City Sightseeing Cape Town has launched a new service offering, called Urban Safaris.
On Friday, Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis joined the City Sightseeing team at the Castle of Good Hope to unveil the new hop-on hop-off service, which is set to enhance inner-city travel and showcase the beauty of Cape Town in a whole new way.
This exciting service aims to boost urban mobility and make city exploration more convenient and enjoyable.
The service is expected to launch soon, which will see the inner-city route stopping in Long Street, St George’s Cathedral, Company’s Gardens, SA Museum, Jewish Museum & Holocaust Centre, District Six Museum, Castle of Good Hope, and the Foreshore.
Prices are also reasonable:
- Stand-alone ticket: R90
- With a Red Bus ticket: R60
- With a two-day Red Bus ticket: R30
- With a three-day Red Bus ticket: FREE
Speaking to the media at the launch, Hill-Lewis explained that some years ago, this tour used to stop at the Castle.
“But during COVID, with the homeless encampment next to the castle, that stop had to be removed. What happened as a result was that tourists stopped visiting the inner city altogether. They stuck to the usual attractions, Table Mountain, the cable car, Cape Point, Boulders, but they skipped out on the whole inner city. And that’s such an important part of Cape Town.”
He highlighted that key cultural landmarks, the Castle, District Six Museum, the South African Museum, and the Company’s Garden, were left off the tourism map.
“All those beautiful sites were missed out entirely. And the businesses around them, the restaurants, the tour guides, they took a real hit.”
The Mayor said the City had since invested heavily in cleaning up the inner city, which made it possible to relaunch the route in a new format.
“I’m thrilled that the tour is back, now as Urban Safaris. I think it’s a very cool new format, and it’s going to bring tourists back into the inner city again. That will boost a lot of smaller tourism businesses and create more jobs here.”
CEO of the Castle of Good Hope, Calvyn Gilfellan, has also welcomed the new route:
