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. Check out the best tours and activities to experience robben island. Visiting robben island on a tour from cape town why i wanted to visit robben island. The tour commences with a ferry trip across the bay to robben island weather permitting. For centuries it was used as a penal colony, primarily for political prisoners. The running of these ferries does depend on the weather. Do you need to book in advance to visit robben island museum. The busload of tourists on robben island grew quiet as yasien mohamed, our 63yearold guide, gestured to a bleak limestone quarry on the side of the road. 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. A trip to robben island from cape town go live young. The tour includes a return trip, for more info visit za tickets are not transferable. Robben island boat trip and museum tour is one of the most popular tourist attractions in south africa and is likely to sell out in advance. So rich in history, it is a must do tour but book in advance online much easier.
The tour includes a return trip, for more info visit. When i pleaded they were kindly able to get me a spot the next day. Half day robben island tour take a boat trip to robben island accompanied by your guide weather permitting. 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. Things to do in cape town and everything you need to know about robben island, the attractions, history and.
Sailing along the atlantic ocean with the wind in your hair and the sun warming your. It was established by the department of arts and culture in 1997. Also do not expect much in terms of information the bus tour guide and guides in the. One of south africas most famous sights, robben island is located four miles to the west of cape town. Book your tickets online for robben island museum, cape town central. Spend some time checking out victoria and alfred waterfront, which is 7. Book flights and browse accommodation now to get the best rates. A visit to big bay beach is worth the trip when youre visiting. Children under 2 enter for free with a presentation of a birth certificate. 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. 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.
Since the city was founded back in the 17th century, this. Secure your shared boat trip and museum tour tickets and skip the ticketing line by booking this tour and receiving return transfers between your hotel and the nelson mandela gateway to robben island. A robben island boat cruise in cape town is not to be missed when visiting the mother city. Enjoy a bus ride around the island, then learn about the. Anouk is a travel writer, editor, and agent raised in malawi and kenya with more than 15 years of experience working in the african travel industry. Travel to robben island by ferry and visit the famous prison where nelson mandela spent many years. These days, a trip to robben island, a unesco world heritage site, is a mustdo on the. Review of the halfday robben island tour from cape town. Being a local south african never having visited robben island i made a special trip to do this tour. For centuries, however, the trip was one to be feared.
No tour of cape town is complete without a trip to table mountain, the flattopped mountain overlooking cape town. Situated just a few kilometers from the waterfront, it was home to. While youre in town visiting robben island, you can discover the sights within a few miles of the area. Robben island tour prices, entrance fees 2018 updated. 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. Cape town robben island ferry trip and guided prison. Best waterfront boat trips cape town prices 2020 tickets.
Robben island tour the guard tower that stands imposingly over the prison. Book your robben island tickets online and skiptheline. 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. The island is synonymous with our former president, nelson mandela, who was incarcerated here for 18 years for his unwavering stance a.
Book your township tour now to receive guaranteed robben island tickets. A brief history of robben island, cape town culture trip. The robben island entrance fee via a boat has been categorised into two. Robben island, including its buffer zone, is a national heritage site and unesco has listed the island as a world heritage site. Also, if you book your robben island vacation package in cape town with travelocity, youll get access to our best travel discounts. 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. Robben island s standard tour comprises of a ferry return trip, transport on the island, a guided island tour and a guided prison tour. Robben island was a prison until 1996 when it was decided that it would better serve as a place of remembrance and education. Robben island tours and times things to do in cape town.
But we cannot deny the fact that for centuries, this trip is still now the one. Today it is a world heritage site and museum, a poignant reminder to the newly democratic south africa and of the price paid for freedom. Today, tourists and locals alike can tour robben island and give themselves the opportunity to experience a part of south africas history. Robben island s allure lies in its rich and wretched history.
These days, a trip to robben island, a unesco world heritage site, is a must do on the. Robben island, table mountain and cape town city private day tour 11. Located in cape town s table bay, robben island is one of south africa s top historical attractions. Its name is the dutch word for seals, once plentiful in the surrounding waters. Book cape town robben island hotels and get the lowest price guranteed by trip. If you leave it for next year, visitors are being reminded that annual increase will come into effect from 01 june 2020. Failure to produce corresponding proof will result in full price being charged. Since 1997 it has been a museum and a heritage site. The gates close 10 minutes prior departure, so make sure that you arrive early.
Whatever time of year you choose to visit robben island in cape town, its always a good idea to reserve a package deal. Theres just one ticket which includes the ferry ride and the robben island tour price. Robben island museum, cape town central tripadvisor. Robben island ferry and prison tour for nonsa citizens cape. Robben island or robbeneiland afrikaans is an island in south africa, located off cape town, 6. The trip will take about three and a half hours, including the return trip and a tour of the island. Robben island, island in table bay, western cape province, south africa. Make sure you book your tour in advance, because tickets could easily sell out for the day. Robben island is accessible to visitors through tours that depart from cape towns waterfront. Robben island fees robben island in cape town entry tickets. Robben island announces price increase for 2020 traveller24. 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. These days, a trip to robben island, a unesco world heritage site, is a mustdo on the itinerary of any tourist to cape town. Also preserved as a small museum is the waterfronts jetty 1, the departure point for robben island when it was a prison.
Here we will discuss a variety of ways to visit the island by ferry and even by helicopter. The famous robben island, whose prison was once home to former south african president nelson mandela as well as many other black political freedom fighters, is now a world heritage site and provides stunning views across the bay with table mountain as its backdrop. Tickets often sell out, so its advisable to book in advance or make arrangements with a local tour operator. City, table mountain and robben island by cape town day.
The tour itself takes about threeandahalf hours from start to finish, including the ferry trips from the mainland and. 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. Top 10 hotels closest to robben island in cape town from. 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. For adults, the normal ferry trip costs r360 while for children it costs r200. Robben island is a small landmass located just seven kilometres four miles off the coast of cape town, in table bay. From the 17th to the 20th centuries, robben island served as a place of banishment, isolation and imprisonment.
Join us on this guided, tenhour tour and combine a trip to the mountain with a threehour tour of robben island, where nelson mandela was imprisioned. 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. 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, a world heritage site, celebrates the triumph of the human spirit over great adversity. 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.
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