ROBBEN ISLAND

For nearly 400 years, Robben Island, 12 kilometers from Cape Town, was a place of banishment, exile, isolation and imprisonment. It was here that rulers sent those they regarded as political troublemakers, social outcasts and the unwanted of society.

During the apartheid years Robben Island became internationally known for its institutional brutality. The duty of those who ran the Island and its prison was to isolate opponents of apartheid and to crush their morale.

Now, some 10 years later, Robben Island came to symbolize the triumph of the human spirit over enormous hardship and adversity, for both South Africa and the entire world.
The island and the museum take on a roll of teaching all those interested in learning about South Africa’s historical and modern day society, embracing our cultural, ethnic and religious diversity.

THE ROBBEN ISLAND EXPERIENCE
The Robben Island Tour includes:

• The opportunity to explore the many layers of the history of the island through the multi-media exhibitions at the Nelson Mandela Gateway.
• A return boat trip across Table Bay
• A visit to the infamous Maximum Security Prison
• Interaction with an ex-political prisoner
• A 45-minute bus ride with a guide providing commentary (including the quarry mines where prisoners were forced to dig and buildings dating back to the Second World War
The Robben Island Tour is approximately 3.5 hours long, including the two half-hour ferry rides. Ferries depart at 9am, 10am, 12pm, 1pm, 2 pm and 3pm, weather permitting, from the V & A Waterfront in Cape Town.

Terms and Conditions
The Robben Island Tour is provided free of charge to all clients booking 4-star or 5-star accommodation for a minimum of 4 nights through this service.

A maximum of 2 complimentary tours will be granted per booking. (Additional tickets are available on request.)

The tour is subject to availability.

The tour is operated subject to the weather conditions and cannot be guaranteed. If the scheduled tour is cancelled, every effort shall be made to book a later tour, but availability cannot be guaranteed.

The tour fee is non-refundable.