More than half of the Mother City's population live on the Cape Flats, but unless you're part of that statistic, how often do you go there?
Probably not very often, since there are few conventional attractions like cinemas, theatres or sightseeing, although there are tour operators who will take you there.
Almost a third of all foreign tourists make the trip.
Iain Harris and Jacques Jacobsz of Coffeebeansroutes shy away from the term "township tour".
They prefer to call it a journey of discovery, and it's not a standard item on their books, like their jazz safaris or garden tours.
Instead, it's tailor-made for the visitor and aims to show them the inspiring elements of the townships.
Which is why we stopped at the gardens of Mustapha Jennet in Hanover Park.
There, on the side of the road, you will find a riot of plants and greenery which Jennet has been nurturing for several years for no other reason than to give himself and his neighbours pleasure.
A BMW destined for the scrap heap became the focal point for Jennet's first garden established five years ago, gaily painted with flowers and overflowing with foliage.
Across the road, a row boat now hosts a rose garden in memory of lost seamen.
The townships are also teeming with community vegetable gardens in the most unlikely places, like beneath a massive electricity pylon.
From Hanover Park we drove along the coastline through Wolfgat Nature Reserve to Kuyasa where project co-ordinator Zuko Ndamane showed us the results of the ongoing Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) project which is retro-fitting RDP houses with insulated ceilings, extra power points and solar-water heating.
As we strolled to the elevated point of the newly built Kuyasa train station for a good view of what this project has achieved, Ndamane pointed out:
"This is what the township is like on a Saturday - everyone is out on the streets, enjoying the sun, socialising.
"During the week it's not like this, when most people are at work and school."
Barbershops and hair salons housed in containers every few metres were doing a roaring trade, while music blared through open doors, and Jacobsz acquired a group of three small boys who followed us everywhere.
Next we visited Sibanya in Khayelitsha where we met artists Gerald Tabata, Patrick Holo and Cinga Samson who work and breathe art together in a communal studio with other artists.
They showed their art - Samson's vivid and dramatic oils on canvas and Holo's lino cuts - and shared their inspirations before we all piled into the minibus and roared off to Nandi Nandi for lunch.
There we were joined by praise singer Samekelo Tukulula and his wife who laughed and said her name was Mrs Tukulula.
Places like these are probably what most from outside the township seek out - outdoor wooden picnic tables, a counter where you order your meat and a back room next door where you can buy Black Label quarts after running the gauntlet of men sitting around on upturned beer crates drinking.
Everyone is friendly, everyone wants to chat, and some of them want to bum a beer or a smoke.
Come to think of it, that guy never did give us a story in exchange, as he said he would.
There's nothing else on the menu; if you want bread you pop down to the spaza on the corner and get it, although once we'd done that they happily made vegetarian Samson some toasted cheese sarmies. A platter of delicious braaied chops and boerewors arrived and everyone tucked in, slapping the meat between slices of soft white bread.
More people joined us and there was still enough to share with the hungry and clearly penniless bloke sitting nearby.
Maybe by the end of the day he eats better than anyone, who knows.
Since it was Saturday the siren call of televised sport dictated the natural conclusion of the visit and the men all went their various ways to watch soccer and rugby. Cape Town's vastly different residential areas and socio-economic conditions are not unique to the city alone, but it's certainly worthwhile to make yourself as aware as possible of all the city's different neighbourhoods. You might be pleasantly surprised.
