Bo-Kaap News
What you're actually paying for
A Bo-Kaap tour is not a cheap day out, and it isn't meant to be. This page sets out where the money goes, the standards our guides are held to, and the community structures behind every booking.
Where your money goes
The price includes the neighbourhood
5%
of every booking, in cash
A direct contribution to the Bo-Kaap Tourism Association, itemised on your invoice. It funds heritage conservation, guide training and community development in the neighbourhood you're walking through.
And that's only the part with a number on it
The 5% is the cash line on the invoice. The larger contribution doesn't appear on any invoice at all — it's who we hire, who we buy from, and the time we put into the structures that protect this neighbourhood.
Beyond the percentage
What doesn't show up on an invoice
We buy everything locally
Cooks, drivers, hosts, the spice shop, the deli — all from Bo-Kaap. Far more than the cash contribution leaves our account and stays in the neighbourhood on every single tour.
Only resident guides
Every guide lives in Bo-Kaap or is from the community. That is direct, ongoing employment for local people rather than for an outside operator's staff.
We serve on community structures
We sit on local boards and committees, giving time and resources to create the dialogue and collaboration that helps the neighbourhood handle tourism on its own terms.
We help set the standards
We contribute to the Bo-Kaap Code of Conduct and the approved supplier framework — the rules that protect residents from the worst of tourism, whether or not they ever book with us.
Skills and training
Supporting guide training and tourism ambassador development, so the next generation of Bo-Kaap guides can earn properly from their own heritage.
Cheaper Bo-Kaap tours exist. They are almost always run by guides who don't live here, buying nothing locally and contributing nothing back. The difference in price is the difference between visiting a neighbourhood and extracting from one.
The Bo-Kaap Code of Conduct
Respect. Connect. Preserve.
Adopted October 2025, the Code is a living agreement between visitors, tour operators and the Bo-Kaap community. Every one of our guides is briefed on it, and we hold our groups to it.
Respect
Adaab
Honour the customs, beliefs and way of life of the Bo-Kaap community. Modest dress at mosques, photographs only with permission, and mindful noise — this is a residential neighbourhood, not an attraction.
Connect
Verbind
Engage meaningfully with residents, local businesses and the history of the area. Learn a greeting. Be open to sharing rather than simply consuming.
Preserve
Bewaar
Protect the physical and intangible heritage of Bo-Kaap. Leave no trace, treat historical sites with reverence, and buy from the people who actually live here.
The Bo-Kaap Pledge
“As a visitor to Bo-Kaap, I pledge to explore with respect, connect with an open heart, and contribute to the preservation of this unique cultural and religious heritage. I will honour the community's way of life, support local businesses, and leave only footprints of goodwill.”
We ask every guest to take it, informally, at the start of the walk. It takes ten seconds and it changes how the next two hours go.
Bo-Kaap Tourism Association
Accountable to the community
The Bo-Kaap Tourism Association is the community body that sets standards for tourism in the neighbourhood — the Code of Conduct, the approved supplier list, and guide training. Our guides are registered site guides with the Association, and 5% of every booking we take goes to it directly, on top of everything we spend and do locally.
Registered site guides
Every guide is registered with the Bo-Kaap Tourism Association and briefed on the Code of Conduct.
Approved local suppliers
Cooks, hosts and drivers come from the Association's approved list — all from the area.
23+ years hosting
Two decades of hosting in Cape Town, and a seat at the table on local tourism structures.
Questions about a quote?
Happy to walk you through exactly what a booking covers. Message us and ask.
Talk to Bo-Kaap Tours