Cape Town: Robben Island Tour with Ferry & Hotel Pickup
What Did Nelson Mandela's Cell Look Like? A Guided Tour Answers It
You're picked up from your hotel and driven to the V&A Waterfront, where you board a ferry to Robben Island. A guided bus tour takes you through the Maximum Security Prison, Nelson Mandela's cell, the quarries, and the leprosy graveyard, with guides who were often imprisoned there themselves. You return by ferry and your driver takes you back to your hotel. The whole day runs 4–5 hours.
Compare the 12 alternatives
Robben Island: Ferry & Prison Tour from Cape TownEvery day · 09:00, 11:00 and 13:00★ 3.13 (190)5hENUS$ 93View ›
Sea Kayaking Cape Town: Table Mountain from the waterEvery day · first departure 07:00, last 12:00 · From age 12★ 4.80 (205)2hENUS$ 37View ›
Robben Island Tour from Cape Town: Pre-Booked Ferry & PrisonEvery day · first departure 09:00, last 15:00 · All ages★ 4.88 (24)3h–4hENUS$ 60View ›
One-hour sailing catamaran cruise Cape Town: Table Mountain viewsEvery day · first departure 09:30, last 17:15 · All ages★ 4.61 (92)1hENUS$ 25View ›
Robben Island: Prison Tour & Nelson Mandela Cell with Former Prisoner GuideEvery day · first departure 09:00, last 15:00 · All ages★ 3.91 (66)4hENUS$ 59View ›
Robben Island Prison Tour Cape Town: Former Prisoner Guide & FerryEvery day · first departure 08:00, last 14:00 · All ages★ 4.00 (363)5hENUS$ 78View ›
Robben Island Ferry & Prison Tour: Skip-the-Line Cape TownEvery day · 09:00, 11:00 and 13:00 · From age 34hENUS$ 99View ›
Robben Island Museum: Ferry Ticket & Guided Tour Cape TownEvery day · first departure 09:00, last 15:00 · All ages★ 5.00 (3)4hENUS$ 81View ›
Robben Island Ferry & Museum Tour from Cape TownEvery day · first departure 09:00, last 15:00 · All ages★ 5.00 (1)4hENUS$ 62View ›
Cape Town: Robben Island & Two Oceans Aquarium Full DayEvery day · 09:00 · All ages7hENUS$ 160View ›
Cape Town: Robben Island & Table Mountain with Pre-Booked TicketsEvery day · 08:00 · All ages★ 5.00 (6)7hEN · FRUS$ 229View ›
Robben Island Half-Day Tour from Cape Town with FerryEvery day · first departure 09:00, last 15:00 · All ages★ 5.00 (2)5hENUS$ 93View › Compare more experiences like this »
Step-by-step itinerary
Robben Island tour and transfers
- Hotel pick-up in Cape Town
- Transfer to Nelson Mandela Gateway
- Board ferry to Robben Island
- Walk to tour buses on island
- Guided bus tour of landmarks
- See Nelson Mandela’s prison cell
- Return ferry to Cape Town
- Transfer back to hotel
The experience
What happens when you stand in the actual cell where someone spent 18 years? The Robben Island tour from Cape Town puts you there, not as a photograph or a plaque, but as a real room you walk into. The day starts with hotel pickup and a drive to the Nelson Mandela Gateway at the V&A Waterfront, where you board the ferry across to the island. The crossing takes about 30 minutes, and the water is cold enough that you notice it. Once you land, a short walk past structures prisoners built takes you to the tour buses.
The guided bus tour moves through Robben Island's main sites: the leprosy graveyard, the Lime and Bluestone Quarries where inmates worked, Robert Sobukwe's house, and the Maximum Security Prison. What sets this tour apart is the guides themselves. Many are former political prisoners who were held here. They don't narrate history from a script. They point to a quarry and tell you what it felt like to break limestone in the sun for years, or they stand in a cell and describe the silence. The whole experience lasts about 4 to 5 hours from the moment your driver picks you up at your hotel to when you're dropped back off, ferry time included.
The island's 500-year history isn't abstract here. You see Nelson Mandela's cell: the actual space, the small window, the thin mattress. You walk past the graveyard where leprosy patients were buried when the island was a place of exile for the sick. The quarries are still there, the stone still pale where it was cut. A guide who lived through it explains what you're looking at, and the weight of that shifts how you understand the place. Weather can cancel the ferry crossing, but if that happens you reschedule for free. If you need pickup and drop-off, there's an extra charge of R250.
What’s included
- Hotel pickup and drop-off in Cape Town.
- ferry tickets to and from Robben Island.
- entrance fees to Robben Island.
- guided bus tour of the Maximum Security Prison, Nelson Mandela's cell, the quarries, the leprosy graveyard, and Robert Sobukwe's house.
- driver and guide for the full experience.
Options for this experience
2 optionsOptions with the same name differ in details you'll see when you pick a date.
Before you book
Prices and times updated today
Operated by SadiCapeTours
Is this one for you?Book this if you want to understand Robben Island's role in South Africa's history without arranging transport, ferry tickets, or timing the sites yourself: the pickup and fixed schedule handle all three, and the guides who lived through it give you context no audio recording can match.
Traveler reviews
Top questions
Can children come?
Yes. Ticket types: Child (2 to 17 years); Infant (under 2): free.
What happens if it rains?
It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. No refund if you cancel.
Do I need a passport to visit Robben Island?
Yes. When you book, provide your passport or ID number (or ID number if you're a South African citizen). This is required by SAMSA, the maritime authority, and the information is only shared with the ferry master.
What if the weather is bad and the ferry can't run?
If weather prevents the crossing, you can reschedule your tour for another day at no extra cost.
Is hotel pickup included?
Yes, pickup and drop-off from your Cape Town hotel are included in the tour price. If you prefer to meet at the V&A Waterfront instead, there's no extra charge.
How long is the ferry ride to Robben Island?
The ferry crossing takes approximately 30 minutes each way.
Are the guides people who were actually imprisoned on Robben Island?
Many of the guides are former political prisoners who were held on the island. They share firsthand accounts of their experiences.
Can I visit Nelson Mandela's cell?
Yes. The guided tour includes the Maximum Security Prison where Mandela was held for 18 years, and you see his actual cell.
What's included in the price?
Ferry tickets, entrance to Robben Island, the guided bus tour of the island, hotel pickup and drop-off, and a driver/guide are all included.
Cape Town: Robben Island Tour with Ferry & Hotel Pickup
3h–4h · EN · at your hotel
from US$ 55 per person
4.34279 reviewsVerified traveler reviews via our booking provider