TASTE THE CAPE
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A little about the reviewers -- my husband and I (late 40s) are very active “type A” planners from the US. When we travel, we book well in advance, and... read more do a lot of research to figure out what we want to do. We to locate and hire guides that will provide a local experience. Note that we are childfree, so we tailor our tours accordingly. We did the Cape Fusion Cape Town Eats city walking tour in February 2020. We were fortunate to have Pam, owner of Cape Fusion as our guide for the day. Sometimes it’s just about personalities that mesh well, and I can say that Pam was the perfect tour guide for us. It felt like more like we were meeting an old friend. The Cape Town Eats city walking tour is so much more than a food tour (though there was plenty of that!). It’s about embracing the culture of Cape Town. We met people everywhere we went (Pam knows EVERYONE!). As we ate, Pam told us so many stories that made Cape Town really come alive for us – whether it was about political activity or current events or how she grew up in South Africa, it really allowed us to experience Cape Town. We had an earlier start (8:00 am) since we were getting on a cruise ship that day, and needed to be onboard by early afternoon. As noted, the tour is private, so it was just the two of us spending the day with Pam. When we booked the tour, we told Pam our food favorites and restrictions – yes to coffee, gin, local meat; no seafood. She had no problems finding us everything on our wish list, and more. I won’t go into detail about each stop, but suffice to say we had more than enough to eat and drink, including 3 coffee stops, 1 gin distillery, bunny chow, samosas, bobotie, etc. After the first stop, I had to beg Pam to stop ordering so much food. There were only 2 of us, and we really needed to share to get through it all! Don’t be afraid to book Cape Fusion and come out of your comfort zone to explore the people, culture and food of Cape Town. It is all amazing, and we will definitely be back! …
1 Jun 2020We had an incredible day exploring the hidden gems of Cape Town with Shelley! Started off with chocolate croissants and flat white coffees in a local park, toasties and... read more green juice at a wonderful cafe, Cape Malay cuisine for lunch, garden tours and tea tastings, and an afternoon coffee and dessert at one of the best chocolate cafes in town. Don't eat before you meet up for this adventure! We loved learning about Cape Town history and culture as we ate our way through the neighborhoods of the city!
1 May 2022 -
We discovered Cape Fusion Tours over 10 years ago and have had the pleasure of spending upto 6 days of wine and food tours on every visit. Pam provides simply... read more the best bespoke tours we have ever had, and we are well travelled. Her knowledge regarding food, wine and history is second to none. She arranges wonderful wine tastings and lunches at the hardest places to get into. This time we had 6 tours. Sadly my husband fell ill on the morning of our first tour. Within 2 hours, Pam had rearranged the whole day for me on my own. two fabulous MCC tastings at 2 top wineries, lunch at Tokara then time exploring Stellenbosch. Wonderful girls day out. The second tour Pam concentrated on my husband's favourites, Hartenberg, plus new favourites, Simonseg. Lunch at Delaire Graff, always a treat. The following tours we took in some of the finest wineries, all private with amazing lunches, stops for coffee walking around amazing gardens like Dylan Lewis sculpture garden outside Stellenbosch and the beautiful estate of Vergelgen, in Somerset West. Oysters up the West Coast, just wonderful. Favorite wineries included De Trafford, Klienwood Waterkloof. Lunch included Jordan, Idiom, Waterford. The highlight was a surprise birthday tour around the Peninsula, meeting local people who have a passion for their own craft products, including a gin tasting, beer tasting, fabulous goats cheese tasting in the producers our home, meeting a wonder lady called Sophia who started work on project to grow and sell organic fruit and vegetable as part of a local collective. A passionate lady, she works amazingly hard. From a very under privileged start she is a true inspiration. All these things would not be available from your run of the mill tours. Our days with Pam continue to be our favourite time in Cape Town. See ya next year.
1 Feb 2022Thank you Shelley for our brilliant trip yesterday. We really enjoyed visiting the beautiful Cape of Good Hope and were pleased that you suggested the scenic walk along the coast.... read more Stunning views. Loved visiting the penguins at Foxy Beach. Lunch at Kalk Bay was delicious and the seals were a bonus!We learned so many interesting things about the country from you which made the trip so much more worthwhile. Absolutely fabulous! Thank you! Emma , Alberto, Imogen and Ottilie
17 Feb 2020 -
Let’s get the details out of the way right up front. Cape Fusion Tours follows all COVID protocols, it is well priced, communicates well with its client base, and... read more its employees are reliable, honest, and on time. Now, down to the more personal side of things… Cape Fusion Tours was an extremely fortunate find! Little did I know when I Googled “Culinary Tour Cape Town” that I would find the answer to most of my questions and wishes for our Cape Town vacation. When I clicked on the search result, I found Cape Fusion’s web site to be a bit different from that of other tour companies. There are not “click here to reserve” or other formulaic features. It simply tells the story of the company, its people, and what it has to offer in terms of helping you fall in love with Cape Town. The site also offers guidance on touring in Cape Town and other information that visitors would find helpful (no strings attached). If one of Cape Fusion Tour’s offerings appeals to you, it is easy to contact the company and ask whatever questions you have (pricing, availability, potential tour “tweaks” that might be possible, advice, etc…). When I contacted the company via email, I was answered by Cape Fusion Tours’ owner and founder - Pamela. She not only answered all of my questions promptly, she also offered advice for other things I might want to do while in Cape Town. When we decided to book with her company, she ensured that she was aware of all our preferences and interests so that we could get what we wanted out of the tour – it was tailored to us! Also, when other arrangements (with other companies) I had made for tours fell through, she offered solutions and guidance and helped us find an alternative so that our vacation would not be derailed. I must admit that I sent her far too many emails. However, she answered each quickly and graciously. We were only in Cape Town for a short while, but booked Cape Fusion Tours for two, full day tours. I am so glad we did! Our tour guide for each of the tours was Ryan. Ryan is not only very knowledgeable, he is kind, conscientious, approachable, and (best of all) flexible. It is apparent that Ryan enjoys his job, loves Cape Town, and works for an organization that values people and experiences over money and cookie cutter tours. We connected with Ryan almost immediately and I assume that all of his guests do – he’s just that kind of guy. Though COVID has slammed the hospitality and tourism industry, Cape Fusion Tours has ensured that the accommodations it must make to “remain afloat” during these trying times have not adversely affected the product and service it provides. If I am ever fortunate enough to find myself back in Cape Town, Cape Fusion Tours will be my first call. …
1 May 2021Let’s get the details out of the way right up front. Cape Fusion Tours follows all COVID protocols, it is well priced, communicates well with its client base, and... read more its employees are reliable, honest, and on time. Now, down to the more personal side of things…
Cape Fusion Tours was an extremely fortunate find! Little did I know when I Googled “Culinary Tour Cape Town” that I would find the answer to most of my questions and wishes for our Cape Town vacation. When I clicked on the search result, I found Cape Fusion’s web site to be a bit different from that of other tour companies. There are not “click here to reserve” or other formulaic features. It simply tells the story of the company, its people, and what it has to offer in terms of helping you fall in love with Cape Town. The site also offers guidance on touring in Cape Town and other information that visitors would find helpful (no strings attached). If one of Cape Fusion Tour’s offerings appeals to you, it is easy to contact the company and ask whatever questions you have (pricing, availability, potential tour “tweaks” that might be possible, advice, etc…).
When I contacted the company via email, I was answered by Cape Fusion Tours’ owner and founder - Pamela. She not only answered all of my questions promptly, she also offered advice for other things I might want to do while in Cape Town. When we decided to book with her company, she ensured that she was aware of all our preferences and interests so that we could get what we wanted out of the tour – it was tailored to us! Also, when other arrangements (with other companies) I had made for tours fell through, she offered solutions and guidance and helped us find an alternative so that our vacation would not be derailed. I must admit that I sent her far too many emails. However, she answered each quickly and graciously.
We were only in Cape Town for a short while, but booked Cape Fusion Tours for two, full day tours. I am so glad we did! Our tour guide for each of the tours was Ryan. Ryan is not only very knowledgeable, he is kind, conscientious, approachable, and (best of all) flexible. It is apparent that Ryan enjoys his job, loves Cape Town, and works for an organization that values people and experiences over money and cookie cutter tours. We connected with Ryan almost immediately and I assume that all of his guests do – he’s just that kind of guy.
Though COVID has slammed the hospitality and tourism industry, Cape Fusion Tours has ensured that the accommodations it must make to “remain afloat” during these trying times have not adversely affected the product and service it provides. If I am ever fortunate enough to find myself back in Cape Town, Cape Fusion Tours will be my first call.
19 May 2021 -
Ryan our guide was amazing and gave us a great insight into some local foods and styles of venues to eat. Thank you, definitely a highlight of our Cape town... read more visit
20 Jan 2020 -
Pam, the owner, was a knowledgeable and personable host. As mentioned on the web site, this is not a tour of Michelin starred establishments, this is a look at how... read more Cape Town natives eat. From coffee culture (we drank a lot of coffee), to the Cape Malay community to Bunny Chow, we looked at all sorts of very interesting foods Highly recommended. …
15 Jul 2021This was definitely an easy 10 out of 5!!!! Pam not only showed us all the great spots to eat throughout the town, but she took the time to... read more tell us various points of Cape Town history, introduced us to wonderful people (business owners), recommended a ton of additional places to check out which we didn’t get to see, put us in a car to ensure we’d make it to the top of Table Mountain to see the sunset AND walked all our local purchases back to our hotel for us. Truly a fantastic experience with wonderful people!!!! Thanks for the amazing day Pam!!!!
1 May 2022 -
We spent a wonderful day with a local, Katherine, who not only knew all kinds of interesting and varied places to try different cuisines, but seemed to know everyone on... read more the street, their story, the history of every restaurant and shop. It was fascinating. I'd recommend this for one of your first days in town since you'll visit many neighborhoods and get a feel for where you'd like to go back. From street food to real home cooking (on the roof of the train terminal where few tourists are to be seen) to local gin tasting to biltong sampling to a young chef turning out French quality pastries but with local touches, to a Sengalese coffee shop owner with an amazing story, etc. Most of what we experienced was not something we would have ever found on our own. Katherine and Pam (owner) also gave us great tips for where to have a reasonably priced drink on the seaside, where to eat in Franschoek, where to look at quality crafts. A real eye opener to a great city by people who know it super well.
12 Feb 2020What an incredible day we shared with Pam on our culinary tour of Cape Town! Pam not only shared her incredible knowledge and love for local food, she shared... read more her love of her community and the inspiring people who live in Cape Town. A fantastic day that left our hearts and belly's full.
1 Sep 2021 -
We did a full-day food tour in Cape Town with Shelly. As a family of 5 (kids ages 18-23) we had an amazing day. The food was unique and delicious,... read more combined with a great history of the city and country. Shelly is a warm, fun intelligent guide who truly loves people and her gorgeous city. Highly recommend!!!
1 Dec 2021We had a fantastic day with Anine whose enthusiasm and love for her city shone through. We felt that we saw some of the locals’ Cape Town and will leave... read more with precious memories. Would recommend this to anyone trying to get under the skin of this vibrant place and looking further than the waterfront. We will be back Anine - please show us more!
23 Feb 2020 -
This was highly recommended by YPO and we loved it! It was our first tour in Africa and Katherine took us to countless local spots which all had absolutely amazing... read more food. My husband and I are picky- pescatarians and hate onions and we did not have any problems with the food. You park and basically walk around the city so wear comfortable shoes. Must do!
17 Feb 2020We had a fantastic and unforgettable food tour with Cape Fusion Tours!!! We really got to know more about Cape Town while seeing where locals go to dine. All the... read more food we tried was delicious and each and every restaurants had its own vibe and unique settings and flavors. We are very glad we took this tour and even happier that Shelley was our guide. She’s a local and very knowledgeable about Cape Town and it’s food scene...and it seemed as if everyone...whether in restaurants or just walking around...knew her personally. We totally recommend this tour and hopefully you get Shelley as your guide 🙂
1 Oct 2021 -
I was looking for an authentic look at street food in Cape Town during a trip my three friends and I have planned. We heard awesome things from some friends... read more who took this tour about a year ago, so I reached out to the Cape Fusion day tours team to learn more about the tour and book a private tour for our group.
Chongo was so helpful and patient in answering my many questions, and assisting when I had issues with the online payment tool (I was getting some push-back from my bank).
Although we've not yet taken the tour I wanted to jump on and highly recommend the team at Cape Fusion. They made us feel well-cared for throughout the planning process and as someone traveling from across the world it b=put my mind at ease!
I'm planning on providing another review after we take the tour.
21 Feb 2020I received this day trip out as a birthday gift, which I then gave to 2 of my friends as a birthday gift too and what a great gift it... read more turned out to be. Informative, super tasty and just a fantastic way to see the peninsula!
Treat yourself for a day of beauty - eating and drinking all the local produce we never realised existed right on our doorstep.
It's worth it!
19 Mar 2021 -
Pam was our tour guide for 2 days, and she really gave us the whole experience of Cape Town! We did the peninsula tour, as well as the Cape Winelands.... read more Pam is so knowledgeable, and gave us so much history on our rides that really opened our eyes as tourists. She was easily able to read our interests and cater the tour accordingly to make it even more personal. The van was very comfortable with plenty of room, so much so that we often found ourselves nodding off on the way home after a long day of sight seeing! We really felt like we got to experience all of Cape Town, because there truly is so much to see. Pam even gave us lots of recommendations for the days we were not with her, and we got to visit most of them. It really made us feel like locals more than tourists to be able to find the hole in the wall spots. She also served as our personal photographer and gave us lots of great memories for our honeymoon. We really enjoyed chatting with her through all of the stops, and felt like we were on a visit with a close friend. We had so much fun touring with Pam, thank you! …
1 Apr 2021