A Guide to Bo-Kaap | Cape Town’s Coloured Neighbourhood
A Guide To Bo Kaap : Dubbed The rainbow heart of Cape Town, Boo Kaap is one of the most district neighborhoods in Cpate Town known for its vibrant, predominantly Muslim, Cape Malay community and its equally bold-flat roofed colorful houses and cobbled stone roads.
Draped along the lower slopes of Signal Hill, right at very edge of Cape Town’s Central Business District (CBD), Bo Kaap is famous for its vividly-painted Cape Dutch houses, cheerful and welcoming single-story homes that stand in terraced rows along steep cobblestoned streets. The district is the former Cape Malay area of Cape Town, and while its streets have become famous in recent years thanks to its Instagram potential, the suburb is also steeped with a rich, unique Muslim culture and a complex and turbulent 260 year-old history.
A trip to Cape Town is incomplete without a visit to the Bo Kaap and it is highly recommended that every traveler get to spend some time wandering its colorful streets.
Here is a guide to everything you need for visiting Boo Kaap. From its history, top tips for visiting to the best things to see and do.
Where is the Bo Kaap
Bo Kaap is nestled into the foothills of Signal Hill, right on the edge of the Cape Town BDD. “Bo Kaap” means “above the Cape”.
How To Get To The Boo Kaap
This neighborhood’s proximity to the city’s centre makes it super accessible for travelers. On foot, it is just five minutes’ walk from the centre of the Cape Town CBD, or 20-30 minutes from the V&A Waterfront (about 10 minutes’ drive by Uber).
From the city centre, just follow Wale Street straight up until you get the IZIKO Bo-Kaap Museum.
Caution: If you are traveling solo or towards the evening, we recommend using Uber for your safety.
The History of Bo Kaap
The history of Bo Kaap is far more complex and turbulent. The origins of the area date back to the 1760s, when the first rows of terraced houses were constructed while political exiles, craftspeople, convicts and everyday (predominantly Muslim) were imported as slaves from Malaysia, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India and beyond. This group of people came to be known as the Cape Malays.
Many Cape Malays were able to lease the single-storied terrace houses (called huurhuisies). The first mosque in South Africa, the Auwal Mosque on Dorp Street was built in 1794 and when slavery was abolished in 1834, the population increased in the area as those emancipated moved into the newer parts of the Bo Kaap.
During Apartheid, the area survived the forced removals and destruction of suburbs like District Six. Under the Group Areas Act of 1950, it was designated as a colored and Malay-only area and other ethnicities and religions were forcibly removed.
During this time, the National Monuments Council decreed the houses could only be painted white, it is believed that it was only the release of Nelson Mandela in 1990 that residents began to use their homes as a canvas to finally celebrate their long-subdued freedom, expressing their individual rights through the bright colors that you can see today.
Things to Know Before Visiting Bo Kaap Cape Town
- Bo Kaap is the Oldest Living Neighborhood in Cape Town
The neighborhood was developed in the 1760s by Dutch Colonialist Jan de Waal as housing for the Cape Malay slaves, the terraced Cape Dutch houses of the Bo Kaap are some of the oldest in Cape Town.
In fact, these streets are home to the largest concentration of pre-1850 South African architecture, and the suburb is the oldest residential neighbourhood still surviving today.
- All Visitors Should dress conservatively in Bo Kaap
Bo Kaap is still a predominately Muslim Area, and as such, all tourists should dress conservatively whilst visiting. For men and women alike, it is best to keep your chest, legs and shoulders covered respectfully, particularly if you plan to enter any of the mosques in the neighborhood.
For ladies, carry a headscarf in your bag if you intend to enter to mosque too.
- Bo Kaap isn’t your Insta-Playground
The street of Bo Kaap is wonderfully colorful and a true photography playground, but while the facades have become a huge draw for travelers in recent years, please remember that this is still a living neighborhood with a complex past and a rich Muslim culture.
Bo Kaap is not just a backdrop for your next Instagram post.
These are people’s homes and livelihoods, so be mindful of that when exploring.
Don’t be intrusive, jump on gates, steep, or outdoor furniture, and try not to disrupt people trying to live their lives in their own homes more than you need to.
Things To Do and See in Bo Kaap
The Bo Kaap Museum
Visiting the Bo Kaap Museum marks the start of your explorations, the museum is located in the oldest building in Bo Kaap. This former home to a wealthy Muslim Family was built by Jan de Waal, the original developer of the area, in the 1760s. Now it is a National Monument, and decorated and furnished in the style of the time. Along with the story of Bo Kaap, it provides visitors with an impression of what local homes and culture looked like at the time.
Wander the Colorful Streets of Bo Kaap
After you have visited the Bo Kaap Museum and you are filled with a sense of the heritage and culture of the area, it is time to get lost amongst these wonderfully charming, colorful houses and cobblestoned streets.
Watch people and observe daily life as it happened, giving you a real sense of what life is like here. Take your time to explore the streets, turn corners you are not sure of and just get lost in the pretty streets.
On the walk, listen to this audio walking tour by Bo Kaap local Shereen Habib whose family has lived here for almost a century. As you wander down the lanes and streets, she shares her personal stories from the area and explains why this place is so loved by its inhabitants.
The Auwal Mosque
Built in 1794, the Auwal Mosque is the first mosque established in South Africa on land owned by a freed Black Muslim slave and his family. The mosque was the first place in the country where the unique Cape Malay muslim traditions and language were formally taught and public prayers observed and has stood as a symbol of faith and freedom to worship for the local community ever since.
Also, it is home to a handwritten copy of the Quran by Tuan Guru, who wrote it from memory while incarcerated on Robben Island. It is possible to enter the Mosque outside of daily prayer times, please remember to cover your legs and shoulder for both sexes. For ladies, remember to bring a headscarf if you wish to enter.
Tana Baru Cemetery
After religious freedom was finally granted in 1804, Bo Kaap’s Tana Baru Cemetary, on the slopes of Signal Hill, was the first designated Muslim burial site in the country. While it isn’t currently in use, it is still a revered cemetery in the city and many of the earliest Muslim settlers to Cape Town rest on its slopes. The graves and shrines of important Cape Malay Imams, like Tuan Guru are also found here.
The Atlas Trading Co.
You will smell the Atlas Trading Co long before you actually see it, so fragrant are the exotic species and ingredients that waft from its front door. This family-owned spice shop was open 1946 and ever since, it has served generations of Cape Malays have come to find the perfect ingredients for their cooking.
The shelves are stocked full of woody turmeric and curry mixes, aromatic incense, wholesale bags of rice, or head-tingling dried chilies, and it is well worth a visit. Although, be warmed, it is almost impossible to leave without purchasing something delicious.
Eat Authentic Cape Malay Food
Tasting authentic Cape Malay Food is one of the best ways to get to know a culture and its people better. For the most authentic Cape Malay meals and hospitality, we recommend visiting traditional Cape Malay restaurants.
Note: All the traditional Cape Malay Restaurants in Bo Kaap are halal and alcohol free.
- Bo-Kaap Kombuis
This restaurant boasts sweeping views of Table Mountain and serves the most authentic and delicious Cape Malay curries and samosas you will find anywhere in the city. Its hospitality is also second to none.
- Biesmellah
This restaurant is particularly popopular for its bobotie, the tasty Cape Malay dish consisting of spiced minced meat backed with an egg-based topping and one of South Africa’s unofficial national dishes.
- Rose Corner Café
This restaurant is famous for Koeksisters, braided spiced donuts fried in syrup and sprinked with coconut, which are every bit as sweet and sticky as you can imagine.
Note: Get there early though, as they are so popular they sell out by midday.
