Cape Town History Tour: Robben Island and Human Rights

Explore Cape Town’s rich history and human rights journey with a full-day private tour, including a visit to Robben Island.

Duration: 10 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Bo-kaap - The day begins with a visit to the charming “Bo-Kaap” – a historic neighborhood that became home to many Muslims and freed slaves after the end of slavery. Experience the unique culture, lifestyle, and character as you stroll through the area.
  • District Six Museum - Continue to Zonnebloem, formerly known as District Six, and explore…
What's Included
  • In-vehicle air conditioning
  • All fees and/or taxes
  • Robben Island Ferry is public
What's Not Included
  • Lunch
Additional Information

Cape Town’s history and culture are deeply intertwined with South Africa’s. From the era of the Khoisan to the arrival of Jan van Riebeeck, from the grim period of apartheid to the democratic freedoms of today, Cape Town has always been at the center. This tour offers a profound understanding of human rights issues in South Africa, along with a visit to Robben Island.

Location
Southern Sun Waterfront Cape Town
Lower Buitengracht
Wait at the entrance until you are met by your ILIOS Travel Guide, who will be identifiable by his uniform and vehicle branding.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.4
(8 Ratings)
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1 star
Cruiser33939570691
Sep 8, 2022
Finished tour full of knowledge and smiling! - My husband and I did this tour with Aslam Benjamin. His personality and effort made this more than a great tour. It was exemplary!! Aslam was extremely knowledgeable and thorough; he was conversational and humorous. We saw many sides of Cape Town. We were very excited to see that he was our guide the next day as well!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Bryand7437
Jul 5, 2022
Amazing Tour Led By Shadley - We actually took the half day Walk to Freedom tour with Shadley as our guide. The tour was excellent and very informative. Shadley was very funny, but also knowledgeable about the city and able to answer any questions that we had. The tour gave a very informative look into the political history of South Africa, from the early days of colonization through apartheid to the present day. Visiting Langa, the cultural center there, as well as District 6, and the District 6 museum gave a great representation of where South Africa was, where it is now, and hope for continued change into the future.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mcchrissyd
Feb 4, 2020
Thanks Ash and Sharky - A fantastic full day tour with Ash and Sharky. Very informative and helpful with a wealth of knowledge on the history of the country and the apartheid regime. The tour of Robben Island was also very good and the guides are the island are very knowledgable and ensure that the tour is a must if you are in Cape Town
Review provided by Viator
Mary
Jan 16, 2020
Highlight of a wonderful trip to South Africa - We were collected promptly from our hotel by Mr Colin Grey who brought us through the city to a township Langa where we met a local guide who walked us through the township to a local community centre where young people from the township learn artistic skills and we were able to buy some brilliant ceramics. The local enterprise run by local people committed to encouraging local youth to develop entrepreneurial skills and progress was great to see. We were made welcome and Colin accompanied us as we learnt the appalling impact of apartheid on lives, the history of the struggle and how people now live. It was a genuine education along with a visit to District 6 museum where the history of forced removals was brought home by guides, stories and displays. We them saw the areas of central capetown guided and informed as to the history. At the end Colin took us to our ferry to Robben Island. This tour set the scene for Robben Island and was informative emotional and one which I cannot recommend highly enough. Thank you Colin.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Pioneer59643520546
Jan 4, 2020
Not to be mssed - A wonderful insight into this traumatic period of history. Our guide Aslam and driver were excellent and made it an unforgettable experience with their knowledge and great personalities. Our guide on Robben Island, an ex inmate, really brought it to life with is harrowing account of prison life on the island. Highly recommended trip
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Bethano795
May 15, 2019
Excellent Service - My friends and I did both the Cape Peninsular and Walk to Freedom tours guided by Ighsaan. The tours were well organised and very informative. On the Walk to Freedom tour, Ighsaan's excellent customer service kicked-in when one of our group became I'll so needed to go back to the accommodation. He ensured she got back but that none of the tour was missed out for the other members of the group. When we went for the Robben Island Ferry, we thought she wasn't well enough still to join us (we missed her calls). As we sat down on the ferry she appeared. Iggy had spotted her arriving and even though we were on the boat and her ticket had been scanned, he managed to get her on. His quick thinking and helpfulness meant that she was able to join the tour again. One note on the Cape Peninsular Tour, it's very windy! Skirts and dresses are not the best outfit of choice as we found out on the Cape. I would recommend Ilios Tours and transfers.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Inverness_alistair
Sep 21, 2023
A worthwhile tour. - Didn’t get off to a good start as our guide arrived 45 minutes late, however, our tour of the Langa township and District 6, including the museum, were fascinating. We disappointingly didn’t get to see the Bo Kaap area, possibly because of the delay in starting. In the afternoon, our guide dropped us off for the ferry to Robben Island but didn’t accompany us - standard practice as the prison tour is conducted by a former political prisoner and is not to be missed. An interesting and thought provoking day.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Stevetarn2014
Jul 30, 2020
Awful Experience - We took this tour with Ilios travel in January 2020 and the whole experience was frustrating and the customer service we encountered left a lot to be desired. We were led to believe that Ilios would call us the day before to confirm the departure time but they never did so we assumed they would pick us up at the time on our itinerary which was 8:30. We had arranged an early breakfast at our accommodation for 8.00. At 7:45 Ilios turned up, we were not fully ready for breakfast never mind the tour but the guide quite sarcastically when we explained the situation asked me to go and tell the rest of the bus why they would be delayed. At this point in hindsight we wish we had never gone on the trip and told him to leave without us. The first part of the trip which included a visit to Langa was very good, we bought some ceramics and had the chance to play the drums as well as learn about the history of the township. We learnt about the different social and economic aspects within the area. Next we visited District Six and drove through the streets which was to end with a visit to the District Six Museum. Unfortunately it was closed. Much to the surprise of the guide. A lot of head scratching followed and eventually we were taken to the slavery museum instead. With time to fill we then went to Bo-Kaap, we were actually the only people on the tour who had not been before but obviously there was time to kill. The afternoon should have been the highlight as this is when we were to visit Robben Island. At this point we were told that the rest of the bus would be on the 1pm ferry but we were on the 3pm ferry! We asked why this was and a shrug of the shoulders followed. We arrived at the Waterfront at 12 giving the rest of the tour enough time to have lunch before the Ferry but leaving ourselves 3 hours to kill. After the early start this was most disappointing. We felt like we had wasted all morning baring the trip to Langa and the guide seemed not to care telling us to 'relax as we were on holiday'. As we had a packed schedule whilst in Cape Town we could have used this time much more effectively. He then told the other members of the tour that someone would meet them to take them back to their hotels but not us as it would be past the end of the day. His attitude at this point was appalling and he told us to 'stop stressing'. He then called the office and said someone would be there to meet us. We also asked what time we would get back as we had a dinner reservation and he said he didn't know. The Robben Island trip was great but because of the weather the last Ferry back did not leave until after 7 meaning we were back extremely late. The guide was there to meet us as promised but sat in silence all the way back to our accommodation, clearly annoyed. In summary the day was shockingly organised and i would not recommend using this company. You can book the Ferry and Robben Island trip without using Ilios and that it what i recommend you do.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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