Robben Island Half Day Prison Tour with Pre-Booked ferry Ticket.
Cape Town, South Africa
- 5 hours (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Group discounts
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Robben Island tours are best booked in advance. This half-day tour includes museum admission and round-trip transfer from your Cape Town hotel, ensuring a hassle-free visit. Learn about the island’s history from your guide, see Nelson Mandela’s prison cell, and reflect on your journey back to the mainland.
- Book in advance to avoid disappointment on the day
- Round-trip transfer from your hotel ensures a hassle-free trip
- Hear historical insights from your small-group guide
- See the cell that confined Nelson Mandela for 18 years
What's Included
- Entry/Admission to Robben Island.
- Roundtrip Transfer (If option is selected)
- Air-conditioned vehicle
- WiFi on board
- Bottled water
- Parking Fees
- Fuel surcharge
- Lunch
- Gratuities
- Roundtrip Transfer (If option is not selected)
Meeting and Pickup
You can head directly to the meeting point, or request pickup
Itinerary
1
Robben Island Museum
5 hours • Admission Ticket Included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Near public transportation
- Infants must sit on laps
- Infant seats available
- No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
- Most travelers can participate
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 46 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.0
based on 351 reviews
Ivan_V, Apr 2026
Really worth it. Fully accompanied shuttle and entrance included and busses on the island. Leaves VA Waterfront and comes back there
Kathryn_C, Apr 2026
This tour provided history and context for the apartheid struggle in South Africa. The tour guides were all former prisoners at Robben Island and their stories were very moving. Having read Nelson Mandela’s Long Walk to Freedom made this tour especially meaningful, but was not necessary.
Olebogeng_M, Apr 2026
Excellent trip that I have on my anniversary day,staff was so friendly and entertaining us with smiles
Raewyn_A, Apr 2026
Do not have high expectations of the guides. Walking around the prison there are no signs or explanation of what the different areas were used for. Time to vidit curio shops was extremely short. Tour was unprofessional and basic.
Christopher_W, Mar 2026
We received reminders prior to the tour of pick up times and what we needed to take.
The driver picked us up from the hotel entrance and dropped us off after the trip.
He was very polite and made sure we had our tickets with us.
He escorted us to where the tour began and was very helpful.
Juan_P, Mar 2026
My gripe is centred solely on the fact that there was no leeway, no capacity for judgement, no empathy in the case of my 90 year old Mum and a booked trip that turned out to be on a day where the weather was bad, the crossing choppy. Asking to defer the trip, I was initially told this could be accommodated and was offered an 8am slot. At 90, this wasn’t a doable option. I asked for a later slot - told fully booked - so asked for a later slot in 2 weeks. This was denied. I was then told ‘The Captain has confirmed the 12pm sailing is going ahead’ ( my original booking ). The issue now was timing - potentially not enough time to get sorted and get down to the ferry terminal. But no negotiation, no humanity, no ‘right’ decision ( to allow Mum to defer ) was possible.
I guess my feeling is this - money, greed, intransigence, lack of judgement, zero tolerance, uncaring attitude…all on the part of Viator. Poor show.
Paul_J, Feb 2026
This was not what I expected. We were purchasing the standard ticket at a premium by buying via Viator, with no added benefit over buying a ticket direct.
Lorraine_T, Feb 2026
Gave an insight into the terrible experiences the prisoners faced and the conditions they had to endure. The guides were able to explain first hand the traumas they had gone through.
Karen_G, Dec 2025
NEVER BOOK A ROBBEN ISLAND TOUR WITH VIATOR. It is not a South African tour company and you are charged you much much more for tickets that are cheaper directly through the Robben Island Museum. Viator comes up as the first option at the top of the search when you type in 'Robben Island Tours' into Google. If you don't know better, you just follow the prompts. Two months ago I reserved 2 tickets of R1000 each for the half day Robben Island tour for 26th Dec, for myself and my daughter, booking reference 1329088997. This was before I learnt that R600 tickets can be booked directly through the Robben Island Museum for visitors of any nationality. I indicated when I booked with Viator that neither of us was South African, although I have a South African retirement visa. We also didn't need a pick up, although there was no option to indicate that on the Viator booking system. I kept getting messages on my phone requiring my RSA ID and wanting my pickup details. I phoned the number to confirm that we were not RSA citizens, and that we didn't need pick up. I was told to ring a US number to discuss, and that the payment would double for non-RSA visitors. WHY?? The payment for R2000 went through 2 days ago on my visa card, but there were no tickets in my name at the desk this morning when we attempted to board the ferry. This was despite receiving an email message the day before with a link to my e-tickets with a bar code, which I had printed out and presented when attempting to board the ferry. However what I printed out weren't the actual tickets with a QR code and the whole trip had to be aborted. I ended up having to rebook 2 tickets directly with the museum (R1200 for two). I had no idea that Viator was American tour company, and I have now lost R2000 which no one at Viator will talk about. We were told this morning by Robben Island ferry staff that this happens many many times with customers who have booked through Viator. Viator books blocks of tickets, and then sells off already booked (and paid-for) tickets to other customers at short notice, as it appeared happened to us this morning. This was a dreadful experience and I believe that I was misled. I would like a refund, and an explanation as to why I needed to provide a RSA ID in order to access my booking. I host many visitors from other countries, and I will be telling them all about this experience.
Mondli_B, Dec 2025
They said the trip was nice and will certainly share the experience with others. It was a great revelation to them
Danielle_V, Dec 2025
Very informative. A tour I would strongly recommend.
To hear the story from a past prisoner was very touching.
Response from Host, Dec 2025
Thank you Dear Client
your feed back is encouraging. Robben Island tour is really inspiring for those digging deeper into the History.
Daphne_C, Nov 2025
We booked to visit Robbins Island through Viator and cannot understand why we were charged R1719.44 per ticket, whilst a colleague purchased online from Robbins and paid only R600, for the exact same experience. What is the reason for such a large variance please?
MADHAVILATHA_G, Nov 2025
A visit to the prison in Robben Island where Nelson Mandela was captivated in a small cell for 18 years leaves us with deep pain. The prison is now a UNESCO heritage site, standing as a silent witness to the apartheid era and racial oppression. The ration charts based on prisoners' color with meager food for black prisoners and the limestone quarries where political prisoners worked hard make us feel grateful for the freedom that we enjoy.
Karen_G, Nov 2025
Great opportunity to listen to the history . The tour is a little regimental, not much opportunity to walk independently around the prison . Half day tour actually takes about 5 hours. Keep an eye on the weather as the crossing could be choppy .
Andres_C, Nov 2025
Very boring tour, the guides talk too much and very poor time to take pictures and walk around. The buses are awful, very old and very small seats, must to change.
I recommend to change the way of this tour, making more attractive.
Twylla_G, Nov 2025
The only disappointment upon arrival at the island was touring around it in a crammed bus taking pics out a window. The guide was tremendous.
I will never use Viator again because they gouged us compared to what others paid.
Jenny_B, Oct 2025
An awesome tour ...so great to learn more about the history and see Robben Island. Really makes it so meaningful that former inmates are the tour guides. Our bus driver was so amazing...very personable and the transportation went smoothly. So thankful we got to do this.
Catherine_B, Oct 2025
Cannot recommend this tour highly enough. We really loved every minute and our tour guides were excellent.
Mark_H, Oct 2025
I wish to express my dissatisfaction with this trip.
I booked two tickets for a 10am commencement time. We arrived in good time in advance of the start time and enquired where we should queue in preparation for the start. I was advised (rather rudely) by the information desk we were too early; boarding wouldn't start until 1am. In light of this information we decided to get refreshments nearby. As I paid a large increase over the standard ticket price hoping for a premium service as we were on a tight schedule, I messaged via you App to convey my disappointment.
Whilst having refreshments, I received a phone call off your local representative stating we needed to be at the venue as queuing had commenced; I informed him we would be there in 5 minutes. When we meet up with the Aim Cape Tours rep he was overly keen to persuade us to reschedule to a later trip. I explained to him there was no alternative due to our scheduling and this was the only option. He kept trying to press different times/dates, but when I repeatedly declined these offers he finally admitted our tickets had been sold and no others were available.
The local rep told us to join the queue for boarding and went off. He return after approximately 5 minutes and tried to offer an alternative time, when I declined he asked us to exit the queue and wait to after the boat had been loaded to see if something could be negotiated! Once all the other passengers' had been boarded we did manage to join. However, no tickets scanned like other passenger's and seemed very much like some separate unofficial transaction had happened.
My contemporaneous messaging to verify my testament are recorded via your App, please view.
I paid £150.18 for this trip, but direct was 1200 zar (£52.29 at todays exchange rate). Your experience was no way any premium over standard. Moreover, your local appointed company caused massive stress by their total mismanagement of a simple transaction.
AMY_S, Oct 2025
Make sure and try to get a boat back to the mainland that has windows that open for ventilation OR actually a/c that WORKS. We were in stuffy hot cabin with multiple people vomiting. They said the A/c would be better once We were underway but it did not improve. The seas were not too rough either. 100+ crammed in a small space creates a lot of body heat!
Deb_H, Oct 2025
The museum website said trips were fully booked but we were able to book via Viator. You do pay a bit more but definitely worth it. We were contacted by a guide in advance who provided lots of information and met us at the ferry to let us know what to expect from the trip. Ferry takes just over 30 mins and all the crew were super friendly. The tour guide on the bus around the island was fantastic, full of interesting information about its history, but it was the tour of the prison itself that was the most memorable part of the trip. We were shown around by a former inmate who brought to life what it was like to live through apartheid. This is a trip that everyone should take once. Incredibly moving experience.
Jan_S, Oct 2025
Our guide, who was a former prisoner there, was excellent. He had a wonderful sense of humor despite his ordeal. Seeing the facility and hearing it’s long history made all the stories I real to me. Getting there and back on the boat was difficult. The trip back had very rough seas and made a lot of people sea sick. Be prepared for that if you go.
HAMISH_H, Oct 2025
Guides in English were difficult to understand.
Talk in cell of 50 too long.
Island and buildings interesting.
Ferry over very old and unpleasant.
Camagwini_N, Oct 2025
The best, everything was well organised. I didn’t have to constantly chase after them for tickets. If anything they kept us abreast of everything we needed for our activity 👌🏽👌🏽👌🏽
Sadiat_A, Oct 2025
Very good and interstellar experienceI definitely recommend it. Very educational will visit again when the weather improves
Sally_F, Oct 2025
Picked up on time at 2pm. Helpful driver explained process however long queue at the ferry terminal for a 3pm ferry and it all seemed very chaotic . Ferry was late and everything disorganised. We eventually got there at 4pm so felt rushed on tour to get last ferry back. Guide at Robben Island interesting but only really had two hours maximum on the island .
Hamilton_P, Oct 2025
My tour guide was very nice and helpful. He was a good driver.
I recommend Aim Cape Tours to everyone who comes to Cape Town, South Africa.
kathy_b, Oct 2025
Great experience they picked us up and took us back with nonproblem. The tour was very interesting for all
Stephanie_S, Sep 2025
No guide to meet you at pick up point and tickets didn't arrive until 15 minutes prior to departure. Very stressful
John_F, Sep 2025
I really enjoyed the tour of the island
You take a short ferry over to the island and then you are met buy a bus company which takes you to the prison.
The tour guides are actually old political prisoners, however this to me was a big negative because I would've liked to receive a research informed, neutral tour of the island. There is something quite partisan when you are being told about the history of an area from your own personal experiences.
This felt like a bit of a lecture if I'm honest, with a one-sided account of the events. At one point we were even put in a "cell." And told about the evils of the last government. It was a bit much but the island was beautiful and you get a wonderful view of Cape Town from it for some pictures.
From $77.06
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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