Robben Island & Cape Town City tour

Description

Please contact us to confirm availability -  

This full day tour takes in the best of the beautiful Mother city!  Weather permitting you will start with a boat trip out to Robben Island. This is where political prisoners spent many hard years during the infamous apartheid era. Nelson Mandela spend many of his 27 years incarcerated here. On your ride out to the island look out for aquatic birds and even Southern Right Whales who seasonally calf in these waters.  

Drive through the Cape Malay Quarters up steep roads lined with brightly painted houses and lively street chatter. Visit the South African Museum which houses important African zoology, palaeontology and archaeology collections. Take a wander through the Company Gardens. First started in 1600 as a vegetable garden to supply the ships of the Dutch East India Company on their way to the Far East. Now this tranquil place is a Botanical Garden and a space worth spending time in. The star shaped Castle of Good Hope is a step back in time. Built between 1666 and 1679 by the Dutch East India Company, it’s the oldest existing colonial building in South Africa, with dark dungeons beneath the official residence of the Governor of the Cape.

Then, weather permitting, it is a trip up Table Mountain on the revolving, 360 degree viewing cable car, to the top [ticket for own account]. On a good day you can see all  the way to Cape Point. The views from up here are spectacular. Gaze down at the bays and coves of Sea Point, Clifton and Camps Bay on the Atlantic Seaboard, the city bowl and harbour to the north, and Lions Head and Signal Hill. Relax with a drink and choice of food at the trendy Table Mountain Cafe [for own account]

Return transfer to your hotel.

Escorted by an English speaking guide who will answer any and all the questions you may have! 

Highlights

• Robben Island
• Bo-Kaap
• South African Museum & Company Gardens
• Castle of Good Hope
• Table Mountain
• Return ferry to the Robben island
  

Itinerary

COLLECTION FROM CAPE TOWN HOTEL:  8AM

• Robben Island

  Board the Robben Island Ferry (included) (weather permitting) for your voyage across the bay to the infamous maximum-security prison that once housed various political prisoners including the late Nelson Mandela. Today it is a World Heritage Site and museum, a poignant reminder of the price paid for freedom. The excursion includes a return ferry to the island, a bus tour on the island and an integrated tour of the prison.

• Bo-Kaap

  Discover how the Malay slaves influenced the culture, food and aesthetics of this beautiful city and its people. Formerly known as the Malay Quarter, this picturesque corner of Cape Town well-known for its vast collection of colourful houses and cobble stone streets, became home to the Cape Muslim community and many freed slaves after the abolition of slavery in 1834.

• Company Gardens

  Proceed to the Company Gardens located in the heart of the CBD. The park and heritage site was originally established in the early 1650s by the European Settlers arriving in the area. The gardens provided fresh fruit and vegetables to the ships seeking replenishment when rounding the Cape on their journey to the East. Finish your tour of the Company Gardens with a stop at the South African Museum.

• The Castle of Good Hope

  Built between 1666 and 1679 by the Dutch East Indian Company (VOC) as a maritime replenishment store, the Castle of Good Hope is the oldest surviving colonial building in South Africa. The drive through the city will also take you past the Houses of Parliament, the Grand Parade and City Hall; from where Nelson Mandela first addressed South Africans after his release in February 1990.

• Table Mountain

            Continue to Table Mountain where you shall reach the top by cable car (weather permitting; cable car fee not included). Enjoy the panoramic views             over the city with Robben Island lying sleepily in Table Bay. Also, get a bird's eye view over the Atlantic Seaboard.

The tour ends with drop off at your hotel in the early evening.

Important information

 Exclusions:

• cable car ticket
• Lunch & drinks
• Cable Car Fee not included
• Gratuities 

Operated by: Ilios Travel