Cape Town Big Six: Robben Island (5/6)

As a city, Cape Town’s known for its “Big Six” attractions - meet them all through SA Logue’s Cape Town Big Six tag!

Robben Island
There’s no doubting Robben Island’s significance in South Africa’s history: it has been visited and populated - mostly by prisoners and society’s outcasts - since the late 15th century, when the great Portuguese explorer Bartholomeu Dias first rounded the cape. Of course, it is most famous today as the former residence of Nelson Mandela, who spent the majority of his 27-year prison sentence in the island’s maximum security prison.

Prison Bars

“Robben” means “seal” in Dutch; the island once was home to a thriving seal colony. Today, it hosts upwards of 45,000 African (Jackass) Penguins, several herds of buck, and the families of those who run the Robben Island Museum, which, in my book, provides one of the top experiences a visitor can have in Cape Town.

The museum’s tours (four per day in winter; up to eight per day in summer) sell out quickly, and can be cancelled in anticipation of poor weather, so it’s best to schedule a back-up day when planning an outing. Drop-ins should call ahead (see info below) to make sure there’s room on board before trekking to the museum’s embarkation point at the V&A Waterfront’s Clock Tower District. Tours last 3.5 hours; at R150 per adult, including the boat trip out to the island, not to mention the change-your-life stories the island holds, they’re a bargain.

View of Robben Island

Two large, sleek catamarans, the Makana and the Autshumato, take visitors to and from Robben Island, covering the distance from the mainland in about 20 minutes. The ride can be very smooth or very rough; if the former, sit outside, on deck, and catch the incredible views of the Cape Town, Table Mountain, and Lion’s Head. You’ll also probably see quite a lot of marine birdlife and the odd seal.

The Makana

Once you’re ashore, the tour consists of two parts. First, you take a bus trip around the island, which introduces its historical context - it was a leper colony, a World War Two base, and a private hunting reserve, among other things - and drops by the famous lime quarry where Mandela and others did their hard labor.

Robben Island Nature Reserve

Second, you walk through the island’s maximum security prison - guided by one of its former political prisoners - to see the places where, in many respects, the tolerant, reconciliatory, non-racial spirit of the new South Africa was forged. The tour guides’ narratives are exceptionally powerful - their story of South Africa’s political “miracle” cuts through hard, cynical worldviews with ease - and the moment of pause before Nelson Mandela’s cell is very moving.

Maximum Security Cell

It’s a marvellous experience, giving much food for thought during the boat ride back to the mainland - that is, if the Cape’s great beauty doesn’t prove too distracting!