Robben island tours and times things to do in cape town. Robben island is accessible to visitors through tours that depart from cape towns waterfront. A day trip to robben island, which is now a unesco world heritage site, it must include in the itinerary for any traveler to cape town. Alan had a good sense of humour and gave us an insight into the history of robben island as well as how robben island functions today. It was a training and defence station in world war ii 19391945 and a hospital for people with leprosy, and the mentally and chronically ill 18461931.
Visiting robben island on a tour from cape town stoked to. When i pleaded they were kindly able to get me a spot the next day. Itinerarythis is a typical itinerary for this productstop at. When leaving cape town for robben island make a point of catching the panoramic views of the mother city from the ferry. May 04, 2018 when leaving cape town for robben island make a point of catching the panoramic views of the mother city from the ferry. Make sure you book your tour in advance, because tickets could easily sell out for the day. The ferry takes approximately 50 minutes to transfer to robben island where you follow the crowd to the buses.
The standard tours, which have set departure and return times, include a walk through the old prison with the obligatory peek into mandelas cell, as well as a 45minute bus ride around the island with commentary on the various places of note, such as the lime quarry in which mandela and many others did hard labour, the little house where robert sobukwe, leader of the panafricanist. The island is a unesco world heritage site and has served as a whaling station, a leper colony and most notably as a prison, where south africas nelson mandela spent 18 years of his 27 years of incarceration before being elected as the countrys first democratic. Nelson mandela spent much of his 27year sentence exiled to this island just off cape town, and the onceforeboding prison has been transformed into a thoughtprovoking museum. From what we have read, robben island has a long and fascinating history, but the trip focussed on a very small part of that history. Disembarking at murrays bay harbour, you will enjoy a bus tour of the island. Robben island, a world heritage site, celebrates the triumph of the human spirit over great adversity. Robben island museum rim is a public entity responsible for managing, maintaining, presenting, developing and marketing robben island as a national estate and world heritage site. We start out tour with a visit to robben island robben island tickets where we join a guided tour conducted by a former political prisoner of the island s prison. Robben island museum rim will apply a r50 increase on international tour prices and only a r20 increase on local tour prices. The experience was great from the ticket sales to the ferry ride and the crew on the ferry madiba 1 comfortable friendly crew fast the tour was good and the guide really told a great story great experience the wa. Inscribed on unescos world heritage list in 1999, robben island is known for being used as a prison, leprosarium, psychiatric hospital and. Cape town robben island ferry trip and guided prison.
We recommend booking robben island museum tours ahead of time to secure your spot. One of south africas most famous sights, robben island is located four miles to the west of cape town. Enjoy your private tour at your own pace and leisure. Book your robben island tickets online and skiptheline. If you book with tripadvisor, you can cancel up to 24 hours before your tour starts for a full refund. You can expect the tour including the trips to and from the island to last about threeand a half hours. It takes its name from the dutch word for seals robben, hence the dutchafrikaans name robbeneiland which translates to seals island. Visiting robben island on a tour from cape town stoked. The island is synonymous with our former president, nelson mandela, who was incarcerated here for 18. Situated just a few kilometers from the waterfront, it was home to nelson mandela for almost 20 years. Gates close 10 minutes prior to boarding, so it is best to arrive early. Book your tickets online for robben island museum, cape town central.
The island also served as a leper colony and mental hospital between 1846 and 1931. We therefore start this exciting table mountain and robben island tour with a trip to the most iconic landmark of them all, table mountain. Book a flight around majestic robben island nac helicopters. Duiker island is an excellent trip, sailing from the pier in hout bay at a cost of 75100 rand it is a one hour trip to see the seals in their natural habitat. The journey takes around 30 minutes, giving you plenty of time to admire spectacular views of cape town and table mountain and to look for the whales, dolphins, penguins and fur seals that inhabit table bay. The leader in online ticket sales in south africa since 2007. Take a shared boat trip to robben island museum and explore the island where former south african president nelson mandela was held as a political prisoner for 18years. Today, tourists and locals alike can tour robben island and give themselves the opportunity to experience a part of south africas history. Oct 12, 2018 a trip to robben island is a sombre and thought provoking experience. Here we will discuss a variety of ways to visit the island by ferry and even by helicopter. Africa afrika cabs and tours, cape town central, western capefor nearly 400 years, robben island, about 12 kilometres from cape town, was a place of exile where rulers sent those they regarded as. Robben island south africa history and gripping facts. Robben island tickets you can book your tickets for the tour by using.
On our way there we got lucky as our ferry was a big modern boat where you could both sit on the deck and inside. The crossing can be quite rough, so those that suffer from. The tour includes a return trip, for more info visit za tickets are not transferable. You can expect the tour including the trips to and from the island to last about threeandahalf hours. Forecasts are not necessarily reliable here as i experienced when i visited. Today, the island is a unesco world heritage site and museum, offering guided tours by former. Tours of robben island depart several times daily from the nelson mandela gateway at the victoria and alfred waterfront. Robben island boat trip and hotel pickup this is the standard robben island ferry and tour of the museum, with the luxury of a hotel pickup included. Do you need to book in advance to visit robben island museum. Robben island cape town, south africa attractions lonely. Robben island, the unique symbol of the triumph of the human spirit over adversity, suffering and injustice with a rich 500 year old multilayered.
Robben island announces price increase for 2020 traveller24. Cape town robben island ferry trip and guided prison tour. Voted one of the new 7 wonders of nature and an iconic gem of the cape town skyline, table mountain is a definite mustsee on any trip to cape town. The island had long been used as a prison by successive colonial powers dutch and british, and e. Daily tours to the island include the ferry trip there and back, an island tour and a tour of the prison with a fomer political prisoner as your guide.
Once aboard the bus, we had a lovely tour guide called alan. Oct 23, 2017 the robben island boat trip lasts about an hour and can get a bit shaky. Dont miss out on great deals for things to do on your trip to cape town. Review of the halfday robben island tour from cape town. Its history as a prison is almost as old as the first dutch settlement on the cape, dating all the way back to the 17th century. Visiting robben island on a tour from cape town why i wanted to visit robben island. Children under 2 enter for free with a presentation of a birth certificate. Book flights and browse accommodation now to get the best rates. See all 95 robben island museum tours on tripadvisor. Nov 28, 2018 you can also avail the guided bus tour service which is available for the visitors from the islands main jetty where the ferry deboards the passengers. View his prison cell, learn about the dramatic history of the island and south africa from a former political robben island prisoner.
Robben island ticket prices are r340 for adults and r190 for youngsters under 18. A designated tour guide will point out important buildings and sites explaining some of the islands history en route. This is the standard robben island ferry and tour of the museum, with the luxury of a hotel pickup included. Used as a leper colony in the 1800s, it later became an infamous prison where former south african president nelson mandela was jailed for 18 years during apartheid.
Since 1997 it has been a museum and a heritage site. This is also the location where the ferry will depart. Please consult government travel advisories before booking. Whilst my knowledge of apartheid is reasonable thanks to my university degree in international politics, nothing can compare to learning and experiencing history firsthand in south africa. Robben island one of south africas most respected heritage sites, robben island which means seal island in dutch is central to the countrys history. Robben island is a small landmass located just seven kilometres four miles off the coast of cape town, in table bay. Robben island museum, cape town central tripadvisor. The standard tours, which have set departure and return times, include a walk through the old prison with the obligatory peek into mandelas cell, as well as a 45minute bus ride around the island with commentary on the various places of note, such as the lime quarry in which mandela and many others did hard labour, the little house where robert sobukwe, leader of the pan. Robben island tour prices, entrance fees 2018 updated. Inscribed on unescos world heritage list in 1999, robben island is known for being used as a prison, leprosarium, psychiatric hospital and military defence post. The best south africa islands with photos tripadvisor. These days, a trip to robben island, a unesco world heritage site, is a must do on the. A wonderful tour of robben island, a trip up table mountain and a historical city tour begin your day with a boat based trip to robben island. A trip to robben island from cape town go live young.
Robben island or robbeneiland afrikaans is an island in south africa, located off cape town, 6. Allow three and a half hours for the trip this includes the 12 hour ferry trip each way and book in advance. A trip to robben island is a sombre and thought provoking experience. Reductions on the ticket price are available for children under 18 years. When you are out for a vacation to cape town then robben island is a must to visit spot for you without which a significant part of cape town history will remain unknown to you. Tickets for the tours sell out fast so book a few weeks prior to the day of your intended trip and be sure to arrive at the ferry at least half an hour before departure. Capetownsouthafrica tour robben island, table mountain. Its name is the dutch word for seals, once plentiful in the surrounding waters. There isnt anything to entertain children on the island. I did pre book robben island all of the boats were cancelled the day i booked and i was offered an immediate refund, as they had no open spots until weeks after i was leaving cape town. Robben island, including its buffer zone, is a national heritage site and unesco has listed the island as a world heritage site.
It was established by the department of arts and culture in 1997. Worth it for the views of cape town from the water alone. But we cannot deny the fact that for centuries, this. Robben island museum cape town central, south africa. Our boys were 8, 10 and 12 when we visited robben island and they were fine with the. It is 5 miles 8 km west of the mainland and 6 miles 10 km north of cape town and has an approximate area of 5 square miles square km. Robben island, island in table bay, western cape province, south africa. Your local professional tour guide will introduce you to the wonders of the robben island, the city and table mountain. Check out the best tours and activities to experience robben island.
Robben island tour cape town, south africa activities. If youre staying in cape town for several days, try and get on a robben island tour at the earliest opportunity, as you cant be 100% sure that sudden changes in the weather wont rule it out later. Robben islands standard tour comprises of a ferry return trip, transport on the island, a guided island tour and a guided prison tour. Tours last for approximately 4 hours, including the round trip on the ferry, a visit to the maximumsecurity prison and the guided bus tour. Boat trip to robben island is the most preferred one and people love this when on a vacation. Nov 29, 2018 robben island, including its buffer zone, is a national heritage site and unesco has listed the island as a world heritage site. Robben island dark tourism the guide to dark travel. The tour includes a return trip, for more info visit. Enjoy a seabreezing trip to the island on one of the dedicated ferries before exploring the history that is dictated on the island. We therefore start this exciting table mountain and robben island tour with a trip to the most iconic landmark of.
Failure to produce corresponding proof will result in full price being charged. But it gained its greatest notoriety during the apartheid years, esp. Our boys were 8, 10 and 12 when we visited robben island and they were fine with the visit. The island is a unesco world heritage site and has served as a whaling station, a leper colony and most notably as a prison, where south africas nelson mandela spent 18 years of his 27 years of incarceration before being elected as the countrys first democratic president. Mar 29, 2018 view on robben island from table mountain.
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