NorthOrSouth

In Cape Town we were planning to take a tour into a township. There is the standard day time tourm evening tour including food and shebeen, and also overnight stays (eg. at Vicky's).

We are pretty adventurous travellers but is an overnight stay a good or bad idea? It hadn't occurred to us to stay over before we read a brief article suggesting it. Article didn't really give much information on it though.

Has anyone actually done it and have any recommendations? If not, have you done the evening one?

Cheetah_SA

Thought I'd bump this. As a local it has never ocurred to me to do one of these, but I'd be very interested to hear a first-hand report. Can't imagine they would put you in any danger. On the other hand a tour bus of foreign travel agents on a promotional was held up some months ago!

MEM FA

Last year my husband and I went to CT and a local friend secured a guide to take us to the townships. We stopped at Vicky's and it is a well known place that gets a fair share of tourist visiting and staying from all over the world ( I beleive she is on the small tour group curcuit as a entrepreneurial success story or something like that). The accomodations were basic and smallish but Vicky seems like she'd be a great host. There is a little pool hall/bar very close to her place so you could grab a beer and talk to some people if you wanted. Safetywise, I don't know what your comfort level is. We felt safe walking around various townships (I'm black, he's white) but it was the two of us and our guide who lived in one of the townships and we walked around during the day. All indications were that it was perfectly safe to stay there but I really don't know. Maybe you could visit a township or two during your trip and make your decision then. You could send Vicky an email and ask her what she thinks I am sure she get similar questions all the time (she may take a while the respond though as she only checked her email weekly when we were there.
Good Luck,
C

Morland

We visited Vicky's on a daytime tour. The rooms were basic but looked comfortable. I think you'd be pretty safe there but be aware that as visitors you will get kids hanging round you all the time looking for cash, sweets etc. I wouldn't take expensive cameras or MP3 players, I'd keep them in your room in Cape Town, but I don't think you'd be at any more significant risk than in the slightly dodgy areas of other major cities.

The township tour we took was just the two of us and the driver took us to visit his grandmother who had lived in the township for many years and was able to talk to us for ages about what it had been like living there before and after apartheid - for a gracious old lady, she had seen some dreadful things. That was absolutely the most valuable part of the tour for us and if we go to Cape Town again I would certainly try to stay a night in the townships to meet more people.