Robben Island, South Africa

Robben Island, just off the seaside of Cape Town, has been a severe colony for most of its 400 year history. It is an unproductive little island surrounded by a rough shark-infested sea. Nelson Mandela spent 18 years on Robben Island. Many of the leading members of South African political parties and ANC members were imprisoned along with him.

But in 1997 Robben Island was twisted into a museum and also affirmed a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Robben Island has become an extremely important symbol in the new South Africa, reflecting the achievement of good over wickedness, of social equality over apartheid. The museum’s guides are former prisoners themselves and listening to their stories makes a visit to Robben Island a awesome and touching experience.

Tours to Robben Island should be reserved in advance either through a travel agent or directly at the Nelson Mandela Gateway (near the clock tower) on the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront where the ferries depart from. You will get to see the lime quarry that the prisoners spent years of their lives hacking away at. You also get a very interesting historical perspective of the island’s history as a penal colony, leper colony and pantry for early settlers.

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Posted by administrator on May 12 2011. Filed under South Africa, South Africa Travel Guide. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry