The 5 Best South Africa Island Hopping Tours

1.Robben Island Ferry Ticket and Guided Prison Tour

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

Meet at the Nelson Mandela Gateway, skip the ticket-buying line, and take a shared ferry to Robben Island. A bus tour covers the island before a former political prisoner leads you through the prison, including Nelson Mandela’s cell. English guides, return ferry, and museum entry are included.

“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.”

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

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

Ride the ferry from Cape Town to Robben Island, tour the island by bus, and visit the prison with a former prisoner as your guide. Hotel pickup covers central Cape Town and nearby districts. The tour lasts about five hours, but ferry delays and waiting time can stretch the day.

“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.”

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3.Whale, Dolphin & Penguin Island Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 687 reviews · from $185Top rated

Join Jake and the Raggy Charters crew at 8am for a four-hour catamaran trip across Algoa Bay. A maximum of 20 people gives you room to ask questions while looking for humpback whales, dolphins, seals, seabirds and African penguins around St. Croix Island.

“All four crew on boat very helpful and knowledgeable. On time, clean boat, saw penguins on the island and dolphins and a whale close up.”

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4.Robben Island Ferry Ticket and Townships Tour

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

Start with District Six and Langa, then see Bonteheuwel and Gugulethu before taking the ferry to Robben Island. Local guides such as Sam, Mpumzi, Luyolo, and Shake explain apartheid, daily life, local beer, schools, hostels, and community life. The day ends at the V&A Waterfront, not your hotel.

“The tour excellently displayed the social and socioeconomic inequalities that exist in post-apartheid Cape Town.”

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5.Robben Island Ferry with Prison Ticket and Tour

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

Travel from the V&A Waterfront to Robben Island, tour the lime quarry and Robert Sobukwe’s house, then enter the maximum-security prison and Mandela’s former cell. An English-speaking guide and former political prisoner bring the island’s past to life over 210 minutes.

“The Island tour was particularly good but both tours were very rushed, very little time for questions or photographs.”

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