When I was younger, I always wondered what it would be like to be a Ninja Turtle. They seemed to have so much fun living in the sewers with Master Splinter, and no one knew they were there. I know I’m not the only one who dreamed of being like these heroic turtles.
I decided to do a Below the Surface Tour in Cape Town with Figure of 8, a company specialising in team building and activities. I don’t think I was fully prepared for this fairly strenuous walk. I was expecting a leisurely stroll underground, maybe spotting a rat or two. It was anything but leisurely.
You’re given gumboots, a torch and briefing at the Castle of Good Hope (where the walk ends) and then you’re taken up to the starting point at the top of Buitenkant Street . Here you’ll climb into a drain and start venturing towards the castle. The first few metres of the walk is quite uncomfortable, especially if you’re tall. Luckily I’m short so I only had to slouch a bit. It gets a bit easier after that. The water level was very low, but still moving rapidly, making it difficult to wade through. So I found myself walking like a sumo wrestler all the way down (for two kilometres), to avoid water splashing all over my legs.
It’s something very different and you’ll get a cheap thrill out of shouting upwards every time your pass under a manhole. I wouldn’t recommend doing it if you’ve got back problems, are claustrophobic or if you’re afraid of cockroaches. Don’t get me wrong, there weren’t bugs all over the place, but here and there you might pass a roach or two. I’m terrified of cockroaches but I manged to pass them by putting my jacket over my head, and not shining my torch on them (out of sight, out of mind). I’m told the bug thing is not common down there though – I was just unlucky. The tunnel is generally very clean and well ventilated.
Tips for an underground tour of Cape Town:
Don’t dress too warmly. It gets really hot down there.
Wear short pants, your jeans will probably get wet.
Take extra socks with in case you’re walking when the water’s fairly fast-flowing.
If there’s no water in the pipes, consider yourself lucky.
A medium level of fitness is required.
Kids under seven are not encouraged to do the tour.
Don’t expect a scenic, glamorous walk. It is what it is – a walk in the storm water drains.
The tours are R350 a person and a minimum of 15 people is needed to a tour to commence, so keep checking availability.
Tel 021-439-3329, email [email protected], www.fo8.co.za
