BY FERRY · CAPE TOWN FERRY TRIPS
The 15 best cape town ferry trips you can book today, with the fare, the crossing time and who each one suits. The first is first for a reason.
Take the ferry from Cape Town’s Nelson Mandela Gateway to Robben Island, then tour the island by bus and walk through the prison with a former political inmate. The four-hour shared experience includes return ferry tickets, an English-speaking guide, and Nelson Mandela’s cell. Bring identification and a coat for the boat.
“Guides were great, the whole experience was so interesting”
You’ll be collected from central Cape Town, taken to the Nelson Mandela Gateway, and ferried 45 minutes to Robben Island. A bus tour covers the island, followed by the prison visit and Mandela’s cell. Former prisoners, including guides such as Tom and Sipho, may explain life inside the prison. Return transport ends at the V&A Waterfront.
“Definitely a 5 star... and something that I believe everyone that visits Cape Town needs to experience. We are grateful for our guide which has shared such an intimate and difficult experience with us.”
Spend the morning touring District Six, Langa, Bonteheuwel, and Gugulethu with Sam’s Cultural Tours. Walk through Langa with a local guide, visit a school, shebeen, healer, and beer brewer, then take the ferry to Robben Island for a prison tour led by a former inmate. Hotel pickup is included, but you make your own way home.
“The Township tour was excellent. Sam gave detailed history of township..”
Take the ferry from Cape Town’s V&A Waterfront to Robben Island, then tour the island by bus and walk through the maximum-security prison. An ex-prisoner leads the prison visit, sharing firsthand memories of detention, including the conditions faced by inmates and Mandela’s former cell. The 210-minute tour is in English and wheelchair accessible.
“The information was very good and gave us a good understanding and insight into the conditions”
Travel by shared 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. Allow about four hours. You must arrange your own transport to the Nelson Mandela Gateway, and the experience is for international visitors.
“The museum guide is an ex-prisoner, which adds a lot to an already extremely interesting tour of the jail facility”
You’ll take a 30-minute ferry from the V&A Waterfront to Robben Island, then tour the island and maximum-security prison with an English-speaking former political prisoner. See Mandela’s cell, the Lime Quarry, Robert Sobukwe’s house, and the leprosy graveyard before returning by ferry beneath Table Mountain.
Take a 30-minute ferry from the Nelson Mandela Gateway to Robben Island, then tour the island and maximum-security prison with an English-speaking former political prisoner. See Mandela’s cell, the Lime Quarry, Robert Sobukwe’s house, and other important sites. The four-hour visit costs $71 and does not include hotel transport.
“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”
You’ll ride a shared ferry from Cape Town to Robben Island, tour the prison and island by bus, and see Nelson Mandela’s cell. A private air-conditioned vehicle handles hotel pickup and drop-off, while a former political prisoner guides the prison section. Allow about four and a half hours, plus possible ferry delays.
“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”
Spend about eight hours visiting Robben Island and Langa Township with hotel pickup, ferry tickets, transfers, lunch, and bottled water included. You’ll see Nelson Mandela’s prison cell, learn about apartheid, visit Gugu S’thebe Cultural Centre and an arts market, and hear local insight from guides such as Remmy. Groups are limited to 24 people.
Travel from Cape Town CBD to Robben Island by ferry, tour the island by bus, and enter the prison where Nelson Mandela spent 18 years. A former political prisoner leads the prison visit in English. Hotel pickup is included, but return transport is not normally provided.
“Very good. The guides were excellent. We would, however, have liked to have enough time to see the penguins.”
You’ll take a ferry from the Clock Tower at the V&A Waterfront to Robben Island, then tour the prison, limestone quarry, prison yard, and Nelson Mandela’s cell. An English-speaking guide, often a former political prisoner, explains apartheid and the island’s role in South Africa’s freedom struggle. French help is available by advance request for an added fee.
“Indrukwekkend en heel goed geregeld. Gids op de bus (persoonlijk) wist heel veel. Had heel veel achtergrondinformatie.”
Spend about eight hours exploring Cape Town with hotel pickup, an air-conditioned vehicle, and a group capped at eight people. Visit Robben Island by ferry, then see Bo-Kaap, Company's Garden, the Castle of Good Hope, and District Six Museum. Guides Remmy and Kuda are named in past tour accounts, and lunch is not included.
Start with a ferry ride and guided visit to Robben Island, including Nelson Mandela’s prison cell, the quarry, Sobukwe House, and the penguin sanctuary. Then visit Spice Route and Babylonstoren for wine, chocolate, ice cream, gardens, and mountain views. Hotel pickup, transport, water, and ferry tickets are included.
Spend about eight hours tracing apartheid history on Robben Island, including Nelson Mandela’s former cell, then relax among Stellenbosch wineries. Your accredited guide handles transport and return ferry tickets. Pickup is offered, though the listed meeting point is The Silo Hotel. Wine tastings and lunch cost extra.
Spend about eight hours linking Cape Town’s most powerful sights. Visit Robben Island by ferry, learn from an accredited guide, see penguins at Boulders Beach, and explore Cape Point and Chapman’s Peak. Hotel pickup, bottled water, transport, and the Robben Island ferry are included, while two entry fees are extra.
“Our tour guide Alain was amazing. Robben Island is a must when visiting Cape Town. The area around the cape was so beautiful and the penguins were so much fun to see.”
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