Bo-Kaap

The Bo-Kaap, which means above the Cape, climbs the lower slopes of Signal Hill just west of the city centre, and its rows of flat-roofed houses painted lime, pink, turquoise, yellow and violet are among the most photographed streets in Africa. The colours are only the surface of a much deeper story. From the seventeenth century, the Dutch East India Company brought enslaved people, political exiles and convicts to the Cape from the Indonesian archipelago, India, Sri Lanka, Madagascar and East Africa, and many of them and their descendants, freed after the abolition of slavery in the 1830s, settled in this district. The community that grew here, known as Cape Malay, is mostly Muslim, and Islam was brought to South Africa by these exiles and enslaved people: the Auwal Mosque on Dorp Street, founded in 1794, is regarded as the oldest mosque in the country, and the call to prayer still sounds across the neighbourhood from several mosques. During apartheid the Bo-Kaap was declared an area for Cape Malay residents only, which spared it from the forced removals that destroyed District Six, and it remains a living neighbourhood with strong traditions of cooking, music and faith. The Bo-Kaap Museum, in one of the oldest surviving houses in the area, dating from the 1760s, shows the home of a nineteenth-century Muslim family and the history of the community, with a traditional kitchen and bedroom, clothing, musical instruments and religious objects. It is open Monday to Saturday and charges a modest entry fee. Around it, the best way to see the Bo-Kaap is simply to walk the steep streets around Wale, Rose, Chiappini and Dorp streets, ideally with a local guide who grew up here and can explain what you see.

A note on visiting respectfully: these are people's homes, not a stage set. Photograph the houses, but ask before photographing residents, do not climb onto doorsteps or stoeps for selfies, keep noise down, and dress modestly, especially near mosques and during prayer times. The neighbourhood has been under pressure in recent years as rising property prices and new developments threaten to push out long-time families, and some residents feel overwhelmed by the crowds of visitors who come for photographs and leave without spending anything locally. Supporting the community is easy: book a walking tour with a Bo-Kaap guide, take a Cape Malay cooking class in a family home, eat at a local restaurant or buy spices from the neighbourhood shops.

Cape Malay cooking is one of the great pleasures of Cape Town: fragrant, mildly spiced curries, bredies (slow-cooked stews), bobotie (spiced minced meat baked under a savoury custard), samoosas, and the spiced, syrup-soaked doughnuts called koesisters, a different thing from the plaited Afrikaner koeksisters. Cooking classes in family homes typically include a walk through the neighbourhood, shopping for spices, and a meal shared at the table, and they are among the most rewarding experiences in the city. During Ramadan, the neighbourhood is especially atmospheric at the breaking of the fast.

Who it suits: everyone with an interest in Cape Town's people and history, photographers, and food lovers. Families will enjoy the colours, though the streets are steep. The Bo-Kaap is a ten-minute walk from Greenmarket Square and the city centre; go in daylight and keep to the busier streets. Pair it with the District Six Museum and the Company's Garden for a day on the history of the city, or with Signal Hill for the view at sunset.