Robben Island and city highlights
MyLittleAdventure logo
English / EUR
Robben Island and city highlights
/ South Africa / Western Cape / Cape Town / Tours & Activities /
See details in English

Robben Island and city highlights

1 day
Instant confirmation
About this activity
Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product

Stop At: Robben Island Museum, Cape Town Central 7400 South Africa

Since the end of the 17th century, Robben Island has been used for the isolation of mainly political prisoners. The Dutch settlers were the first to use Robben Island as a prison. Its first prisoner was probably Autshumato in the mid-17th century. Among its early permanent inhabitants were political leaders from various Dutch colonies, including Indonesia, and the leader of the mutiny on the slave ship Meermin.

After the British Royal Navy captured several Dutch East Indiamen at the battle of Saldanha Bay in 1781, a boat rowed out to meet the British warships. On board were the "kings of Ternate and Tidore, and the princes of the respective families". The Dutch had long held them on "Isle Robin", but then had moved them to Saldanha Bay.

In 1806 the Scottish whaler John Murray opened a whaling station at a sheltered bay on the north-eastern shore of the island which became known as Murray's Bay, adjacent to the site of the present-day harbour named Murray's Bay Harbour which was constructed in 1939–40.

After a failed uprising at Grahamstown in 1819, the fifth of the Xhosa Wars, the British colonial government sentenced African leader Makanda Nxele to life imprisonment on the island.[9] He drowned on the shores of Table Bay after escaping the prison.

The island was also used as a leper colony and animal quarantine station.Starting in 1845 lepers from the Hemel-en-Aarde (heaven and earth) leper colony near Caledon were moved to Robben Island when Hemel-en-Aarde was found unsuitable as a leper colony. Initially this was done on a voluntary basis and the lepers were free to leave the island if they so wished. In April 1891 the cornerstones for 11 new buildings to house lepers were laid. After the introduction of the Leprosy Repression Act in May 1892 admission was no longer voluntary and the movement of the lepers was restricted. Prior to 1892 an average of about 25 lepers a year were admitted to Robben Island, but in 1892 that number rose to 338, and in 1893 a further 250 were admitted.

During the Second World War the island was fortified and BL 9.2-inch guns and 6-inch guns were installed as part of the defences for Cape Town.

Duration: 3 hours

Read more Show less
Included
  • Bottled water in the vehicle
Not included
  • Lunch - Additional refreshments, lunch, dinner, entrance fees, dinner transfers, airport transfers
  • Entry/Admission - Robben Island Museum
Additional
  • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
  • Wheelchair accessible
  • Stroller accessible
  • Near public transportation
  • Transportation is wheelchair accessible
  • Surfaces are wheelchair accessible
  • Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
  • This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate
Features
Tourism
90%
Cultural
75%
Original
25%
You may also like
Click to discover other experiences See all
Cape Point
Collections
Cape Point 91 Activities
Other trips
Collections
Other trips 22 Activities
Wine tour
Collections
Wine tour 113 Activities
City tour
Collections
City tour 56 Activities
Stellenbosch wineland
Collections
Stellenbosch wineland 23 Activities
Robben island
Collections
Robben island 9 Activities
Table mountain
Collections
Table mountain 41 Activities
Franschhoek wineland
Collections
Franschhoek wineland 14 Activities
Township
Collections
Township 22 Activities
Safari
Collections
Safari 66 Activities
See all 32 Collections
Anonymous
Anonymous

Cape Town

  • Information & Tips
  • Collections
  • Tours & Activities

Settings

We use cookies to provide you the best experience. By continuing to browse this site, you accept the use of cookies. For more information, please read our privacy policy.