How to travel Cape Town like Prince Harry and Meghan

As the Royal SA Tour moves on from Cape Town to its next destination, Cape Town Tourism has put together a short list of some of the gems the Sussexes got to enjoy in Cape Town, the first stop in their 10-day tour of Africa.

Nyanga and Monwabisi Beach

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👋🏻 South Africa 🇿🇦 • After months of planning, Their Royal Highnesses, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrived in South Africa today for their official Royal Tour of Southern Africa - focusing on community, grassroots leadership, women’s and girls’ rights, mental health, HIV/AIDS and the environment. Their first stop was to the incredible Justice Desk Project which works to make women and children safer in Nyanga. It’s an issue of vital importance in South Africa and across the globe, their Royal Highnesses wanted to learn first-hand about the issues people face and the work being done on the ground. One of the workshops Their Royal Highnesses saw was the Mbokodo project which provides self-defense classes and female empowerment workshops to young girls who are overcoming major traumas. This project's powerful motto is "wathint' abafazi wathint' imbokodo" which means "you strike a woman; you strike a rock" • “And just on one personal note, may I just say that while I am here with my husband as a member of The Royal Family, I want you to know that for me I am here with you as a mother, as a wife, as a woman, as a woman of colour and as your sister.” – The Duchess of Sussex • @TheJusticeDesk Project is supported by the @Queens_Commonwealth_Trust and works with community leaders in Nyanga, with the firm belief that if you can change the mindset of a community, you can change the mindset of a country. #SussexRoyalTour #RoyalVisitSouthAfrica • Photo ©️PA images / SussexRoyal - video SussexRoyal

A post shared by The Duke and Duchess of Sussex(@sussexroyal) on Sep 23, 2019 at 10:54am PDT

‘The Flats’, as known by locals, consist of township areas such as Bishop Lavis, Hanover Park, Langa, Khayelitsha, Manenberg and Nyanga which the Duke and Duchess visited on their first day in Cape Town. 

The area holds a rich political history as most of the families involved in forced removals during the apartheid era were relocated here. The Gugulethu 7 Memorial and Langa Heritage Museum remembers the turbulent history of this area. Harry and Meghan also stopped by Monwabisi Beach, Khayelitsha’s local beach. 

For those interested in checking out this part of the city, the Cape Town Tourism website has information on its recently launched Khayelitsha Curated Routes initiative which takes a new immersive approach to cultural tourism, looking to showcase all that Cape Town’s largest township has to offer.

District Six Museum

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The second half of Day one for #SussexRoyalTour brought Their Royal Highnesses to The District Six Museum and the Homecoming Centre who are re-building their local community in Cape Town. The Duke and Duchess had a first hand look and understanding of how much of this diverse community was destroyed, with people subjected to forced relocation during the apartheid era. At the Homecoming centre The Duke and Duchess were treated to food cooked by local women that showcased the wonderful variety of recipes - and the importance of cooking to bring communities together - a topic The Duchess feels strongly about (just like Together, the cookbook from the women of The Hubb Community Kitchen which The Duchess supported this time last year). • Their Royal Highnesses have had an amazing first day in South Africa and are incredibly grateful for the wonderful welcome they have received. Thank You! Stay tuned for more updates and behind the scenes moments on tour! #RoyalVisitSouthAfrica • Photo ©️ SussexRoyal / Omid Scobie / PA images

A post shared by The Duke and Duchess of Sussex(@sussexroyal) on Sep 23, 2019 at 1:55pm PDT

District Six, once a vibrant mixed community of freed slaves, merchants, artisans, labourers and immigrants, is rich in history. When the apartheid government declared it a white area under the Group Areas Act of 1950, over 60 000 people were removed from the area. 

A place to visit is the District Six Museum, which Meghan and Harry visited. The museum offers displays and relics of what life was like. 

Bo-Kaap

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Happy Heritage Day South Africa! 🇿🇦 • Today we are celebrating the great diversity of cultures, beliefs and traditions that make up the rainbow nation. Bo Kaap streets filled with colour and music while Their Royal Highnesses were welcomed to one of the most vibrant neighbourhoods in Cape Town. The area has seen inter-community tension rise over the last few years, yet days like today show how faith, traditions, food and music bring people together, and celebrate the things that unite each and every one of us. The Duke and Duchess are so happy to have been invited to the festivities in Bo Kaap today, and were overwhelmed by the amazing welcome. #RoyalVisitSouthAfrica • Photo ©️ photos PA images / SussexRoyal

A post shared by The Duke and Duchess of Sussex(@sussexroyal) on Sep 24, 2019 at 8:02am PDT

In the 18th century, the Dutch brought slaves to the Cape from India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, and the Indonesian Archipelago. These individuals and their descendants largely built the city, and once freed, many settled in the Bo-Kaap. 

It may be one of the most photographed areas of the Mother City, but the brightly painted houses and quaint cobbled streets aren’t the only reasons to visit the Bo-Kaap. This part of Cape Town is packed full of history and culture which explains why Harry and Meghan spent their Heritage Day here. Construction on the Auwal Mosque, which was a key stop for Harry and Meghan in the Bo-Kaap, began in 1794, making it the oldest mosque in South Africa. 

The mosque was built on land belonging to a freed slave called Coridon van Ceylon, whose daughter, Saartjie van den Caap, inherited and donated the land. Abdullah Kadi Abdus Salaam, also known as Tuan Guru, was the mosque’s first imam. 

Tuan Guru was imprisoned on Robben Island off the Cape Town coast for political reasons. While he was there, he wrote an entire Qur'an from memory. This Qur'an is available for viewing at the mosque.