Knysna Township Tour
Knysna, South Africa
Trip Type: Cultural Tours
Duration: 2 hours
Get a snapshot of local life and learn about Xhosa culture on this 2-hour township tour from Knysna. With an expert guide, visit two townships on the outskirts of the city, and meet with members of these vibrant communities as they go about their daily lives. Gain insight into South Africa’s political, social and cultural history as you tour crèches (day care centers) and family homes, pop in at a local market, and meet with a traditional healer and other residents. Numbers limited to 12, ensuring a small-group experience.
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Get a snapshot of local life and learn about Xhosa culture on this 2-hour township tour from Knysna. With an expert guide, visit two townships on the outskirts of the city, and meet with members of these vibrant communities as they go about their daily lives. Gain insight into South Africa’s political, social and cultural history as you tour crèches (day care centers) and family homes, pop in at a local market, and meet with a traditional healer and other residents. Numbers limited to 12, ensuring a small-group experience.
Start your day with a pickup from your centrally located Knysna hotel, and then travel by air-conditioned minivan to Hornlee, one of the sprawling Knysna townships. During the apartheid era, living areas known as townships were set up on the outskirts of cities to house the country’s ‘non-whites.’ Today, these vibrant communities symbolize South Africa's rich heritage and present diverse cultures.
Follow your guide down the little dust pathways and make your first stop of the tour at a multicultural crèche. Get your first glimpse of daily life in a South African township and, together with your guide, speak with the caregivers and play with some of the children to help develop your understanding of the community’s cultures, customs and traditions.
Next, travel to Concordia or Bongani and visit a Xhosa crèche. The Xhosa are one of the largest cultural groups in South Africa, coming second only to the Zulu-speaking nation. Listen as your guide shares interesting facts and details about Xhosa culture, politics and history.
Continue on to see some of the housing projects, from informal housing to RDP (reconstruction and development program) accommodation, then head to a local market. With your guide on hand to translate if necessary, chat freely with the locals and sellers. If you wish, sample some traditional Xhosa food such as umngqusho, a popular dish of dried maize and beans (own expense).
After, meet with a sangoma (healer) and learn about traditional practices, then drop in at a shebeen to get to grips with the Xhosa language and taste some traditional beer, if available.
When the time comes, bid a fond farewell to those you have met and then journey back to Knysna, where your tour concludes with a drop-off at your hotel.
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