Robben Island

About four miles off the coast of the mainland sits Robben Island, its name an anglicised version of the Dutch for Seal Island.

It was first a prison in the late seventeenth century and is most famous as being where Nelson Mandela was held for eighteen of the twenty-seven years he was incarcerated. In addition two other Presidents of South Africa were also prisoners (Kgalema Motlanthe and Jacob Zuma) as well as a number of others who would go onto hold political posts after the end of apartheid.

The small island, just two miles long by just over a mile wide, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and much of the prison is intact.

Today you can visit the island and tours visit the graveyard, the limestone quarries and staff areas, as well as the prison itself. That includes Mandela's cell. To access the island you have to take a tour and these leave from the V & A Waterfront. Here's a link to that, just click the image below.

This tour includes pick up from a few locations, ferry to the island and a guided tour.