Robben Island is an island in Table Bay – Cape Town. It was named by the Dutch- Robben Island and the British had called it Seal Island. It was used as an animal quarantine station, as a leper colony and for isolation of mainly political prisoners. To date, three former inmates of Robben Island have gone on to become President of South Africa, Nelson Mandela, Kgalema Motlanthe and Jacob Zuma. Robben Island was declared a Unesco World Heritage site in 1999 and offers daily tours. Tour to this world Heritage site begins at the Nelson Mandela Gateway at the V&A Waterfront.
After pick-up from your hotel in Cape Town, you will be driven to the V&A Waterfront where you board the Robben Island Ferry to the world-famous place of incarceration of Nelson Mandela for 18 of his 27 years. This place dubbed “South Africa Alcatraz” served as a leper colony, a place of isolation, banishment, and imprisonment. The Island is a state reminder of the harsh conditions endured as a reward for freedom from the Government of apartheid. After the historical, emotional, educative and informative tour which is conducted either by ex-prison warders or ex-prisoners of Robben Island, you board the ferry back to the Waterfront.In Cape Town, there are plenty of restaurants offering delicious international and traditional African dishes from various countries such as South Africa, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Angola, Congo, and Ethiopia. We will visit one of them and that will leave you licking your fingers. You will also have an option to try the famed South African braai (barbecue) and Malay curry dishes that Cape Town restaurants are famous for.After lunch, you will then drive to Table Mountain which was recently voted one of the 7 natural wonders of the world. You then ride the cable car which takes you to the top of Table Mountain (a 3-minute ride of magnificent views as the cable car rotates on its way to the top). Enjoy the majestic views from the top of the Mother City and the Atlantic seaboard with its world-class beaches. After spending some time on the top of the Table Mountain you then jump into the cable car which takes you to the station at the foot of the mountain.
