Every now and again I really get to do something extra special. A recent day-to-remember came in the form of an invitation by the guys from Cape Town Tourism to explore the beautiful little town of Muizenberg with the help of a new walking tour app called VoiceMap.
Now I freakin’ love walking, especially when travelling. In fact, I walk so much, that instead of the dreaded holiday bulge, I always come back from a trip a few kilos lighter. Why do I love it so much? (apart from the weight loss benefits of course) Because you really just get to see so much more…
I’ve used a walking tour app before while overseas and found it really cool for many reasons:
- You pick what route you want to do and when you want to do it
- You’re not reliant on a tour guide
- You don’t have to deal with the sometimes tricky dynamics of a tour group
- And you can explore at your own pace
I was therefore very excited to hear about Cape Town Tourism’s new partnership with the team from VoiceMap, because now not only will people from abroad be able to enjoy various amazing walking tours here in Cape Town & its surrounding areas, but we can also act like tourists in our own city, checking out local gems you might not even have known existed before.
But first, what is VoiceMap & how does it work? VoiceMap is a locally created app which is now taking over globally as well. Currently they have various walking tours for Cape Town, the Cape Winelands & Johannesburg along with a list of international cities including Buenos Aires, Paris, Berlin, Singapore, London, Bangkok, Sydney, New York, Beijing and more. The real exciting part is that they’re loading new tours in new cities from all over the world like every few days & it makes me very proud to know that it all started here.
What sets VoiceMap apart from any other walking tour app is that their tours are stories told by locals themselves. This way you’re not just getting all that generic touristy stuff, instead you’re getting a real insight into what the locals love about their cities; something which fits in perfectly with Cape Town Tourism’s mission to promote travelling like a local.
The app is FREE and available on iOS and Andriod. The walking tour options come in a mix of FREE or paid tours, but with the paid tours only costing R24,99 for local tours, and up to R69.99 for the international ones.
To try out this concept for ourselves, we were going to test out one of their newest walking tours: Muizenberg Like a Local by Coleen Van Staden. Coleen has been a Muizenberg resident for 30 years, and her love for this quirky seaside town is evident in her storytelling.
But first, to get to Muizenberg, we hopped on a train – which is of course a really fun & affordable way to get from Cape Town to Muizenberg & Kalk Bay:
Our Cape Town station looking very sexy after the renovations which were completed for the 2010 World Cup
I hadn’t been on a train in years and was really happy to see how neat and efficient it all was… We were also told about further upgrades planned for the next few years. These include upgrading the actual trains as well.
So all you need is your phone, the VoiceMap app, and a pair of earphones… Obviously friends can join in too (they just all need to download the app as well), the more the merrier!
The Masque Theatre – watching a show here is definitely on my to-do list for the future…
We then saw weird & wonderful things at Sobeit… (lots of great decor pieces to be found here)
We learnt all about local art, street culture, and local initiatives like this little informal public library, where anybody can take a book or contribute to the collection…
We roamed the pretty streets, checking out local cafes, mosaic art, and local architecture…
Some street view prettiness…
We explored Palmer Road, with all its interesting shops and cafes… There’s some serious retail therapy to be done over here…
We learnt about the infamous bridge that has taken many victims in the form of trucks that were too high. We also learnt about the significance of the coat of arms found on their municipal building, and how the pretty sidewalk detailing came about…
We then walked towards the beach where we got the inside scoop on the best “slap chips” and soft serve in town (over at the Majestic Cafe)
We passed other bright & beautiful spots…
And we ended off on the beach, which of course is known for these brightly coloured houses…
And the big surf culture…
We wrapped up the day by popping in at the beautiful Knead on Surfer’s Corner, before settling in for lunch at the all new Tiger’s Milk:
Knead was one of the first new eateries to move into the hood, giving it a fresh new feel…
And then Tiger’s Milk, situated above Primi is just so damn sexy inside, it really does deserve it’s own post, so do keep an eye out for that tomorrow…
- Continued promotion of their #lovecapetown campaign, which you can follow on social media (and I highly suggest that you do). It’s a good dose of inspiration for locals and tourists alike, and also a great way for you to share what you love about our incredible city.
- Mid 2015 they’re also planning on launching a new mobile app where travel suggestions, experiences & activities will be shared from an insider’s perspective.
- They’ve also started a neighbourhood series on their blog where team members head out every month to spend some time with locals in different neighbourhoods in order to create a comprehensive insider’s guide to these different areas.
- And then mid-2015 they’ll also be kicking off a neighbourhood focused video series on Youtube.
So yeah, lots of exciting stuff happening in that space.
To the Cape Town Tourism team as well as the guys from VoiceMap I have to say a HUGE thank you. It really was incredible getting the opportunity to explore Muizenberg with you guys, and I’ll definitely be continuing my exploration by following a few more walking tours in the future.
To all of you guys reading this – download that app and start exploring… you’ll absolutely love being a tourist in your own city. 🙂
xxx