Getting there
The transfer, honestly: pickup times, De Waterkant, and what goes wrong
Hotel pickup is included on this booking — and it is also the one part of the evening reviewers most often complain about. Here is how to make it go smoothly.
See African dinner & drumming tickets on GetYourGuide ↗Transfer at a glance
| Detail | |
|---|---|
| Pickup window | About 5:30pm to 6:20pm, depending on where you stay |
| Confirmed | On the day, usually by WhatsApp |
| Where to wait | Reception or main entrance, not your room |
| Drumming starts | 6:30pm — the part late arrivals miss |
| Return | Drop-off included on this booking |
How the pickup is meant to work
On the listing this site is built around, hotel pickup and drop-off are included. The operator reconfirms your pickup time on the day, usually by WhatsApp, and asks you to be ready between roughly 5:30pm and 6:20pm depending on where you are staying. Your driver collects you from the reception area or main entrance of your accommodation rather than calling up to your room, so being visible at the front at the start of your window is the single most useful thing you can do.
What actually goes wrong
Read enough reviews of this evening and one theme recurs: transfer timing. Drivers arriving at the early end of the window and not waiting long, and guests waiting to be collected after the meal, are both mentioned by travellers who otherwise rated the night highly. The operator responds to these publicly and asks guests to contact their office if a driver cannot be reached — which is only useful if you have saved the number before the evening starts.
The practical checklist
Save the operator's contact details when your booking confirms. Be downstairs at the start of the window rather than the end. Keep your phone on and watch for the WhatsApp confirmation on the day. If nothing has arrived by the end of your window, call rather than wait — the drumming starts at 6:30pm whether or not you are in the room, and it is the part of the evening people are most disappointed to miss.
Making your own way instead
Some listings for the same evening do not include a transfer, and some travellers prefer to arrive independently. GOLD Restaurant is at 15 Bennett Street in De Waterkant, near the corner of Prestwich Street and opposite the MyCiTi bus depot, a short ride from most city-centre accommodation. If you go this route, aim to be seated before 6:30pm, and check the inclusions on your listing so you are not expecting a car that was never part of your booking.
Why the return leg matters
The evening finishes after dark in a part of the city most visitors do not know, which is the practical case for taking the option with the transfer included rather than planning to sort out a ride at the end of a long, loud dinner. Drop-off back at your accommodation is part of this booking, and it removes the one decision nobody wants to be making at the end of the night.