Robben Island
A low island in Table Bay, a short ferry ride from Cape Town, used for centuries as a prison and place of exile. Nelson Mandela spent 18 of his 27 years in custody here, and former prisoners now guide visitors around the site, a World Heritage Site since 1999.
- Where
- Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa
- Grade
- UNESCO heritage
- Worth
- 10 points collected on site, plus 8 for its grade
- Coordinates
- -33.8050, 18.3700
Get the Robben Island stamp
Open LOQAH when you are at Robben Island. It checks where you are once, at that moment, and the stamp is yours: confirmed on site in gold and struck with the date. It goes into your Western Cape volume with your photos and a note.
Near Robben Island
V&A Waterfront 12 km
A working harbour turned shopping and dining district in Cape Town, named after Queen Victoria's son Alfred and Victoria herself. It has restaurants, markets, a large aquarium and the Zeitz Museum, with Table Mountain behind and ferries to Robben Island.
Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa 12 km
A museum of contemporary African art inside a converted grain silo on the Cape Town waterfront, opened in 2017. Architect Thomas Heatherwick carved out its atrium from the concrete tubes, and the building has nine floors of galleries and a rooftop sculpture garden.
Signal Hill 13 km
A flat topped hill beside Lion's Head, overlooking Cape Town's city bowl and the Atlantic seaboard. The Noon Gun, fired each day from a battery on its slope since 1806, can be seen at 12 o'clock, and the summit is popular at sunset.
Bo-Kaap 13 km
A hillside district below Signal Hill, once known as the Malay Quarter and the historical centre of Cape Malay culture. Its steep cobbled streets are lined with brightly painted houses, and the Nurul Islam mosque, built in 1844, is among the oldest in the country.
Company's Garden 14 km
A large public park in the heart of Cape Town's city centre, and the oldest garden in South Africa. It began as a vegetable plot for passing Dutch ships and is now a national heritage site with oak lined paths, ponds and museums at its edges.
Iziko South African Museum 14 km
The country's first museum, founded in 1825 and standing on its present site in the Company's Garden since 1897. Its natural history collections cover fossils, minerals and wildlife, and it holds notable rock art and a planetarium nearby.
Castle of Good Hope 14 km
A pentagonal bastion fort built in the 17th century by the Dutch East India Company. It once stood on the shore of Table Bay but now sits inland after land reclamation, ringed by a moat, and it is the oldest surviving colonial building in South Africa.
District Six Museum 15 km
A museum housed in an old Methodist church in the former inner city district of District Six. The floor is covered by a large map of the district with handwritten notes from former residents, recalling the people forced out under apartheid.
More UNESCO World Heritage sites in Western Cape
Questions
Where is Robben Island?
Robben Island is in Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa. The nearest other LOQAH stamps are V&A Waterfront (12 km), Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (12 km), Signal Hill (13 km).
How do I get the Robben Island stamp?
Open LOQAH when you are at Robben Island and get its stamp. The app checks where you are once, at that moment, and the stamp goes into your Western Cape volume, confirmed on site, with the date.
I have been to Robben Island before. Can I still have the stamp?
Yes. Add it from Earlier trips in your Western Cape volume, with the date if you know it, or import your Google Timeline and LOQAH matches the places you were.
Collect your first stamp.
LOQAH is free on iPhone and Android, in India and 40 more countries, with more countries on the way. Stand at a place, collect its stamp, and keep every trip in a passport that grows.