The 15 Best Cape Town Ferry Trips to Robben Island

1.Robben Island Ferry Ticket and Guided Prison Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.1 · 1,792 reviews · 4 hours · from $79Our pick

Take a shared ferry from Cape Town to Robben Island, then tour the island by bus and visit the prison with a former political prisoner. The four-hour English tour includes ferry tickets and museum entry. Expect moving stories, Mandela’s cell, shared transport, and time in ferry queues.

“Nice tour to Robben Island by ferry. Ferry was fully enclosed and quite crowded. Once on the island after about a 45 minute ride, we boarded a bus with an ex-prisoner guide who provided details about the buildings and life on the island. After an hour we were dropped at the prison and did about an hour of walking and understanding of life inside by another ex-prisoner. The tour provided a very moving explanation of what actually happened to those who disagreed with segregation, and the goals of the Government to try to silence them.”

Check availability →Read our full review

2.Robben Island Ferry Tour with 1-Way Hotel Pickup

★★★★★★★★★★4.2 · 1,380 reviews · 5 hours · from $71

Travel from central Cape Town to the V&A Waterfront, sail 45 minutes to Robben Island, tour the island by bus, and visit the prison and Mandela’s cell. An English-speaking former prisoner leads the prison visit. Pickup is included, but you return to Cape Town on your own.

“Good communication, they sent me the ticket one day before and smooth pick up. Yet I don’t think it was worth it. Could have done it on my own. I only booked it as I was trying to book from RI website before I arrive and it was not working and was afraid it will be fully booked when I arrive, but I think its expensive given that they don’t offer anything extra. But overall it was an ok purchase given my situation.”

Check availability →Read our full review

3.Robben Island Ferry Ticket and Townships Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 400 reviews · from $89

Start with District Six, Langa, Bonteheuwel, and Gugulethu in an air-conditioned minivan. Walk through Langa with a local guide, visit a school, shebeen, beer maker, and traditional healer, then take the ferry to Robben Island. Guides such as Sam, Mpumzi, and Luyolo add personal insight.

“The Township tour was excellent. Sam gave detailed history of township..”

Check availability →Read our full review

4.Robben Island Ferry with Prison Ticket and Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 324 reviews · 3h 30m · from $90

Take the ferry from Cape Town’s V&A Waterfront to Robben Island, tour the island by bus, see Mandela’s former cell, and walk through the prison with a former political prisoner. English tours last 210 minutes and include round-trip ferry tickets.

“This was a great tour and really interesting. We had lots of time on the island and it gave us a great insight and what happened there. I would definitely recommend this to anyone visiting Cape Town.”

Check availability →Read our full review

5.Robben Island Ferry Ticket and Guided Prison Tour

★★★★★★★★★★3.0 · 160 reviews · from $69

Take a shared 30-minute ferry from Cape Town’s V&A Waterfront to Robben Island, then tour the island by bus and visit Nelson Mandela’s cell with a former political prisoner. Expect a moving, tightly scheduled four-hour experience, weather risks, and no hotel transfers.

“The lecture not worth the amount of money paid. Consider reviewing the fees and this is not value for money”

Check availability →Read our full review

6.Robben Island ferry ticket with guided tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 61 reviews · 4 hours · from $74

Meet at the Nelson Mandela Gateway beside Cape Town’s Clocktower for a 30-minute ferry to Robben Island. An English-speaking former political prisoner guides the island and prison tour, including Mandela’s cell, the Lime Quarry, Robert Sobukwe’s house, and the leprosy graveyard.

“The tour itselfnis amazing. Is a must see. Guides are actually ex prisoners from the jail. The oegsnizstion was not so good, we had the tour for 9 AM but it got cancelled with no notice and we had to reschedule it.”

Check availability →Read our full review

7.Robben Island ferry ticket plus Guided Tour

★★★★★★★★★★3.3 · 37 reviews · 4 hours · from $71

Take the 30-minute ferry from the Nelson Mandela Gateway to Robben Island, then tour the former maximum-security prison with an ex-inmate guide. You’ll see Mandela’s cell, the Lime Quarry, Robert Sobukwe’s house, and other important island sites before returning to Cape Town.

“Such an interesting visit with guides with personal knowledge of Robben Island, and an inspiring message of unity and forgiveness. Quite different from the horror stories that are often told in places like this and from a person with much to resent”

Check availability →Read our full review

8.Cape Town Half-Day Robben Island Tour with Ferry Ticket

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 13 reviews · from $66Best value

Travel from your Cape Town hotel to Robben Island by shared ferry, tour the prison and Mandela’s cell with an island guide, then enjoy free time at the V&A Waterfront. The air-conditioned transfer, bottled water, parking, and island admission are included.

“Great experience . Informative guide on the bus and the ex prisoner who gave the tour in the prison was very good and gave a true insight of what prison life was like for political prisoners . It would have been good when on the bus tour to have a few more opportunities to stop and reflect on prison life . The ferry was running an hour late and there was no communication as to why”

Check availability →Read our full review

9.Robben Island Museum Tour with Transfer and Ferry Tickets.

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 10 reviews · 5 hours · from $81

Travel from Cape Town to Robben Island by shared van and ferry, then join the island’s guided museum tour. Aimable may handle your transfer, while a former prisoner can explain daily life inside the prison. Hotel pickup, Wi-Fi, water, and entry are included.

“Aimable is a great guide who ensures you are comfortable. He's knowledgeable and explains what is required of the trip. Great at time keeping too.”

Check availability →Read our full review

10.Robben Island Nelson Mandela’s Prison Museum + Township Tour incl Ferry Tickets

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 9 reviews · from $196Top rated

Spend about eight hours visiting Nelson Mandela’s prison cell on Robben Island and exploring Langa Township with a local guide. The tour includes ferry tickets, hotel pickup, an African lunch, Guga S’thebe Cultural Centre, the Arts and Crafts Market, and round-trip transport.

“At first it was the issue of time , whether to take the tour and once a decision was made, it is one to remember in a life time..”

Check availability →Read our full review

11.Robben Island Ferry and Guided Tour

★★★★★★★★★★3.0 · 7 reviews · 1 hour · from $109

Take the ferry from Cape Town’s Clock Tower to Robben Island, then tour the prison, quarry, and Mandela’s cell with an English-speaking former political prisoner. French support is available by request for an extra fee. Bring ID, sunscreen, and comfortable shoes.

“visite annulée par l'organisateur avec proposition de remboursement non encore exécuter ce jour. Je lui envoyé un mail de rappel voici 15 jours mais toujours pas de réponse.Si nécessaire je vous envoie copie des divers mails. Merci pour votre intervention. M Corvers”

Check availability →Read our full review

12.Robben Island Ferry Ticket and Guided Prison Tour

★★★★★★★★★★3.5 · 7 reviews · 4 hours · from $87

Travel from Cape Town CBD to Robben Island by ferry, tour the island and maximum-security prison, and hear firsthand accounts from a former political prisoner. The four-hour trip includes hotel pickup within the CBD, an English-speaking guide, and time at Mandela’s cell and the limestone quarry.

“Grosse arnaque au niveau des prix. Cette société est un vol organisé . Ils vendent leur touriste à des locaux, nous avons payé 4200 R pour des tickets qui valaient 2409 R. A fuir absolument et passer en direct par le site de Robben Island.”

Check availability →Read our full review

13.Nelson Mandela’s Robben Island Prison Museum Cape Town City Tour + Ferry Tickets

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 7 reviews · from $171

Spend about eight hours touring Robben Island and central Cape Town in a group of up to eight. Your day includes hotel pickup, a return ferry from the V&A Waterfront, Mandela’s prison, Bo-Kaap, District Six Museum, Company’s Garden, the Castle of Good Hope, and air-conditioned transport.

“We booked the trip on-line. Unfortunately everything went wrong ! Nobody met us at the pick up rendez-vous. We angrily called RAW tours…. Remy answered the phone and quickly calmed us down. They missed the booking, but a true test of a Read more”

Check availability →Read our full review

14.Robben Island Museum Stellenbosch Wineries Plus Ferry Ticket F/D

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 6 reviews · from $195

Spend a full day tracing South Africa’s political past on Robben Island, then switch gears at Spice Route and Babylonstoren. Expect a ferry ride, prison and quarry visits, wine, chocolate, beer, gardens, and mountain views. Hotel pickup, a guide, water, and return ferry tickets are included.

“It was such a wonderful experience touring with Raw Tours. I personally had a blast especially while he explained the history of South Africa specifically Robben Island and Nelson Mandela”

Check availability →Read our full review

15.Ferry Tour to Robben Island Museum with One Way Hotel Transfer

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 5 reviews · from $82

Travel from Cape Town’s V&A Waterfront to Robben Island by ferry, then tour the island by bus and visit the maximum-security prison. A former political prisoner guides the prison visit, adding personal detail to the history of apartheid. Allow about four and a half hours.

“Ordering the tickets was a·little challenging. Actually obtaining the tickets was VERY challenging. It took 20 to 30 minutes at the ticket counter at the museum/ferry dock to finally get the tickets.”

Check availability →Read our full review