Driven by the passion of showing newcomers what the “real” Cape Town is all about, three friends brought Local Knowledge Tours to life. Cape Town friends, Ryan Pike, Nicholas Schooling and Keegan Foreman want to share the Mother City’s best kept secrets with those who are unfamiliar with her.
In 2017, Schooling and Pike hiked up Skeleton Gorge and posted a picture on Instagram, the response they received excited them. This marked the beginning of Local Knowledge Tours, which functions opposite to a traditional tour guide operator. Their tours are youth-based and focused on showcasing special places in the city that commercial tours don’t include.
“We did some research and realised that no one was doing youth-based tourism experiences in Cape Town,” says co-founder Pike.
They offer full day tours, half day tours and customised tours.
“People come here with a preconceived idea that Cape Town is dangerous, and they are blown away when they leave. We have literally had people crying over the fact that they have to leave. We are so lucky to call this city home,” Pike said.
What also makes them different from the rest is their interactive community tours.
“The community tours are an emotional experience for guests. We visit both Langa and Khayelitsha in one day. The goal is educational, interactive and to create opportunities for the communities we visit. A portion of the profit of this tour goes to our stakeholders. We find out what they need and we help them to reach their goals.
“For instance, our first stop is at Likhewezie Day Care which is run by a woman called Nomonde. She looks after 76 children as their moms are teenagers who need to still go to school. She is currently saving towards bricks to build another room to be recognised by the Department of Education as an educational facility to secure government funding. We are helping her reach that goal,” he said.
There are six full day options – a community tour, the peninsular tour, the Constantia wine tour, the Craft Crawl tour, the Crystal Pools tour or the Big 5 Safari tour. They are usually aimed at visitors under the age of 35 as they are physically demanding.
Whether you are looking for a unique surf experience or an authentic township tour, Local Knowledge Tours is a refreshing look on the Mother City.
Local Knowledge Tours can be booked through their website, http://localknowledgetours.com/ and depart from Strangers Club, 1 Braemar Rd, Green Point, Cape Town, 8005. Follow Local Knowledge on Facebook @localknowledgect or on Instagram @localknowledgetours
Contact: 076 680 2602
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