Robben Island is an island in Table Bay, 6.9 km west of the coast of Bloubergstrand,
Cape Town. The name is Dutch for “seal island.” Robben Island is roughly oval in shape, it is flat and only a few metres above sea level.
Nobel Peace Prize winner, national treasure and former President of South Africa Nelson Mandela was imprisoned there for 18 of the 27 years he served as a prisoner before the fall of apartheid.
There are boat trips and tours of the former prison is available from the Clock Tower at the V & A Waterfront.