QUICK VIEW:
Fascinating history! Cape Point is the most southwestern point in Africa, with dramatic views of the historic sea route around the Cape. Just six miles from Cape Town, Robben Island is the infamous maximum security prison that held Nelson Mandela during Apartheid.
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SOUTH AFRICA is located on the southernmost tip of the African continent. This Blog is part of a travel series covering the Road Hackers' three month visit to the Western Cape in 2022.
Cape Point & Robben Island
This trip to Cape Point and Robben Island would complete our tour of the Cape Town Big Six:
If you are fortunate enough to visit South Africa, we would strongly recommend the Cape Town Big Six as a foundation for an unforgettable southern African experience. If you have the budget and more time, be sure to add a tour of the wine estates between Paarl and the Elgin Valley.
Back to our day-trip! Visiting both Cape Point and Robben Island on a single day is quite ambitious, but definitely doable. We arrived in the Cape Point parking lot shortly after the opening of the park. It was a windy and cool day for late summer. Luckily, we had been warned to expect weather at the Point.
Let's get oriented to the geography of this dramatic piece of land. Cape Point on the Cape of Good Hope is the most southwestern point on the continent of Africa. However, Cape Point is frequently incorrectly referred to as the meeting point of the Indian and Atlantic Oceans. In actuality, the point migrates back and forth somewhere between Cape Point and Cape Agulhas.
Cape Point is the most southwestern point on the African continent, though technically may not be where the Atlantic & Indian Oceans meet
Cape Agulhas, located about 105 miles/170 km southeast of Cape Town, is the official geographic divide between the two oceans. This is also the most southern tip of Africa. Technically, the oceans actually meet where the cold Atlantic Benguela and warm Mozambique-Cape Agulhas currents come together.
Whether Cape Point is officially the meeting point between the two oceans or not, it is still well worth the visit. The dramatic views and the historical importance of the area make it a must-see for visitors. Its historical claim to fame is well documented and quite significant.
Cape Point at the Cape of Good Hope is beautiful as well as historically significant
Portuguese explorer, Bartolomeu Dias, was the first European to round the Cape of Good Hope in 1488. This was quite a break-through, because Europe had finally found the sea route around the southern tip of Africa.
Dias first named this point the Cape of Storms because of the rough seas and unpredictable weather he encountered. King John II of Portugal renamed it the Cape of Good Hope to celebrate the circumnavigation of Africa and the discovery of the Cape Sea Route to the Far East.
Vintage engraving from 1878 of Bartolomeu Dias on his voyage to the Cape
Cape Point lies in the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve, which, in turn, lies within the boundaries of the extensive Table Mountain National Park.
Adult entry tickets to Cape Point cost about $6 each. Next, we had to decide whether to take the Lost Dutchman Funicular Railway to the Old Lighthouse Lookout Point, or hike the steep gradient to the top. We thankfully opted for the funicular! Adult tickets cost another $6 each for the return trip. The fee was more than reasonable for its time-saving efficiency, and the convenience of preserving our energy for other ventures!
The ride in the Lost Dutchman Funicular Railway was a quick and easy way to get to the lighthouse
There's an interesting story about the Cape Point Lighthouses that needs to be shared. The 1911 sinking at Cape Point of the Portuguese ocean liner, The Lusitania, caused a re-evaluation of the placement of the lighthouse. The new lighthouse was built closer to the end of the point to enhance visibility for passing ships. The Old Lighthouse is no longer operational, but remains a huge tourist attraction.
The funicular ride took only three minutes to complete. As we exited, we could see the Old Lighthouse above us, and we determined that this was a very manageable climb. Once at the lighthouse, we were so glad we'd made the trip. The views of Cape Point and False Bay were just spectacular!
The views of Cape Point and False Bay from the Old Lighthouse were well worth the trip up
We had read quite a few really good reviews on Trip Advisor about the Two Oceans Restaurant at Cape Point. Unfortunately, they had just recently closed their doors for good! Luckily, we could still grab a cup of coffee and a quick bite at the Food Shop. Of course, we also stopped by the gift shops to buy a few Cape Point souvenirs and a couple of snacks.
Next up--the Robben Island part of our day! The ferry tour was to depart from the Nelson Mandela Gateway located at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town. It took about 75 minutes to drive the 42 miles/67 km from Cape Point. Our goal was to catch the 1pm ferry and be back in Cape Town by around 5pm.
The tours, including the ferry rides, take about three and a half hours. Adult excursion tickets cost non-South Africans about $40 each. The ticket also includes the on-island escorted tour.
The ferry ride to Robben Island was a scenic one, but the seas were rather rough
As we headed out into Table Bay, we knew we were in for a rough ride. Luckily, it was only a 30-minute boat ride to our landing point at Murray's Bay Harbor.
The seas around Robben Island are notoriously dangerous. More than 30 shipwrecks have been reported close to the island! Entering this area of Table Bay was so perilous that Jan van Riebeeck had huge bonfires built on the island to warn ships as they approached. Eventually, the lighthouse was built.
By the time we disembarked, we were all feeling a little queasy, but especially Tricia and her motion sickness. We walked around for several minutes to get our equilibrium back on track.
Though the boat ride was relatively short, the choppy waters left us feeling a bit queasy
We headed for the Robben Island tour buses. We passed a few buildings that were used as reception areas for families and lawyers visiting the facility. One can only imagine what these reunions must have been like. The weight of the history on Robben Island felt like we were entering a sacred area--and rightfully so!
An official Robben Island guide met us on the bus and provided a general orientation. As the busses drove over to the old maximum security prison, we passed the Lime and Bluestone Quarries where political prisoners were forced to labor during the Apartheid years. We also passed the Robben Island graveyard.
The quarry on Robben Island where political prisoners labored during Apartheid
Robben Island actually has a lengthy history before the Apartheid era. The first European landing may have occurred as early as 1498, with European ships regularly visiting the island starting in the 16th Century. The island's name of "robben" was derived from the Dutch word for seals, which were plentiful in the area.
The first semi-permanent structure on the island was a shed built by the early Dutch settlers in 1654. In those early days, the settlers kept their sheep there to protect them from the wild animals on the mainland. The settlers also released rabbits on the island in an effort to provide a steady meat supply for passing sailors.
Both the Dutch and British used Robben Island as a penal colony starting in the 19th Century. The island even became a leper colony from 1846 to 1931. The graveyard still has many of the leper grave sites.
Robben Island became South Africa's maximum security prison during Apartheid, from the 1960s through early 1991. Most of the incarcerated during this period were black political prisoners, including Nelson Mandela. Robben Island was declared a national monument in 1997, and was designated a World Heritage Site in 1999.
A South African flag flies at Apartheid's maximum security prison, declared a national monument in 1997 & a World Heritage Site in 1999
As the bus tour continued, we passed Robert Sobukwe’s house. Sobukwe was a high-profile anti-Apartheid prisoner who was incarcerated in solitary confinement from 1963 to 1969. The house is actually part of the complex where he was imprisoned.
At the end of the island portion of the bus tour, we were dropped off at the maximum security prison. Here, we were introduced to our new tour guide. This gentleman had been an actual prisoner in this very prison, making this part of the tour extremely personal.
The tour of the Robben Island prison area was very informative, but hearing about the day-to-day life of lockup was emotional
Our guide described day-to-day life at the prison--how the prisoners survived, what they ate, how they exercised, and how they were punished. Prisoners were forced to shower with sea water, when they were allowed to shower at all. Hearing all of this from a former political prisoner made the experience all too real, and very emotional.
Finally, we were taken to the cell where Nelson Mandela was held. Viewing the small chamber, consisting of merely the bare necessities, was an intense moment of realization for us! Imagining the long years of his confinement in such a small depressing space left us in amazement that he re-emerged from the experience with his humanity intact.
The confines of Nelson Mandela's tiny cell made the philosophy he held following his release even more impressive
The guide told us that Nelson Mandela never lost sight of his principles and the goals of the resistance movement. He served 18 of his 27 years of imprisonment on Robben Island. Nelson Mandela later became the President of South Africa, and received the Nobel Peace Prize.
With our Robben Island tour at an end, we felt both uplifted and drained at the same time. Even so, we wouldn't have missed the experience. There's good reason Robben Island is included in The Cape Town Big Six. The Robben Island experience is important to understanding the country that South Africa has become.
Our return voyage to the V&A Waterfront was just as rough--and queasy... But a little motion sickness wasn't about to stop us from a return outing to our favorite take-away stop in Cape Town! The Eastern Food Bazaar and our new-found favorite curry dishes was next up on the circuit.
Our delicious meal of chicken in yellow curry with rice and lots of side salads at Cape Town's Eastern Food Bazaar
