Township tour including visit to robben island book online. Return ferry tickets including bus tour on the island r550 per person. 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. Robben island compare tickets and tours from different. One of south africas most respected heritage sites, robben island which means seal island in dutch is central to the countrys history. Robben island tour prices, entrance fees 2018 updated.
These days, a trip to robben island, a unesco world heritage site, is a must do on the. 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. It was established by the department of arts and culture in 1997. From robben island tickets to transport, we arrange everything for you. Since 1997 it has been a museum and a heritage site. Depending on the time and budget you have available, you may want to simply tick off the island, or expand on its learnings and visit the surrounding townships in cape town. Township tour including visit to robben island this intimate interactive tour will expose you to some of cape towns multicultural life. Robben island is set in table bay at the northern end of the cape peninsula on the atlantic coast about 5. A tour manager will then be in contact with you to confirm requests.
Although you can explore this attraction on your own, it is always better to book tickets for robben island tours with us for a better experience. When i pleaded they were kindly able to get me a spot the next day. If you book or buy something through these links, i earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Children under 2 enter for free with a presentation of a birth certificate. For about one hundred years robben island became a quarantine station with a hospital for lepers and the insane. Tickets often sell out, so its advisable to book in advance or make arrangements with a local tour operator. Robben island a brief history south africa travel news.
Book in advance tours to robben island sometimes sell out months in advance, so its highly recommended to book your tickets in advance. If you want to book directly with the island, then go to this site. During this time there was little medical help for people who were chronically ill, so the island was put in use to house the chronically ill as well. Today, tourists and locals alike can tour robben island and give themselves the opportunity to experience a part of south africas history.
The island environment is a natural haven to a wide variety of wildlife and a manmade. This is one of the most significant historic tours you will experience on your journey to cape town, south africa. 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. The tour usually ends with a visit to nelson mandelas cell. Book your helicopter tour now nac helicopters cape town. 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. It is not for the buildings that tourists make the pilgrimage to robben island. The tour includes a return trip, for more info visit. See all 95 robben island museum tours on tripadvisor. Today, the island is a unesco world heritage site and museum, offering guided tours by former. Yup, i have affiliate links on this blog and there may be some in this amazing and completely free content below. Alternatively, if you are really pressed for time, you can take a scenic helicopter ride over the island.
One of south africas most famous sights, robben island is located four miles to the west of cape town. They are mostly empty, husks leftover from the old days. View his prison cell, learn about the dramatic history of the island and south africa from a former political robben island prisoner. Visiting robben island on a tour from cape town why i wanted to visit robben island. 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. Review of the halfday robben island tour from cape town. Book your tickets online for robben island museum, cape town central. Book your robben island tickets online and skiptheline.
Robben island tour robben island tour explore an important part of south africas history while surveying stunning scenery explore important info. Visiting robben island on a tour from cape town stoked. 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. Things to do in cape town and everything you need to know about robben island, the attractions, history and. The excursion includes a return ferry to the island, a bus tour on the island and of the prison. If you book other tours with us, we can include your trip to the island in the itinerary. Home africa tours south africa tours cape town tours sightseeing. Do you need to book in advance to visit robben island museum. The robben island portion will be subject to the availability of robben island tickets at time of.
Departure times are generally at 9am, 11am, and 1pm. Very easy to book through and quick and efficient read more. 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. This is the notorious island prison that held the late south african president and nobel peace prize winner, nelson mandela. Robben island tours and times things to do in cape town. Take a historical walk in the footsteps of nelson mandela on the long walk to freedom pathway. Robben island, including its buffer zone, is a national heritage site and unesco has listed the island as a world heritage site.
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. We recommend booking robben island museum tours ahead of time to secure your spot. All our tips for exploring robben island, an island charged with history. Reserve your spot today and pay when youre ready for thousands of tours on viator. Dont miss out on great deals for things to do on your trip to cape town. All of the tour guides on the island were once political prisoners, so in addition to the official history, you might also be treated to a few personal anecdotes. 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. Here we will discuss a variety of ways to visit the island by ferry and even by helicopter. If table mountain is closed, you will visit signal hill instead. Private robben island tour specialist guided tour cape.
Tripadvisor robben island ferry and prison tour for non. Robben island is unesco world heritage site, a mustdo on the itinerary of any tourist to cape town. Sailing along the atlantic ocean with the wind in your hair and the sun warming your. If robben island is closed, you will receive a refund for the robben island ticket. Book your unforgettable helicopter flight today with us today. At various times in its history a penal colony, a leper colony and finally a site of political detention during the apartheid era, the island has been visited by countless world leaders over the years, further deepening its status as an iconic symbol of the triumph of hope. 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. If you book with tripadvisor, you can cancel up to 24 hours before your tour starts for a full refund.
Robben island or robbeneiland afrikaans is an island in south africa, located off cape town, 6. The unesco world heritage site of robben island is one of the prime attractions of cape town. Nac helicopters offer the ultimate helicopter tours in cape town. Robben island, the unique symbol of the triumph of the human spirit over adversity, suffering and injustice with a rich 500 year old multilayered. Failure to produce corresponding proof will result in full price being charged. The ferry departs from the robben island gateway at the victoria and alfred waterfront. Best waterfront boat trips cape town prices 2020 tickets. We take our visitors into the townships and witness everyday life in a harsh environment where you will hear some of the 11 official languages being spoken. 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. The tour includes a return trip, for more info visit za tickets are not transferable. Booking online well in advance is highly recommended as tours can sell out.
These days, a trip to robben island, a unesco world heritage site, is a mustdo on the. City, table mountain and robben island by cape town day. Robben island is accessible to visitors through tours that depart from cape towns waterfront. Book flights and browse accommodation now to get the best rates. The cape town city pass gives you access to over 70 of the top cape town attractions, tours, and things to see and do, including the popular hop on hop off city sightseeing bus. See all 92 robben island museum tours on tripadvisor. A confirmation email along with robben island tickets and table mountain tour details will then be received by the guest shortly thereafter. 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. From the 17th to the 20th centuries, robben island served as a place of banishment, isolation and imprisonment. Robben island cape town, south africa attractions lonely planet.
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