20 Oct Bo Kaap: The Most Colorful Spot In Cape Town
Today’s post is going to be short (but oh SO sweet), as we share some photos and quick tips to visiting the most colourful spot in Cape Town: Bo Kaap. We ventured there last week and felt a new wave of creative inspiration, so I haven’t been able to write this post soon enough. Hope you enjoy (and get to visit soon)!
Bo kaap (or Bo-Kaap) is loosely translated to “above the cape”, and its position at the foot of Signal Hill (on the fringe of the Cape Town CBD) explains why it’s called that. But it’s not its name that stands out to visitors (from abroad and the rest of South Africa) – it’s the colourful houses that make up this little neighbourhood, which is home to over 6,000 people.
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Why is Bo Kaap so colourful?
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The history into the rainbow streets of ‘Huurhuisjes’ (rental houses) goes back to the mid-1600s, when the Dutch settlers coming to Cape Town brought with them slaves from Malaysia, Indonesia, and other parts of Africa. Bo Kaap was the neighbourhood where the slaves were told to live, and while the homes were leased, they had to remain white. When the rule was eventually lifted (and the slaves were allowed to buy the properties), all the houses were painted bright colours by their owners as an expression of their freedom. It’s quite a chilling story that definitely brought some goose flesh when walking through the ‘hood.
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What to know before you go
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We arrived quite early in the day to avoid crowds (and the bright midday sun – never good for photos, right?!) and parked on one of the side streets, outside The Factory. We must mention, that although its exterior is bright and cheery, some of the streets are filled with some shady characters (this is Africa, after all) so we’d advise not leaving anything in your car, so that you don’t tempt some petty thieves (that includes phones, bags, caps, your GPS, blankets – anything of value, essentially).
When walking around, we also kept it minimal, leaving valuables like jewellery and smartphones at home, and only brought one camera with us, which remained on a camera strap tightly bound to Stevo’s chest (except when we took turns shooting, of course). We don’t want to put you off visiting, of course, because Bo Kaap is stunning and a real colourful spectacle that everyone should see, but we’d rather you remain street smart and savvy, without any worries as you enjoy your time there.
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There are quite a few streets and alleys to explore, so take your time, and always try chat to the locals – they’re a really friendly bunch and very welcoming. Worth mentioning that it’s mostly a Muslim area, with a total of nine mosques found throughout Bo Kaap, including the oldest mosque in South Africa, so there are some great photo opportunities. We’d also recommend ending off your explorations with some yummy local Cape Malay cuisine, which you can get from the Bo Kaap Kombuis, up the street and a quick 3 minute drive up from the colourful homes. They do taster plates, which is awesome if you want to try an array of treats (which is exactly what we did).
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For the rest of the post we just want to share some of our favourite pics that we snapped (told you it’d be short and sweet today 🙂 We really hope you get to visit Bo Kaap soon, and if you do, be sure to tag us in your Insta pics so we can relive our experience again!
Read next: 20 Things You Have To Do In Cape Town
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If you enjoyed this blog post, you may want to follow our journey on Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter, browse our online photography shop, or get yourself a copy of our TRAVEL AROUND THE WORLD eBook.
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