Cape Town, South Africa. Sunshine, murals, and a deep blue building shouting from the hillside. That’s Villa Viva Cape Town, a hostel, a creative hub and a social movement rolled into one. The best part? Every night’s sleep helps someone else get access to clean water.No donation jars. No guilt trips. Just art, festivals, football matches and parties that support Viva con Agua, the non-profit running clean-water projects from South Africa to Nepal. It’s activism that actually feels fun, the kind you stumble into between a braai and a jam session.
Sleep here, fund clean water
It all starts with the majority owner of the hostel, Viva con Agua, an organisation that’s been improving access to clean drinking water and sanitation since 2006. Think wells, sanitation systems and hygiene education across countries like Uganda, Nepal and South Africa.
We chatted with Moritz Wrubel, the co-founder of Villa Viva in Cape Town, to hear more about how they combine a hostel that brings people together under one big idea “water for all – all for water!”
“Viva con Agua has always believed that social impact should be something joyful and open. The idea of the hostel was to create a place where this comes to life every single day,” Moritz tells.
Most of the profits flow straight into Viva con Agua’s clean water projects. But the real magic? Every guest becomes a part of a movement – sharing stories, sketching ideas and creating together.
A village inside the city
You can’t miss it: a deep blue building in the heart and hustle of Cape Town just below the historical community of BoKaap. You won’t get bored here, just check out what Villa Viva offers:
Courtyards, community spaces, a pool with a view of the Table Mountain, a bar, a media corner and a space for artists – it really feels like a small village. Each room is named after freedom fighters, musicians, artists or activists, decorated with books, pictures, and information on their story.
Villa Viva Cape Town walks the talk on environmental sustainability, too. Solar panels power the hostel. A natural spring provides much of the water. They keep waste low, energy use smart, and creativity high.
Hostel with a heartbeat
Morning yoga in the garden. Coffee with a stranger who becomes your hiking buddy for the day. By afternoon, someone’s hosting a painting workshop, and by night you’re at a braai with travellers, locals and musicians who might’ve met just when the grill was started.
“Our guests all seem to share the same spark for connection,” Moritz says. Travellers, artists, NGO partners, digital nomads and curious locals all gather at Villa Viva.
Moritz says that one guest came for a short Cape Town trip for a bit of sunshine and hiking. “One evening at dinner, she met a group of Viva con Agua volunteers preparing an art project in a local township. She tagged along the next day and ended up staying three extra weeks painting murals with the team.”
Why should you care?
Here’s the sobering bit: 703 million people worldwide do not have access to basic services of clean drinking water, and almost 2 billion people don’t have assured access to hygiene facilities.
Villa Viva has turned travel truly into a part of the solution. Not just ticking off landmarks, but connecting with people, and leaving a place better than you found it.
Moritz’s favourite tips for Cape Town off the beaten path
“Cape Town reveals itself through people, not postcards,” Moritz says. Check out his favourite spots to see in Cape Town:
- Check out the Lion’s Head mountain at sunrise or full moon – for a reminder of how vast and alive the city is. It’s a 2-hour hike!
- Go to the neighbourhood of Woodstock – for street art and conversations with local artists.
- Visit the Langa township, one of the centres of Apartheid resistance. Choose a community tour that is really an exchange where you learn as much as you give. Extra: Visit also the music NGO called Bridges for Music.
- Any night shared around a braai, where stories and laughter flow!
Get involved
Book your stay at a Villa Viva, sustainable hostel in Cape Town: meet the crew, enjoy the events – and maybe join one of their local projects. Every connection counts, and every night helps fund clean water for those who need it.
See how Viva con Agua started in South Africa
