Robben Island Travel Guide - Cape Town

The former prison and UN World Heritage site lies about 7 kilometres offshore from Cape Town in Table Bay's Atlantic Ocean waters. The island is most famous for its history as a place of incarceration for political prisoners and anti-apartheid activists during the Apartheid ruling years of South Africa. The most notable political prisoner to have had the misfortune of staying on Robben Island is the great Nelson Mandela.

Prior to being a prison, Robben Island was used at different times to isolate lepers and also as a strategic defense post during World War II protecting Table Bay and Cape Town from incoming naval threats.

In 1997, the island was turned into a museum with daily boat excursions departing from the V & A Waterfront to the island for guided tours by ex-inmates of the prison. Visitors can experience the harsh conditions the prisoners experienced on the island during their confinement.