Cape Town Private Tours
Cape Town Private Tours
Cape Town Private Tours
4.5
Cultural ToursHistorical & Heritage ToursPrivate ToursNature & Wildlife ToursWine Tours & Tastings
7:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Monday
7:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Tuesday
7:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Wednesday
7:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Thursday
7:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Friday
7:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Saturday
7:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Sunday
7:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Full view
About
We are a husband and wife team offering personalised private tours which are highly flexible according to the preferences of our guests. Our prices are competitive but does not translate into a lower standard of service. We are both university graduates and we have been in the business for over twenty years. You will travel in style in our Mercedes Benz E class sedan. Further details are available from Charl and Erna van Tonder Cape Town Private Tours co za
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Cape Town Private Tours
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(14 reviews)
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
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4.5
41 reviews
Excellent
38
Very good
0
Average
0
Poor
1
Terrible
2
Kamil
Los Angeles, CA5 contributions
Jan 2023 • Couples
As they were highly reviewed I contacted Charl & Erna to be our private guides for 3 days while we’re in Cape Town.
They confirmed their availability for those dates. Great . Then, right after, when I asked how to make deposit to guarantee booking, they went completely MIA, even with subsequent follow-ups. It’s been a while and still no response.
No decency to respond - says a lot. Good luck to whoever hires flakey people like that.
They confirmed their availability for those dates. Great . Then, right after, when I asked how to make deposit to guarantee booking, they went completely MIA, even with subsequent follow-ups. It’s been a while and still no response.
No decency to respond - says a lot. Good luck to whoever hires flakey people like that.
Written 13 January 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This is very unfortunate as we highly value each enquiry we receive, and we reply promptly.
We have checked our inbox again very carefully to make sure there was no slip up on our side and we can honestly say that we have not received a reply from mr Kamil, after we sent him our initial offer and quotation.
E-mails do get lost. It is also possible that he has used the wrong e-mail address as there are other operators who also advertise themselves for Private Tours in Cape Town.
Written 5 February 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Marialena R.
Simon's Town, South Africa6 contributions
Aug 2021 • Couples
We were lucky to have been referred to Charl for the two day-tours we have taken here in the Western Cape area. Having chosen to stay in Simon’s Town to avoid the more metropolitan area of Cape Town, it was vital for us to make our way around in a hired car. We couldn’t have been more fortunate. Charl’s professionalism was evident from the start, with the disinfectant, tissues and water in the cooler for us guests.
The car was spotless and spacious and he didn’t even mind when my husband came back from smoking outside and had the smell of tobacco about him.
In terms of knowledge, there was nothing Charl did not know, including the best viewpoints to visit, lovely refueling stations (coffee is a fuel and I won’t have any opposition), and of course, the history and details of everything, even any animal our eye caught and we wanted explained.
Extremely polite, a wonderful conversationalist, with a very lovely sense of humor. He took us to the city of Cape Town, Signal Hill, the Cape of Good Hope, Cape Point etc, he insisted on our tasting wonderful wine varieties in Constantia and he made the best suggestions.
We would love to return to Cape Town to see more, perhaps be so lucky as to meet the sweetheart of a wife he speaks so much about, and we highly, HIGLY recommend their business.
The car was spotless and spacious and he didn’t even mind when my husband came back from smoking outside and had the smell of tobacco about him.
In terms of knowledge, there was nothing Charl did not know, including the best viewpoints to visit, lovely refueling stations (coffee is a fuel and I won’t have any opposition), and of course, the history and details of everything, even any animal our eye caught and we wanted explained.
Extremely polite, a wonderful conversationalist, with a very lovely sense of humor. He took us to the city of Cape Town, Signal Hill, the Cape of Good Hope, Cape Point etc, he insisted on our tasting wonderful wine varieties in Constantia and he made the best suggestions.
We would love to return to Cape Town to see more, perhaps be so lucky as to meet the sweetheart of a wife he speaks so much about, and we highly, HIGLY recommend their business.
Written 20 August 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear Mary
We are extremely grateful for your kind words of appreciation. We were honoured to have hosted your group during your Cape Town visit and Charl enjoyed your excellent company and wonderful enthusiasm tremendously.
We wish you many happy travels and much happiness. Kindest regards from Charl and Erna van Tonder, Hout Bay, Cape Town
Written 27 August 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Tim S
1 contribution
Mar 2021 • Family
My wife and I spent a day with Charl on a tour of Cape Town's iconic city attractions which ended in a wine tasting at Groot Comstantia Wine Farm
What a lovely experience it was, Charl is an extremely broad knowledge on the history of Cape Town and provided some very interesting and insightful facts surrounding its heritage. We found Charl to be a jovial fellow which made the tour all the more enjoyable, so if you are wanting some of the lesser known facts that shaped what you see in the mother city today, then Charl is undoubtedly your best bet. With the personalised approach, you get his undivided attention, which is often not the case in bigger tour groups.
Charl also provided us with his own published guide to touring Cape Town and surrounds, a concise yet comprehensive, easy to read book that details all the main highlights of the Western Cape from St. Helena Bay through to Cape Agulhas and everything in between.
We will definitely be back for another tour with Charl to visit some of the other attractions. Cape Town Private Tours ,Charl & Erna van Tonder come highly recommended!
Thank you for a very memorable experience.
What a lovely experience it was, Charl is an extremely broad knowledge on the history of Cape Town and provided some very interesting and insightful facts surrounding its heritage. We found Charl to be a jovial fellow which made the tour all the more enjoyable, so if you are wanting some of the lesser known facts that shaped what you see in the mother city today, then Charl is undoubtedly your best bet. With the personalised approach, you get his undivided attention, which is often not the case in bigger tour groups.
Charl also provided us with his own published guide to touring Cape Town and surrounds, a concise yet comprehensive, easy to read book that details all the main highlights of the Western Cape from St. Helena Bay through to Cape Agulhas and everything in between.
We will definitely be back for another tour with Charl to visit some of the other attractions. Cape Town Private Tours ,Charl & Erna van Tonder come highly recommended!
Thank you for a very memorable experience.
Written 12 March 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Fathi E
Cairo, Egypt7 contributions
Dec 2020 • Couples
We were visiting cape town in the end of December and we were lucky to had a tour planed and guided by charl to the cape of good hope and the cape point.
The guy is really professional and well informed about the history of the places in our way to the cape point and he delivers the info Easley like if he is telling a story.
We really enjoyed the tour with him either in the cape point or in the stops we did along the way there.
He even has a book published about cape town and it's surrounding and it's a very nice simple though full of details book for those who want to explore cape twon.
I highly recommend him if you want to do a tour in cape town we really enjoyed the tour with him.
The guy is really professional and well informed about the history of the places in our way to the cape point and he delivers the info Easley like if he is telling a story.
We really enjoyed the tour with him either in the cape point or in the stops we did along the way there.
He even has a book published about cape town and it's surrounding and it's a very nice simple though full of details book for those who want to explore cape twon.
I highly recommend him if you want to do a tour in cape town we really enjoyed the tour with him.
Written 19 February 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Charlene
Pretoria, South Africa5 contributions
Dec 2020 • Family
Awesome day with Charl in Cape Point. Charl showed us the gems of the area and shared exceptional history knowledge! What an enjoyable experience for our family! Professional service throughout. Definitely reccomended!
Written 31 December 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ropaah
Huddersfield, UK2 contributions
Dec 2019 • Couples
Joshua Mutami has offered us exceptional services on our visit to Cape Town. We visited the Waterfront, table mount, lions head, cape point, boulders beach penguins , shark diving hermanus. He helped us to pick the best places to visit.
Friendly, time keeping, affordable, knowledgeable, pleasant and flexible services. We would definitely use again on our visit to Cape Town.
Friendly, time keeping, affordable, knowledgeable, pleasant and flexible services. We would definitely use again on our visit to Cape Town.
Written 19 April 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Celtic Tiger
Cardiff, UK14 contributions
Aug 2019
I was visiting CapeTown for the first time and had 1 day to squeeze in as much as I could. I contacted Charl and Erna in advance and told them the highlights I wanted to see. Charl arrived on time for the pick up and from early on it was clear he was very knowledgeable about the history of Cape Town and indeed South Africa. I had a fantastic day with great conversation on South African and global issues. Our day included Kirstenbosch, the penguin colony at boulders beach, Cape Point and then back to through the beautiful costal towns of Camps Bay and Llandudno (my favorite) and finally the harbor district. Charl's Mercedes was very comfortable and he was a great driver. I would 100% recommend to friends and colleagues!
Written 27 August 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you Gareth. Let me be quite candid about it I enjoyed the day just as much. You were great company and a delight to spend a day with. I cannot believe that this is what i get paid for!!!
Written 29 August 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
monarchellen
CA4 contributions
Apr 2019 • Couples
Hospitality Africa – Diana Smullen provided excellent services to us.We were a board the cruise ship Viking Sun and our guide Kabelo Met us at the port and we had an incredible day going down to the Cape point national Park. We stopped at boulders beach. The guide was very flexible his English was excellent and we had a fantastic day one of the best of the trip. Our lunch at two oceans restaurant was gourmet all the way. I would highly recommend Diana for Safari or local arrangements in Cape Town she’s a pro!
Written 23 April 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Danielle W
Montgomery, AL4 contributions
Mar 2019 • Couples
My husband and I would definitely recommend and use Charl again when in Cape Town. He was very punctual and reliable. He picked us up at our hotel each day. He is very knowledgeable about the history. He stopped us along the way to take beautiful pictures. Very clean vehicle and he provided water for us. If you are in the area and need a customized tour this is the person. Also, his wife was so nice during the entire planning process. They always replied back in a timely manner.
Written 18 March 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you Danielle. Your compliments are reciprocal - it was absolutely fabulous to take you on tour.
Written 27 March 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Patience N
Raleigh, NC55 contributions
Feb 2019 • Family
Charl was a knowledgeable driver of the area history. I would not recommend this company for a family tour. We advised them that there were four adults and they used a vehicle that could ONLY seat 3 adults comfortably. Charl seemed indifferent to our discomfort. If you are a party of 3 this company provides average service. For larger families you can get a better vehicle and day trip for the money. I would not use again or recommend. When you know your car only seats 3 comfortably and it’s a long day of riding - you need to be honest and not just take the business without regard for the comfort.
Written 22 February 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I must say that I was very surprised to find this very negative review on TripAdvisor after saying goodbye to the clients (four adults) on a very positive note who also honoured me with a generous tip for which I say thank you very much.
In order for the reader to understand the issue I quote below two sentences in my original email to the clients:
“This is a big car which take three adults of average built with comfort on the back seat. However if you want a bigger vehicle we can refer your enquiry to a colleague who can offer a mini bus.”
Secondly it must be pointed out that a picture of the car itself is very prominently displayed on my website.
When I was introduced to the family to take them on tour I was quite concerned as although the car has often been used successfully for adult groups of four in the past these were not comparable (size wise) with this family. Furthermore at that stage with the tour scheduled to commence it was too late to offer a mini bus which was just not available.
I have changed my initial and final confirmation letters to clients of groups of four adults to be more specific as regards space. The fact that such groups get a huge price advantage of course may have led people who do not fit the bill to book such tour. The changes will hopefully avoid this in future.
Written 27 March 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Pearly yap
Da Nang, Vietnam4 contributions
I am keen to hirr private tour group of 5adults 2children(12 yrs old). 2days. Late oct early nov 19. How do i contact u?
Charl-Erna
Cape Town, South Africa6 contributions
Thank you so much for your enquiry. Please try personaltours @ iafrica com
Michelle W
New York City, NY33 contributions
How do we get in touch with Charl and Erna?
Charl-Erna
Cape Town, South Africa6 contributions
Dear Michelle, please send us an e-mail . We would love to hear from you.
With kind regards, Charl and Erna van Tonder, Cape Town Private Tours co za