AISA Tours – Cape Town

After booking any tour, email Jozana@Ariseradiochicago.com with your time and date preferences

Robben Island Tour – 4 hrs

Tours of Robben Island are scheduled to start at 9am, 11am, 1pm, and 3pm.

The ferries depart from the Nelson Mandela Gateway at the V & A Waterfront. The tour takes 3.5 hours including the ferry trip to and from the Island (Depending on the boat used as they have different travel times).

You will disembark at Murray’s Bay Harbour situated on the east coast of the Island and take a short walk to buses that will transport you to all the historical sites around the Island. On the way to the buses, you will pass buildings and a high wall built by prisoners during the 1960s. The buildings were used for family and lawyer visits to prisoners.

You will meet your Tour Guide when you have boarded the busses. The prison tour will be conducted by a Robben Island Tour Guide. This is part of our integrated tour model. They are fully conversant and knowledgeable about the Island’s multi-layered 500-year-old history. The tour route includes the graveyard of people who died from leprosy, the Lime Quarry, Robert Sobukwe’s house, the Bluestone quarry, the army and navy bunkers and the Maximum Security Prison where thousands of South Africa’s freedom fighters were incarcerated for years. The tour culminates with a viewing of Nelson Mandela’s cell.

Book Now – $48 per person(adult), $30 pp(child)

Inverdoorn Full Day Safari – 8 hrs

The Big 5 game reserve is located in a malaria-free area, a comfortable 2-hour drive from Cape Town. It’s home to an array of animals, including a thriving coalition of cheetah.

After a refreshing welcome drink, climb on an open safari vehicle and enjoy a leisurely 2-hour game drive in the 10 000-hectare reserve, followed by a buffet-style lunch at the restaurant at Inverdoorn and a few hours of leisure at the lodge. Inverdoorn Private Game Reserve is bounded by the Swartberg, Langeberg and Outeniqua mountain chains and is known for its unique fauna and flora and semi-arid landscapes.

Full Day Tour

Pick-up between 8am and 8:30

The scenic drive from Cape Town to Inverdoorn Game Reserve takes you through the tropical fruit-growing area of Ceres. The valley was named after the Roman goddess of agriculture and fertility and is renowned for its spectacular beauty and vast fruit plantations.

2-hour game drive

After welcome drinks at Inverdoorn, climb onto an open safari vehicle and set off with a professional ranger for a 2-hour safari tour. The 10 000-hectare reserve is home to the Big 5, a unique array of animals that have adjusted well to the semi-arid conditions of the Little Karoo.

Inverdoorn has re-introduced wildlife species to the region after a long absence. This includes many rescued elephants and lions as well as cheetah that are cared for through their cheetah rescue and rehabilitation programme.

Buffet-style lunch and relaxation

Return to the lodge of a buffet-style lunch and a few hours of relaxation around the swimming pool or strolling through the lush garden. We leave Inverdoorn Game Reserve at 15h00 and take the scenic drive back to Cape Town.

8am to 3pm

Book Now – $225 per person

Half Day Cape Winelands Tour – 8 hrs

The heritage town is known for its striking beauty, majestic mountains, iconic buildings and vast rolling vineyards. Our half-day tour introduces you to the Cape Winelands which offers visitors the choice of 18 official wine routes and two brandy tours.

Discover the splendid wonders of this iconic wine region, learn more about the history of the town and enjoy a cellar tour and wine tastings at two premier wine estates in the Stellenbosch valley.

  • Stellenbosch City Orientation
  • Wine tasting on a Stellenbosch Estate
  • Cellar tour and cheese tasting
  • Opportunity to purchase wine

The half-day tour takes you on an incredibly scenic route to the historic town of Stellenbosch in the heart of the Cape Winelands. Stellenbosch falls along what is known as the ‘longest wine route in the world’ which extends from the iconic Groot Contantia Wine Estate in Cape Town to the arid plains of the Little Karoo.

Our guide takes you on a short tour of Stellenbosch to show you historic landmarks and the beautiful heritage buildings before arriving at the first of two premier wine estates. After a tour of the cellars, join a representative of the estate to sample their finest wines which are paired with delicious local cheese.

We head off to the second wine estate for the same delicious wine tasting experience. You can buy your favourite vintage at the farm’s shop before leaving.

We return to Cape Town mid-day (13h00 for morning tour) or early evening (18h00 for afternoon tour) having had a real taste of the splendors of the Cape Winelands

Book Now – $75 per person

Half Day Cape Peninsula Tour – 5 hrs

Tours start at 9am.

The peninsula falls within the Table Mountain National Park which is world-renowned for its incredible biodiversity.

The Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve spreads out over the rocky headland. It’s a protected nature reserve and home to an array of antelope, the rare Cape mountain zebra and other unique animal species. It’s also a haven for marine birds, with 250 recorded bird species found in the reserve.

Cape Point is the very pointy end of the Cape Peninsula. It’s an instantly-recognised landmark and is often mistaken to be the southernmost tip of Africa. There are two national heritage monuments on Cape Point that were built to honour the world’s most famous explorers: Vasco da Gama and Bartolomeu Dias (who was the first European explorer to round Cape Point in 1488).

  • Clifton & Camps Bay
  • Twelve Apostles
  • Hout Bay
  • Chapman’s Peak Drive
  • Noordhoek
  • Ostrich viewing (drive-by)
  • Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve
  • Cape Point
  • False Bay
  • Penguin Colony (optional)
  • Simons Town
  • Muizenberg
  • Orange Wi-Fi on board

The day starts with a tour of Cape Town City Bowl and continues past the V&A Waterfront to the main suburbs of the Atlantic Seaboard. This includes Green Point, Sea Point, Clifton and Camps Bay. We travel past the Blue Flag beaches along a gorgeous scenic route with the glistening Atlantic Ocean on your right and the towering Twelve Apostle mountains on your left.

Hout Bay, Noordhoek and Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve

We make our way to the fishing village of Hout Bay, over the spectacular Chapman’s Peak Drive and into the quaint coastal town of Noordhoek. The scenic peninsula drive takes us to the magnificent Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve and Cape Point.

In Hout Bay, you have the option of taking a boat cruise to Seal Island (not included in the rate) or strolling around the popular mariner wharf and harbour where you’ll make friends with the friendly seals that pop up for a pat.

At the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve, we visit the famous Cape Point Lighthouse. You have the option of a short but slightly steep walk on a well-worn path to the lighthouse or you can take the funicular railway to the top. The view is spectacular and you may see whales and dolphins in the bay.

Simons Town and Boulders Beach penguin colony

We end the morning in Simons Town which is a legendary naval town overlooking False Bay. You have the option of visiting the famous penguin colony at Boulders Beach (entrance fee excluded in the rate) or spending time strolling down the historic main street of Simons Town and popping into its quaint shops and museums.

We have a bite to eat and drinks (for your own account) at the Simons Town Mariner Wharf.

Kalk Bay, St James and Muizenberg

After lunch, we head back towards Cape Town and Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens travelling along the False Bay coastal route. We pass through the seaside towns of Fish Hoek, Kalk Bay, St James and Muizenberg.

The streets are lined with quirky bookstores, vintage clothing shops, surf shops and a collection of popular seaside restaurants and delis. We stop along the way to wander the streets, do a bit of shopping, watch the surfers in Muizenberg, whale watching if its whale season and to take photographs of the famous colourful Victoria-era beach huts.

Book Now – $87 per person

Half-Day Township Tour – 4 hrs

Tours start at 10am

Highlights

  • Your tour guide takes you to the 5 largest townships in Cape Town which are located about 15 kilometers from the city center. At each, you’re introduced to people in the local community, hear stories of their past and experience what life is like for them today. Guests are encouraged to interact rather than spectate to truly appreciate the rich social culture of the different communities.

Overview

That is the simple wish of a typical township tour where visitors are encouraged to immerse themselves into the township experience.

There are two reasons why township tours have become so popular. The first is for the economic benefit of the residents, as tourism brings money into the impoverished communities. Secondly, and more importantly, is for the unique opportunity of an authentic township experience. You get to ‘walk in the shoes’ of the people who live there, if only for just a few hours.

District Six

The historic township of District Six was once an impoverished but lively community of some 60 000 predominantly-Coloured people. It was originally established to house freed slaves, merchants and laborers who worked to build the city center.

In the late 1960s, the community’s lives were torn apart when they were forcibly removed to live in the desolate Cape Flats during the apartheid era. The rich cultural life with its narrow alleys and crowded apartments are now nothing more than a memory and the land stands vacant and neglected.

Langa

Langa was formally established in 1927 in terms of the Urban Area Act and is one of the oldest townships in South Africa. The original settlement developed in 1919 after the first wave of the Spanish Flu in the Cape highlighted the appalling conditions in which Black people were living rough near the highway.

Langa was the epicenter of resistance during the turbulent apartheid years and many key political events in the Cape played out from the impoverished township. Today, Langa has a thriving business center, warm and welcoming community and a rich cultural heritage. The name Langa means ‘sun’.

Joe Slovo informal settlement

Joe Slovo is an informal settlement within Langa township. It was named after former anti-Apartheid activist, Joe Slovo. It’s home to over 20 000 residents and is one of the largest informal settlements in South Africa.

Bonteheuwel

Bonteheuwel was the first Coloured, state-rental township established in Cape Town. It was set up to house people being forcibly removed from District 6 and Claremont under the Group Areas Act. The community were housed in simple ‘matchbox’ houses with a tin roof.

The township is located in the Cape Flats which is a barren, sand-blown area located just inland of the coastline. Bonteheuwel has been upgraded since the fall of the apartheid regime but it remains a very poor community that’s bursting at the seams. Many of its residents still live in shacks made of corrugated iron and wood.

Gugulethu

Gugulethu is a vast township that’s home to a predominantly Black community. It was established in the 1960s to ease the overcrowding in Langa and Blacks who were forcibly removed from Windermere. The latter was re-classified a Coloured area. At the time, Black residents were not allowed to live in the city of Cape Town under apartheid ruling.

Gugulethu is a contraction of ‘igugu lethu’ which is the Xhosa word for ‘our pride’. It’s nicknamed ‘Gugs’ by the locals. Today, Gugulethu is still a deeply impoverished township but it’s community is lively, warm and welcoming.

Book Now – $50 per person

Half-Day Cape Town City Tour – 4 hrs

Tours start at 9am & 2pm

Highlights

  • V&A Waterfront in the Port of Cape Town
  • Atlantic Seaboard: Clifton and Camps Bay
  • Company Gardens and Iziko South African Museum
  • Castle of Good Hope
  • Clock Tower and Cape Diamond Museum (museum tour optional)
  • Overview
  • This tour takes you from the V&A Waterfront in the historic Cape Town Harbour to the Blue Flag beaches of the Atlantic Seashore, the brightly-painted homes of Bo-Kaap and the historic landmarks in the Cape Town City Bowl. Enjoy a few hours in the company of a knowledgeable tour guide who makes the rich history of the city come alive.
  • What to Expect
  • City Town City Bowl and V&A Waterfront
  • The morning starts with a quick stop at the V&A Waterfront, located in the heart of the historic Cape Town Harbour. The world-class retail and entertainment complex is one of the most popular tourist destinations in South Africa and offers visitors a glimpse into the daily goings-on of one of the oldest working harbours in the world.
  • Atlantic Seaboard
  • We continue on to the Blue Flag beaches of Clifton and Camps Bay, travelling through the modern coastal suburbs of the Atlantic Seaboard which runs parallel to the glistening Atlantic Ocean. You’ll find some of the most affluent homes along this stretch of coastline and magical beaches dotted with striking granite outcrops.
  • Bo-Kaap
  • Next is a visit to the historic village of Bo-Kaap, formerly known as the Malay Quarters and home to many descendants of the slaves who once lived there. The Dutch East India Company established Bo-Kaap (meaning Above Cape) to house slaves from Malaysia and Indonesia who were bought to the Cape in the 1760s to build the city.
  • The brightly-painted homes and quaint cobbled streets tell a story of the village’s rich history. You can learn more about the cultural heritage of the predominantly Muslim community at the Bo-Kaap Museum which is housed in the Cape’s oldest building still in its original form.
  • Castle of Good Hope
  • We move onto the Castle of Good Hope, travelling past the Company’s Garden and the Iziko South African National Museum. The Castle is a bastion fort built in 1666; it’s the oldest-surviving colonial building in southern Africa and a prime example of a ‘star fort’ which was first seen in the mid-15th century in Italy.
  • Today, the Castle houses the regional headquarters of the South African Army in the Western Cape, the famous William Fehr Collection of historic artworks, the Castle Military Museum and ceremonial facilities for traditional Cape Regiments.
  • Cape Diamond Museum
  • Your morning ends with a quick visit to the Cape Diamond Museum, located in the historic Clock Tower at the V&A Waterfront. The museum provides fascinating insight into the history of the South African diamond rush and features exhibits exploring the science behind diamonds.

Book Now – $47 per person