Robben Island and Table Mountain

Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product

Stop At: Table Mountain National Park 8001 South Africa

Table Mountain is now officially named one of the seven wonders of the world and is part of the Table Mountain National park which stretches from the North of Cape Town all the way down to South Africa`s most South Westerly Point called Cape of Good Hope with the awe inspiring flat topped Table Mountain as its centrepiece, its height is 1,086m and allows for magnificent views of Cape Town and Table Bay.

The first European to climb it was Antonio de Saldanha naming it Taboa de Caba. The rolling clouds that form over the top of the mountain is known as its table cloth. The park also has some of the richest floral regions in the world with more than 1470 floral species with almost 70% of them endemic to the Cape.

It is the only South African and only natural site on the planet to have a constellation of stars named after it. The constellation is called “Mensa”, which means ‘table’ in Latin . The Khoi people used to call the mountain Hoerikwaggo (Mountain of the Sea). It is S.Africa`s most photographed landmark and receives over 800,000 visitors per year.

All visitors are collected at their place of abode and transported to the Cable Car Station to:

Embark on a ride on the cable car to the summit in the revolving cable car capsule.
Spend 1½ to 2 hours taking photographs and enjoying the glorious view of the Cape Peninsula.
Indulge in a light lunch or simply a cup of coffee and dessert in the highest Restaurant in the Cape of Good Hope while gazing across the Peninsula.
Return via the cable car down the mountain to the cable car station.



Duration: 2 hours

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

A declared World Heritage Site since 1999 by UNESCO, located in Table Bay, standing 30 meters above sea level, Robben Island has been used as a prison, where people have been banished, isolated and exiled for nearly 400 years.

Batolomeu Dias discovered the island in 1488 when it was inhabited by birds, penguins, seals and tortoises. Prior to 1652 it became a major point for the exchange of mail and fresh meat and water. The Dutch also used the island for grazing for sheep and cattle.

About 1671 the island began to house convicted criminals, political prisoners and other undesirables, banished to the Cape from other Dutch colonies, including kings, princes, and religious leaders from the East Indies.

During the first British occupation in 1795 to 1802 it was also used as a whaling station. In 1812 it was used as a asylum for the mentally ill and in 1843 was used as a leper colony, paupers, the mentally unfit and the chronically ill, mentally ill, alcoholic`s, and prostitutes with sexually transmitted diseases.

The light house on Robben Island was commissioned in January 1865.

In 1931 the island began to be used as a military outpost where guns were stored and the government built roads, a power station and a new water supply and houses. In 1961 it was again used as a prison for political prisoners with Nelson Mandela being the most famous. It remains a sad history of man’s inhumanity while also showing the power of the human spirit, freedom and the victory of democracy over oppression

Robben Island Tour
We collect you 45 minutes prior to departure , either for 09h00, 11h00 or 13h00 tour from the Robben Island Museum at the V & A Waterfront where you board a ferry to the island
The ferry ride is 12 km long and ± 45 minutes in duration to Robben Island ( entry to Robben Island included in the one off price).
Disembark at Murray`s Bay Harbour on Robben Island.
On the island you will be met by ex – political prisoners (guides) who will welcome you and after which you then board a bus and start your tour.
The tour guides will relate their experiences in incarceration and that of Nelson Mandela and other political prisoners while showing you all the historical places of interest on the island
In closing you tour the Robben Island Museum and Nelson Mandela`s cell in which he spent 18 years before returning via the ferry to the V & A Waterfront.

Duration: 4 hours

Stop At: Chavonnes Battery Museum, East Quay Clock Tower Precinct, V&A Waterfront, Cape Town Central 8000 South Africa

Chavonnes Battery
One of the two watchdogs that protected Table Bay since 1724 and what became known as Cape Town, the other being the older Castle. Foreign ships sailing into Table Bay would need to fire a salute of blank shots on entering which was regarded as a friendly greeting, should the said ship not follow this procedure it could be sunk with a volley of cannon balls from the 16 large mussle – loading cannons in a V shape covering Table Bay known as The Chavonnes Battery. After 140 years the guns thundered for the last time in 1860 when Queen Victoria`s son Prince Alfred pulled a lever that tipped the first load of rubble into the sea which was the beginning of what is known today as the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront.
This is truly a magnificent excavation and museum that takes you back almost 300 years with paintings, ship`s models and cannons and has various exhibitions presented from around the world on a regular basis


Duration: 1 hour

Stop At: Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, 19 Dock Road, Cape Town Central 8001 South Africa

The Victoria & Alfred Water front attracts 24 million tourists yearly. This is the oldest working harbor in the Southern Hemisphere and with Table Mountain in the back ground has spectacular views of the city, ocean and Hottentot Mountains. This 123 hectare heritage site is a shopping mecca and entertainment center which includes hotels, aquarium, 450 retail outlets, pubs, music venues, restaurants, fast food outlets, The Chavonnes Battery Museum , the Zeitz Mocca Museum the Cape Town Cruise Terminal and so much more, in peak season it attracts 180,000 visitors per day. There is also a helicopter terminal for the more adventure minded tourists to get a birds eye view of Cape Town, Table Mountain, the Harbour, Robben Island and the whole Cape Peninsula. By night this magnificent attraction becomes a fairyland, a virtual kaleidoscope of color and excitement – a must see and experience


Duration: 3 hours