Cape Town Townships Tour including Robben Island
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Cape Town Townships Tour including Robben Island
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Cape Town Townships Tour including Robben Island

1 day
About this activity
Start your day with a hotel pickup, and then travel with your guide to the District Six Museum. Here, learn how segregationist laws beginning in 1950 forcibly removed more than 60,000 black South Africans from the district after it was declared ‘a white area.’

Then, travel to Langa, Cape Town’s oldest township. During the apartheid era, living areas known as townships were set up in undesirable locations to house the country’s ‘non-whites.’ With your guide, drop by a shebeen (nightlife establishment), meet the locals at a market, talk to the owners of a guesthouse and a daycare center, and visit a traditional healer. Then, head to Guga S’thebe Arts & Culture Centre, the site of many community and cultural activities dedicated to improving the socio-economic status of Langa residents, the majority of whom are from the Xhosa tribe.

Travel west back toward Cape Town to reach Gugulethu, originally established to house migrant workers from the agrarian Transkei region in the Eastern Cape province. Witness examples of poverty and development alike, including shanty towns, guesthouses, restaurants and jazz clubs.

In the afternoon, enjoy free time for lunch at one of the many restaurants along the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront (own expense). Then, ferry north from Cape Town across Table Bay to the rocky outcrop of Robben Island, a UNESCO World Heritage site, where Nelson Mandela spent the first 18 years of his 27-year prison sentence in a maximum-security facility for political prisoners.

On arrival, view his cell, which is approximately seven square feet (0.6 sq m) wide and located around a concrete courtyard. Listen to your guide share details of how Mandela’s leadership surfacing during a rebellion over forced digging in a quarry under harsh conditions.

Pay a silent moment of respect as you imagine Nelson Mandela emerging from the prison gates, one step closer to beginning his long walk to freedom. Your tour then concludes with a drop-off back at your Cape Town hotel.

Please note:
• District Six Museum (closed Sundays)
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Included
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off
  • Professional guide
  • Transport by air-conditioned minivan
  • Entry/Admission - District Six Museum
Not included
  • Food and drinks
  • Gratuities
Additional
  • Confirmation will be received within 48 hours of booking, subject to availability
  • A minimum of 2 people per booking is required
  • Please note: A portion of this tour is automatically 60% non-refundable due to Robben Island tickets
  • Please note: Robben Island are now requiring passport details so please provide these details at time of booking as well as taking your passport, a copy or even if just a picture of it your phone on the day of the tour.
  • Please note:
  • District Six Museum (closed Sundays)
Features
Tourism
90%
Cultural
75%
Original
40%
Reviews
4.3
138
M
Melody H
5 | 2019-02-04

This was a very informational tour that was focused on the townships in Cape Town. The tour guide was clearly engaged and caring about the communities and the tour group.

m
mistywboyd
5 | 2018-12-10

This tour was everything we needed to jumpstart our holiday in Cape Town. So much history was shared by the guide and everything was very well organized. The visit to Langa and Robben Island were eye-opening and very informative. I highly recommend this tour to anyone visiting Cape Town.

B
Brian A
5 | 2018-09-24

A wonderful presentation discussing aspects of the apartheid error in Cape Town. The visit to the District 6 Museum was educational and this was followed by a visit to the Langa Township, a must see. A visit to Robben Island capped the tour and was a chilling experience. I definitely recommend this excursion.

e
emjones55343
5 | 2018-04-09

Great tour, enlightening. Our guide was knowledgable, shared a lot of detail and history and was enjoyable to be wtih. The Robben Island part of the tour was cancelled due to a broken down ferry.

r
rje1152000
5 | 2018-03-26

I would recommend this tour if you want to get some of the history of Cape Town. Our guide grew up in Cape Town, actually in the township that we toured. He was very knowledgeable of what the townships life is like, because he still lives there with his wife and children. The tour of Robben Island was worth the time and money. We also had wonderful guides on the island also. Gave me a clearer understanding what the prisoners lives where like. It's sad that humans can treat other humans they way they do. Bonus we saw whales on the trip over to the island.

t
tonimadine
2 | 2018-03-13

Arrived to collect us so early, that we had to wait for other pick-ups for more than an hour before actually starting the tour. The guide was very knowledgeable and very personable but unfortunately, every time we stopped he took the opportunity to chat to his fellow tour guides who were at the same places as us so we always ended up waiting for him at each location rather than moving on at the time he told us to be ready by. During the township tour, he lost the driver and bus which was very unsettling as we stood around for ages while he sent some local kids to search for him. In fact, we didn't get to part of the townships tour as we ran out of time and literally had to run for the Robben Island boat without time to stop for lunch. The tour itself would have been good without these issues however. The Robben Island tour was absolutely brilliant as he it was all handled by the Robben Island people - I would just book it myself in future. We didn't see the guide again as we decided to make our own way back rather than face another chaotic minibus ride. Such a shame as the tour itself would have been great if those things hadn't caused logistical issues.

m
mazkosma2011
5 | 2018-03-02

Our guide for the Townships part of the tour was a resident of the township. It was eye opening to see the hardship and the living conditions these townships residents. The trip to Robben Island where Mandela was imprisoned was a must see.

d
debbiekelso
5 | 2018-01-29

Picked up promptly and had a good tour.

K
Kristin O
5 | 2018-01-20

This tour was amazing!

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