Norman, we was well spoken, very knowledgeable and went over and above to explain many things to us. We were fortunate to have a special tour through the shanty towns and have a close up and personal. Definitely another tour to recommend.</p>

<p>Not what we signed up for. Tour guide was unreliable and made us feel uncomfortable. We were extremely pressured to buy things and had to wait on the tour guide several times while he personally socialized and made phone calls. Would not recommend this tour.</p>

<p>Enjoyed the cultural tour, particularly the trip to a shanty town, where we learnt of the great progress being made to replace the shanty towns with brick building accommodation.</p>

<p>Our guide was v nice. However, I expected the emphasis to be on the Bo Kaap area, as this is the emphasis in the description and on lonely planet, where I saw it. Our guide just dropped us off in the Bo kaap area for a five minute walk around.</p>

<p>Where was the advertisement picture taken? We saw nothing like this. Our tour guide was pleasant but VERY quiet. I had to ask him if he was feeling ok. We had to ask many questions to get answers about demographics, social issues, religion, education, etch, of Langa. We spent 55 minutes at a church service. We went into one hostel in Langa and just inside the front door of one of the houses. We followed our guide without comment through Langa to the "Beverly Hills section". We drove to a highway lookout to view Khayelitsa. Then the tour guide said "so that concludes my tour". We left our tour guide a good tip anyway. We would not recommend this tour.</p>

<p>Very educational. I would recommend this tour, because you see a side of Cape Town you might not see on your own.</p>

<p>A fascinating tour. Packed more into a half day than we ever expected, though we never felt rushed. The tour was enhanced by our driver/guide who clearly cares passionately about his country, he was a mine of relevant and interesting information from beginning to end.</p>

<p>Our tour guide had been Gladstone; he was born and grew up in Langa. We enjoyed the tour with him and learnt a lot. It had been a wonderful experience and a tour with Gladstone can only be highly recommended. If you want to learn something about South Africa, you should do a tour like this.</p>

<p>Wonderful and very enlightening! Thank you.<br/> Norman was an excellent guide - very informative, sensitive and honest about the history and developments of the townships, and he clearly had a good knowledge which he shared with us very well.<br/> The tour was more thorough, revealing and much more intimate than we had expected. We valued the slow and careful drives around the four districts, and the close interaction and personal meetings we had with residents and the official tourist locations. It was a truly memorable experience for us as a family and revealed a fascinating glimpse of the history of Cape Town, its people and South Africa as a whole. The tour took place on our very first day in South Africa: at the beginning of what was to become an exceptional and memorable holiday. Thank you.</p>

<p>Our guide Norman was wonderful. The township tour exceeded our expectations, we had a chance to meet the residents and learn about their lives, hear the children's choir sing and visit one of the shanties, The resident's resilience and spirit was remarkable and awe inspiring considering the harsh conditions in which they live and the cruel treatment they suffered under apartheid. Everyone should know their stories and I know I am glad I did.</p>

<p>Very knowledgeable guide. This was a great experience!</p>

<p>This tour should be a must für all interested visitors. I've learned a lot about the history of apartheid and the townships. Dustin was a wonderful guide and his explanations<br/> helped me to understand this wonderful country a little bit better.</p>

<p>Outstanding tour! It's great to see the positive things happening in the South African townships. Some of the friendliest people I've met. The tour guide was great in sharing his personal experiences with apartheid, too. Overall A+ tour.</p>

A little more depth could be added. ie local store, bar, and local home.

Very interesting and enlightening. Guide was pleasant, friendly and very well informed.

Must see tour! The first that should be taken upon arrival. It will leave a powerful impact to see poverty first hand while driving through the townships. Please dont just stay on main roads if it is possible to deviate, and use the opportunity to purchase hand made items at the skill centers, They're beautiful! Ask lots of questions, take lots of photos, and Dont be afraid, although you may be stared at like some rare specimen regardless of color - race. Again take advantage of buying some things there. They'll be less expensive than the formal markets, and sometimes even the vendors at the tourist sites.

This trip gave such an informative and interesting insight into South African life and how it has changed. Informative guide, and the trip to the church was wonderful.