About Robben Island

Robben Isalnd is an internationally recognised land mark off the coast of Cape Town. The island measures 1.9 km wide and 3.3 km long. The island was named Robben Island which is Dutch for 'seal island'. The island is a prominent part of Southern Africas history as it has been a island where prisoners have been kept since the 17th century. The island was also used by the Dutch for various other holdings such as the animal quarantine station and leper colonys.

Since 1961, the island was used for imprisoning many of South Africas famous political activists such as Nelson Mandela, Walter Sisulu, Oliver Tambo and Jacob Zuma. Robben Island remained a maximum security prison util 1991 , and eventually closed in 1996. The Island was won by a political party in a 2009 election and the island has been used as a tourist attraction ever since.

Tours to Robben Island Museum are offered daily. The tour starts with a transfer via a ferrie from Cape Town to Robben Island. Tours can be specialised or general and last from around 3 hours to 8 hours. Tickets start from R 250 per person sharing. There are various points of interest on the island which one can tour. The Islands features the following land marks:

• Blue Quarry
• Leper Cemetary
• Marrays Bay Harbour
• The Zink Tronk
• main prison
• Museum curio shop
• Old Airfeild
• Light House
• WW2 gun placement
• School
• Church
• Medium Prison
• and more