Kick off in Cape Town with Kiff Kombi Tours

The minute Kiff Kombi pulls into the parking lot, it is clear this is a daytrip with a difference. The old school kombi (microbus), the eclectic paint job and the summer tunes blasting out of the speakers set the tone early on for a chilled, yet vibey, tour of Cape Town.

Drew and Sophie, co-founders of Kiff Kombi Tours, wanted to present something different to travellers arriving in the Mother City. Prolific travellers themselves, the goal of Kiff Kombi is to give tourists a relaxed and interactive tour, while providing them with a different perspective of the city at the same time.

Mission accomplished on both parts.

From the ride itself and the guide, Kirsti, to Drew and Sophie themselves, the tour is super chilled. There is no rushing from one location to the next, as the tour group essentially dictates how long they want to stick around at any particular venue or attraction. Want to hang around Woodstock to capture more of the street art? Go for it. Keen for another cocktail at Dunes in Hout Bay? Go right ahead.

This is your tour and Kiff Kombi isn’t in any particular rush.

Kirsti, meanwhile, proved to be the Most Valuable Player with her fresh, no-holds barred approach to providing our group with relevant, if at times unsettling, facts about the city. Kirsti is a direct descendant of slavery and she takes great pride in her surname, November, and her roots. She is also at pains to ensure visitors do not get a glossed over version of Cape Town’s story.

Daytrips in Cape Town

From the forced removal of residents of District Six to the Cape Flats – where Kirsti grew up – to Church Square where a slave market once stood, Kirsti does not leave anything out and her knowledge, sense of self and sharp sense of humour really helps drive the tour.

Kiff Kombi also ensures the group itself creates its own vibe and travelling around in a kombi on a beautiful summer’s day, with a great playlist providing a soundtrack, it didn’t take long for our group to get into the swing of it. By the time we arrived at Devil’s Peak Brewery in Woodstock for lunch the mood was upbeat – it was close to festive by the time we left it.

Accommodating groups of 10-12 passengers, Kiff Kombi Tours covers a large expanse of Cape Town, stopping in places like District Six, Woodstock, Hout Bay and the CBD, and taking in some of the city’s most scenic drives, including Chapman’s Peak and Victoria Road, providing visitors with a fantastic overview of what the Mother City has to offer.

Chapman's Peak viewing point

The tour lasts around six hours and ends with a stop at a ‘Secret Spot’ before returning you home. I could tell you where it is, of course, but then it wouldn’t be much of a secret would it?