Robben island is a small landmass located just seven kilometres four miles off the coast of cape town, in table bay. A trip to robben island is a sombre and thought provoking experience. Cultural visit and robben island tour full day african. Visit district 6 museum proceed to the robben island gateway to board the boat to robben island arrive at the nelson mandela gateway board the boat with many other customers 30 minute boat ride to the island walk to the buses guide will be on the bus 30 minute ride around the island walk around the prison, see nelson mandelas cell ex prisoner will do a guided tour in the prison return for 30. Gates close 10 minutes prior to boarding, so it is best to arrive early. Visit different townships around cape town and witness the aftereffects of the struggles of apartheid before hopping on a ferry to robben island and discovering the story of one of the men who played a vital role in overcoming the social injustice.
Secure a ticket for the ferry to robben island and visit the prison where nelson mandela was kept during apartheid. I had been told about the infestation of rabbits on the island. 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. City, table mountain and robben island by cape town day. A special tour with 10 highlights and 5 stops is also available and it needs the adults to pay r1050 and children below 12 years of age to pay r600 for the tickets. 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. Make sure you book your tour in advance, because tickets could easily sell out for the day. A visit to robben island the travels of bbqboy and spanky. The robben island shakespeare folger shakespeare library. Used for isolating political prisoners since the 17th century, the. Also, if you book your robben island vacation package in cape town with travelocity, youll get access to our best travel discounts. Travel to robben island by ferry and visit the famous prison where nelson mandela spent many years. Robben island robbeneiland dutch for seal island was home to one of the most notorious prisons in south africa, in use since dutch settlers came to the country at the end of the 17th century.
Enjoy a bus ride around the island, then learn about the dramatic history of south africa through the words of a former prisoner on a tour of the prison. 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 main attraction of robben island prison is the prison cell, where nelson mandela spent 18 years behind bars. Since 1997 it has been a museum and a heritage site. Cape town has millions of people living in townships, and this tour takes you to visit them and offers an opportunity to find out about their harsh past, to witness the challenges. For adults, the normal ferry trip costs r360 while for children it costs r200. Robben island museum tickets are known to sell out fast, and sameday tickets may not be available. Book in advance tours to robben island sometimes sell out months in advance, so its highly recommended to book your tickets in advance. Failure to produce corresponding proof will result in full price being charged. 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. Our boys were 8, 10 and 12 when we visited robben island and they were fine with the.
If you buy tickets for robben island tours in time, chances are that you might get robben island ticket prices at discounted rates. Book visit robben island and dine with a local south. A ilha robben, onde nelson mandela o primeiro presidente da africa do sul eleito. It takes its name from the dutch word for seals robben, hence the dutchafrikaans name robbeneiland which translates to seals island. Visit the world heritage site of robben island museum, a spit of land just off the cape town coast. The tour includes a return trip, for more info visit. From 17th to the 20th centuries the island was an isolation and banishment for the south african government. Getting tickets for robben island was never that easy. A trip to robben island from cape town go live young. City, table mountain and robben island by cape town day tours. Learn more about the prisons history and the plight of the prisoners from your guide, a former political prisoner with a wealth of information to share. It is the epitome, a powerful, terrible example of the some of the worst aspects of apartheid. But we cannot deny the fact that for centuries, this trip is still now the one.
Tours of robben island depart several times daily from the nelson mandela gateway at the victoria and alfred waterfront. And this is also how our tour ended with a visit to nelson mandelas cell. The author does a remarkable job of describing the creation of the robben island makana football league. Whatever time of year you choose to visit robben island in cape town, its always a good idea to reserve a package deal.
Learn how the island was used to seclude freedom fighters and south african presidents such as nelson mandela, kgalema motlanthe and jacob zuma. President obama wrote in a guest book that his family were deeply humbled to visit the jail. From robben island tickets to transport, we arrange everything for you. This is one of the reasons why the robben island is so popular around the globe.
Why you need to visit robben island uniglobe lgi travel. Tours last for approximately 4 hours, including the round trip on the ferry, a visit to the maximumsecurity prison and the guided bus tour. The crossing can be quite rough, so those that suffer from. Learn about the dramatic history of south africa through the voice of one of the former prisoners. A visit to robben island is a sombre and sobering event. The islands main claim to fame is rather unfortunateit includes the prison in which nelson mandela served much of his sentence. The tour includes a return trip, for more info visit za tickets are not transferable. 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. By the end of the visit, i found the cell itself to be just a tiny part of the overall robben island visit, as i experienced it. The robben island entrance fee via a boat has been categorised into two. Visiting robben island on a tour from cape town stoked to.
Oh yeah, during the busy period you really need to book in advance. A special tour with 10 highlights and 5 stops is also available and it needs the adults to pay r1050 and children below 12 years of age to pay r600. The tour of robben island incudes a nostalgic stop at the cell of this worldfamous leader, which has been preserved in the same condition as it was while he was staying in the facility. I was 11 years old when nelson mandela was released from prison by the way.
Visit robben island museum on your trip to cape town central. The tour of robben island incudes a nostalgic stop at the cell of this worldfamous leader, which has. Review of the halfday robben island tour from cape town. 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. Also, visit the popular attractions in the city by following cape town itinerary 2 days. Fortunately, visiting robben island is a straightforward experience. 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. Your post is an excellent reflection of what robben island was, is all about. Visiting robben island on a tour from cape town why i wanted to visit robben island. It was a sunny day when we headed to the cape town waterfront to catch the boat to robben island for our halfday robben island tour. If you book with tripadvisor, you can cancel up to 24 hours before your tour starts for a full refund.
While travelling across to robben island, you will have fantastic views of cape town and table mountain. Robben island tickets you can book your tickets for the tour by using. Children under 2 enter for free with a presentation of a birth certificate. Nov 28, 2018 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.
Reductions on the ticket price are available for children under 18 years. December is a beautiful time in the city but can get very windy so i would say definitely book robben island early in the morning so that the waters are calmer. The valiant never taste of death but once was recorded and edited by richard paul. Robben island compare tickets and tours from different.
And thats what i think is such a pity so many people want to visit robben island because its such an important site but then they probably dont get the experience they were hoping. A visit to robben island, the brutal prison that held mandela. When i pleaded they were kindly able to get me a spot the next day. Mar 29, 2018 make sure you book your tour in advance, because tickets could easily sell out for the day. Oct 23, 2017 it was a sunny day when we headed to the cape town waterfront to catch the boat to robben island for our halfday robben island tour. The former prison, which is famous for imprisoning nelson mandela for 18 years, has been a museum since 1997 and a unesco world heritage site since 1999. Below is a list of reason why you need to visit the island. It was established by the department of arts and culture in 1997. The 45 minute ferry crossing also offers spectacular views over table bay. This island became one of the most recognisable prisons in the world due to the 18year incarceration of nelson mandela in this facility. Visit robben island, known for its maximum security prison and for being a home to socially unacceptable groups over the past 500 years, for a tour of the manmade facilities. Camps bay, sea point, green point, city centre cbd, gardens, tamboerskloof, oranjezicht, woodstock. Robben island fees robben island in cape town entry tickets. Then do table mountain the day you do the red route on the hoho and do it first thing in the morning.
Robben island or robbeneiland afrikaans is an island in south africa, located off cape town, 6. Most people who come to visit the island look forward to this more than anything else. Once purchased, youll receive booking confirmation from the tour operator. 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. This is also the location where the ferry will depart. We recommend booking etickets tickets ahead of time to secure your spot. This book provides great insight into the harsh treatment the prisoners of robben island were subjected too and how football gave them hope. The island s main claim to fame is rather unfortunateit includes the prison in which nelson mandela served much of his sentence. 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. Wed visit the place which once held prisoners of the apartheid regime in south africa nelson mandela being the most famous among them. You can expect the tour including the trips to and from the island to last about threeandahalf hours.
Robben island tours and times things to do in cape town. Visiting robben island on a tour from cape town stoked. It also encompasses a visit to robben island, which was once a leper colony and a prison. 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. His book about the robben island shakespeare, titled hamlets dreams, is available from continuum. Robben island, cape town ticket price timings address. Robben island museum, cape town central tripadvisor.
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