Departure times are generally at 9am, 11am, and 1pm. Ive tried booking the robben island tour for 4 june sat at 9. There are a few free areas but they are usually full. Robben island is set in table bay at the northern end of the cape peninsula on the atlantic coast about 5. Situated just a few kilometers from the waterfront, it was home to. Take a fascinating trip through south africas difficult past on a tour of cape town and robben island, where nelson mandela spent 18 of his 27 years in prison. Please consult government travel advisories before.
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. Weve got 41 tours going to robben island, starting from just 3 days in length, and the longest tour is 293 days. Also preserved as a small museum is the waterfronts jetty 1, the departure point for robben island when it was a prison. The ferry takes approximately 50 minutes to transfer to robben island where you follow the crowd to the buses. To limit the spread of the coronavirus, attractions may be closed or have partial closures. Robben island travel guidebook must visit attractions in. Robben island prison tours honour a legacy of forgiveness. Private tour of robben island cape town central forum. For that particular day only, the trips on the website begin at 1. I went for the tour the one that takes you to see the prison, mandelas cell etc and there was no mention of this. This is what i received in a message reply from a visitor who used capescape for the robben island tour in aug 2015.
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. My daughter telephoned the booking office and they confirmed that all babies are charged the same as a 17year old as they take up a seat which of course is toltlly untrue. Things to do in cape town and everything you need to know about robben island, the attractions, history and information for visitors, tourists and residents. The most popular month to go is november, which has the most number of tour departures. The tour includes a return trip, for more info visit za tickets are not transferable. Positive id will be checked against all ticket details for access. A 2008 audit revealed years of pilfering from the gift shop till, fuel siphoned from the ferry and huge rises in managers salaries. 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. During this time, your guide will tell you all about its history and ecology, including its use. I am not sure if you can wander on your own after alighting from the ferry. Welcome to robben island, south africa home to the infamous prison where nelson mandela spent 18 of his 27 years, along with over 3,000 political prisone.
Other operators advertise robben island tours but just take visitors on a boat trip around the island. View his prison cell, learn about the dramatic history of the island and south africa from a former political robben island prisoner. Its most famous resident was nelson mandela children under 4 come for free, but must be included in the booking. A trip to the island is an unforgettable experience and offers a glimpse into the life and times of the apartheid era. Robben island is quite rightfully a unesco world heritage site. South africa, exploring historic robben island s prison and nelson mandelas cell duration. Even if you dont plan a visit to the island, its worth dropping by the free museum at the nelson mandela gateway, with its focus on the struggle for equality.
A return boat trip across table bay a visit to the. In times of apartheid which was a dark time for the continent, with slavery and discriminatory practices being rampant in the place, the place was used as a. 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. The trip across table bay to robben island takes approximately 30 minutes. The importance of the site lies in its role in the history of not just south africa but the entire continent of africa. 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. My children are out from the uk on holiday and i booked them to go to robben island tomorrow. 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. Visit the district six museum to get an indepth look at the troubling history of apartheid in south africa, and see how that system still impacts modern life in townships like langa. Its buildings, particularly those of the late 20th century. Robben island attraction travel guidebook, cape town mustvisit attractions.
When tickets need to be booked ahead, because they sell out in advance, you might find yourself in a pickle. Enjoy a seabreezing trip to the island on one of the dedicated ferries before exploring the history that is dictated on the island. Since 1997 it has been a museum and a heritage site. Robben island, island in table bay, western cape province, south africa. 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. Featuring fitness center, a sun terrace with a swimming pool and a bar, the silo hotel is located in cape town, a 9minute walk from robben island ferry and 1. 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.
The tour includes a return trip, for more info visit za. These information answers detailedly about what to visit in cape town. Children under 2 enter for free with a presentation of a birth certificate. Robben island gallery unesco world heritage centre. My trip to robben island cape town south africa youtube. Failure to produce corresponding proof will result in full price being charged. My first robben island trip got cancelled, due to bad weather conditions. Robben islands most poignant period was the late 20th century, when the facility was used as a maximum security prison for political prisoners of south africas apartheid regime. Robben island museum is a testament of the triumph of the human spirit over adversity. 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. Robben island was used at various times between the 17th and 20th centuries as a prison, a hospital for socially unacceptable groups and a military base.
Cape town robben island ferry trip and guided prison. These days, a trip to robben island, a unesco world heritage site, is a mustdo on the itinerary of any. My grandson is just 5 months old and when booking child price 0 17 was r 180. Robben island standard tour the standard tour to robben island is 3. The trip begins with an hourlong bus tour of the island.
Penguins on robben island south africa lonely planet. It takes its name from the dutch word for seals robben, hence the dutchafrikaans name robbeneiland which translates to seals island. Robben island is a small landmass located just seven kilometres four miles off the coast of cape town, in table bay. Robben island, a desolate outcropping five miles offshore, is a testament to courage and fortitude in the face of brutality, a mustsee for any visitor to south africa. Trip type half day robben island full day cape peninsula cape town langa township district six team building educational school tours table mountain table mountain tour location. Robben island is situated 11km seven miles north of cape town harbour. Robben island has faced repeated management crises. It was established by the department of arts and culture in 1997. As a result of the reconciliation process, most tour guides are former political prisoners. Description today when i look at robben island, i see it as a celebration of the struggle and a symbol of the finest qualities of the human spirit, rather than as a monument to the brutal tyranny and oppression of apartheid. Trip to robben island cape town, south africa youtube.
Robben island childhood memories of growing up there. There is a massive amount of undercover parking at the waterfront. Luckily my guesthouse hostess is the best weather forecaster ever, so i booked a new ticket for a trip in two days, and the weather was perfect. Amazing architecture, great location, stunning views. Robben island tours and times things to do in cape town. Vic stefanu world travels and adventures 31,242 views 18.
Else, there are penguins at boulders, south of capetown. It is the notorious island prison where thousands of political prisoners were incarcerated between 1961 and 1991 for campaigning against apartheid. Once aboard the bus, we had a lovely tour guide called alan. Many exinmates of the prison, including president mandela, see the island as a special place.
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