Learn
about its history Admire
colonial architecture Visit
the limestone quarry See
Nelson Mandela's cell Photograph
the penguins Browse
through the museum See
game and birds Reflect
on freedom and justice
Robben Island lies in Table Bay a few kilometers off the coast
of Cape Town and is the location of the prison where Nelson
Mandela was incarcerated for 27 years during South Africa's
Apartheid era.
During its turbulent history, the island has served as a sheep
farm, an infirmary, asylum and a penal colony for
political prisoners who opposed the policies of the South African Nationalist
government prior to the democratic elections in 1994.
Ironically, the island has now become a sanctuary
for marine creatures, birds and wildlife - the Cape
Fur Seal, Dolphins and the Southern Right Whale are regularly
sighted offshore. Well
over 100 bird species including cormorants, herons and penguins
have made the island their home, and buck and ostrich can be
seen browsing on the small central plain with Table Mountain
as a backdrop.
The peaceful,
quiet atmosphere
belies the brutality
and suffering that afflicted this 6 square kilometer piece
of land
for many
centuries. Robben
Island has now become a symbol of human freedom and a place of political pilgrimage for travelers from all
over the world.
In 1999 the entire island was declared a UNESCO World
Heritage Site because "...the buildings bear
eloquent testimony to its somber history ..." and "...
it symbolises the triumph of the human spirit, of freedom,
and of democracy over oppression."
Tours to Robben Island leave from the V&A
Waterfront on a daily basis and arrive at the quaint harbour
45 minutes later. Your
guide will take you to the tiny cells in the maximum security
prison, the limestone quarry where prisoners
toiled for hours in the hot sun, the museum,
a kramat, and you will also get a short bus trip to view the
game.
Learn
about its history
Freestate 
