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Robben Island Tours

SOUTH AFRICAN SAFARIS AND ROBBEN ISLAND

Robben Island is most famously known as the place where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned during the Apartheid era. Robben Island is located off the coast of Cape Town in Table Bay (Atlantic Ocean). The only way to visit and explore Robben Island is by catching a ferry from the V&A Waterfront – a natural and working harbour in Cape Town. Robben Island boasts the Robben Island Museum (RIM) where you can learn about Nelson Mandela and South Africa’s history.

Robben Island is a small island off Cape Towns’ coast, measuring 5.09km2; 3.3 km long and 1.9 km wide. This island was used as a place to banish prisoners in the late 17th century... Before this, the island was a leper colony where effected people were voluntarily quarantined. In 1892 the ‘Leprosy Repression Act’ prohibited this voluntary movement and banned lepers from leaving Robben Island.

In 1819 (with the failed uprising of Grahamstown) the British colony sentenced the African leader, Makanda Nxele, to life on the island. He tried to escape by swimming to Cape Town and sadly drowned on his way. This is another historic event that can be found at the Robben Island Museum, you can learn about this African leader as well as other interesting historic facts! But, without a doubt travellers visit Robben Island to learn more about Nelson Mandela. There are tours that take you to the actual prison cell that imprisoned South Africa’s ex-president; Nelson Mandela.

Robben Island is also known as a dangerous sailing area. There are many shipwrecks under the waters surrounding the Island as well as many missing ships that disappeared in the area... Jan van Riebeck started the first navigational fire on Robben Island. Currently, the island hosts the only working flashing lighthouse in South Africa!

There are still some interesting animals found on Robben Island such as; rabbits, seals, birds, penguins and buck! The best time to visit this area is in the Cape Town’s summer season – November to March. Enjoy a ferry trip, a cultural museum tour and the amazing scenery found at Robben Island!

We can tailor-make a Robben Island tour to meet your departures dates and budgets… Alternatively, there are other South African attractions beneath that you might want to visit on your South African Safari.

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