Cape Township Cycle

About Cape Township Cycle

You are picked up from your hotel with our state-of-the-art shuttle bus and we make our way around the charming Cape peninsula. We meander along the Atlantic Seaboard, past beautiful beaches, deserted coves, with whales and dolphins in season (July - November)! We shuttle over Chapman's Peak Drive, a simply spectacular mountain pass hewn out of the sheer rock face, with quite superlative vistas over the deep blue sea and Hout Bay Harbour in Cape Town.

We make our way down towards the sweeping expanse of Noordhoek beach, a delightful seaside village, and then towards Masiphumelele, a shantytown of 50,000 inhabitants, most of whom are unemployed and live in poor conditions. Masiphumelele means "we will succeed" in Xhosa, and despite their adverse conditions the people here are particularly friendly and welcoming, proud to show us their way of life and customs.

We begin at the Bicycle Empowerment Centre, a workshop set up to supply and repair bicycles for the community. Second-hand bikes from Europe and the USA are sent in containers to South Africa and these locally owned centres encourage business and entreprenuership. We take a cycle through the township with a local guide, getting to experience South Africa in an authentic and responsible manner.

We visit a community-run preschool and play with the cute children and stop off at the local clinic and library. A highlight is entering the house of a Sangoma (African healer), where we observe traditional dancing and singing. Guests also have the opportunity to sample authentic African cuisine at a local restaurant and bar. And by undertaking this tour, guests are putting money back into a community that needs it most, a socially responsible and environmentally friendly form of travel.

NB: This township tour can be done in the morning or afternoon, or extended to a full day. It is extremely safe and by partnering with locals, we are contributing to this community.