Durban: Markets Walking Tour & Bunny Chow Lunch with Local Transport

4.96

(132 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

The first thing I noticed was the sound — that tangled chatter from the minibus combis outside Victoria Street Market, mixed with the clatter of fruit crates and someone shouting prices in Zulu. Johnny, our guide (he’s lived here forever), waved us over like we were old friends. He has this way of making you feel like you belong, even if your accent gives you away instantly. We squeezed into a combi — me, two German girls, and a local woman who smiled but didn’t say much — and set off for the markets. The seats were kind of sticky, but honestly, I liked it. Felt real.

The air inside Victoria Street Market was thick with cardamom and something sweet I still can’t name. Johnny pointed out piles of bright red chilies and explained how Indian traders shaped Durban’s food scene — he talked fast, like he had too many stories to fit in one morning. At the African medicine (Muti) market, he lowered his voice out of respect; bundles of roots hung from stalls and there was this earthy smell everywhere. I tried not to stare but probably failed. One vendor laughed when I asked about a dried plant — she said something in isiZulu that made Johnny grin.

We wandered through the bridge market and early morning market too, dodging porters balancing sacks on their heads (I nearly got clipped once). It was humid but not unbearable; my shirt stuck to my back anyway. The city felt alive — all those colors and sounds blending together. After all that walking, we ended up at the beachfront for lunch: Bunny Chow. I’d never eaten curry out of a hollowed-out loaf before — messy as hell but so good. Johnny showed us how to eat it properly (use your hands), and we just sat there watching surfers and kids running wild on the sand. Still think about that view sometimes.