Visiting Robben Island 鈥� More Than Cape Town鈥檚 Alcatraz, Cape Town, South Africa
I got mixed reactions when talking to Capetonian鈥檚 about visiting Robben Island. Some said it was not to be missed. The rest shrugged it off. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just our Alcatraz鈥� was a response I received more than once.
Well I liked visiting Alcatraz and have a hard time comparing the two. Beyond both being Island jails in a scenic city, what do they have in common? Visiting Robben Island was always on my to do list as a must see sight. Now I was visiting Robben Island to see why some locals say to skip it.
As expected, visiting Robben Island is a popular excursion so booking your tour at ahead of time (a couple of days at least) is recommended. Boats depart daily聽from the Robben Island Museum聽in聽Cape Town鈥檚 waterfront at 0900, 1100, and 1300. 鈥� Not to be mistaken with the Jetty聽1 which is where inmates used to depart from. Today it is a free museum and worth a visit while聽visiting the waterfront.
As the fog started to lift I could already tell that this was no Alcatraz. The first thing visiting Robben Island taught me was that it is huge. So much so that you are gathered onto tour buses to be taken around. On board our聽well spoken and oddly humorous guide pointed out the various sites on the island. Things relating to and not聽relating to it being used as a jail. This includes an asylum for leprosy patients, a military compound during World War II, guard quarters, and a rock query where inmates worked in blindly harsh聽conditions. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).
Well I liked visiting Alcatraz and have a hard time comparing the two. Beyond both being Island jails in a scenic city, what do they have in common? Visiting Robben Island was always on my to do list as a must see sight. Now I was visiting Robben Island to see why some locals say to skip it.
As expected, visiting Robben Island is a popular excursion so booking your tour at ahead of time (a couple of days at least) is recommended. Boats depart daily聽from the Robben Island Museum聽in聽Cape Town鈥檚 waterfront at 0900, 1100, and 1300. 鈥� Not to be mistaken with the Jetty聽1 which is where inmates used to depart from. Today it is a free museum and worth a visit while聽visiting the waterfront.
As the fog started to lift I could already tell that this was no Alcatraz. The first thing visiting Robben Island taught me was that it is huge. So much so that you are gathered onto tour buses to be taken around. On board our聽well spoken and oddly humorous guide pointed out the various sites on the island. Things relating to and not聽relating to it being used as a jail. This includes an asylum for leprosy patients, a military compound during World War II, guard quarters, and a rock query where inmates worked in blindly harsh聽conditions. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).
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Guide Name: Visiting Robben Island 鈥� More Than Cape Town鈥檚 Alcatraz
Guide Location: South Africa » Cape Town
Guide Type: Self-guided Walking Tour (Article (B))
Author: Shaun Robertson
Read it on Author's Website:
Sight(s) Featured in This Guide:
Guide Location: South Africa » Cape Town
Guide Type: Self-guided Walking Tour (Article (B))
Author: Shaun Robertson
Read it on Author's Website:
Sight(s) Featured in This Guide:
- Robben Island Museum
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