Guided Scent Tours in cape town
Uncover the aromatic side of Cape Town with our exclusive Guided Scent Tours. Sniff your way through a sensory exploration around the city that transcends the ordinary sightseeing experience.
Led by an expert forager, perfumer and storyteller, our tours last around 2-3 hours at various locations in and around Cape Town (Atlantic Seaboard and Southern Suburbs).
- Learn about olfaction – our sense of smell – and how it affects our mood and wellbeing.
- Understanding your nose and interpreting the scents around us
- Learn how fragrances are composed and the many materials used in perfumery
- Get acquainted with fragrant fynbos and the stories of indigenous healing herbs
Use the button below for bookings and enquiries or view our event calendar for upcoming public events.
The science of scent
Our guided tours in scent exploration teaches how airborne scent molecules weave into our memories and emotions, providing an intimate connection to the world around us. Our nose is an incredible organ – within the nasal cavity is a small area of specialised tissue called the olfactory epithelium. Containing receptor neurons, it is primarily responsible for acting as a transmitter to our brain as it sends these coded messages received from odorous molecules around our headspace.
The activation of these neurons generates an electrical signal, which is then transmitted to the olfactory bulb, a structure at the base of the brain. It processes the signals and then sends them to different regions of the brain – those that are involved in identifying scents and associating them with past experiences. Scent can have a beneficial effect on your mental wellbeing, as just a whiff of one you enjoy can trigger positive feelings and therefore elevate your mood.
Fynbos – cape town flora
Delve into the heart of Cape Town’s floral kingdom and get acquainted with a number of scented indigenous plants, along with their roles in perfumery, food and medicine. Fynbos – the natural heathland vegetation which occurs in the Western Cape – is a trove of perfumes for the nose. This diverse biome is home to many thousands of different plant species, some having long histories of traditional use owing to their aromatic properties and value in healing.
Crush the leaves of Wild Rosemary (Eriocephalus africanus) and you’ll be greeted with the aroma of something mentholic and camphoraceous on your fingers. When distilled into an essential oil, its fragrance character is revealed as something cooling and water-like with herbaceous top notes, useful for creating a snow accord in perfumery. This plant from the daisy family is just one out of dozens of interesting South African plants that guests meet with Follow Your Nose guided scent tours around Cape Town.
The art of perfumery
Your favourite fragrance is a complex formula containing an array of scent molecules derived from materials both natural and synthetic in origin, in a base of alcohol. Perfumery is a craft that often takes dozens of formulation trials in order to reach the end goal, where the top, middle and base notes can sing together in perfect harmony.
The fragrance wheel is a conceptual diagram that maps out the various olfactive families in relation to each other. At its outer layer are four basic groups from which all fragrances are found in, namely Amber, Floral, Fresh and Woody. Closer to the center of the wheel are sub-families that fall into each of these groups. For example, a fragrance that falls into the Fresh olfactive family might include green (herbaceous) or citrus notes, or a marine accord reminiscent of the ocean.
It’s the role of the perfumer to understand how every material used in perfumery performs, projects and blends differently. Some are light and fleeting, like citrus essential oils, while resins and woods are often used as base notes due to their potency and staying power.
Cape Town has an abundance of interesting perfumery materials, plants and scent stories. Book a guided scent tour and smell your way through the city.
A UNIQUE EXPERIENCE
What is your favourite smell? Why is it your favourite? Modern research is providing evidence that smell can indeed boost our mental health. Our guided scent tours are designed to be therapeutic, informative and educational.