Cape Town: Private Tour, Robben Islands & Table Mountain Car

CATCH A FERRY TO SOUTH AFRICA’S HISTORIC ROBBEN ISLAND

These days, a trip to Robben Island, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a must-do on the itinerary of any tourist to Cape Town. For centuries, however, the trip was one to be feared.

Forget palm trees and sun-kissed beaches; Robben Island’s allure lies in its rich and wretched history. South Africa’s first democratically elected president – Nelson Mandela – spent 18 years of his 27 years in prison on Robben Island. Easily the most famous of the island’s political prisoners, Mandela was by no means the island’s only notable inmate – South African presidents Kgalema Motlanthe and Jacob Zuma also spent time there.

The Apartheid government wasn’t the first to use the island as a prison. In the 17th and 18th centuries, the Dutch sent political prisoners from the Dutch East Indies to the island. There is a Kramat (holy shrine) on the island dedicated to the Prince of Madura – Pangeran Chakra Deningrat – who died on t