# Robben Island and Table Mountain Tours: Tickets, Ferry Times and How to Do Both

*What the island and the cableway cost in 2026/27, why the ferry sells out, what happens when the wind blows, and how to fit both into one day without the stress.*

*Published: 2026-11-06*

> **Quick answer:** A Robben Island ticket costs R600 for an international adult and R310 for a child, ferry included. Boats leave the Nelson Mandela Gateway at the V&A Waterfront at 09:00, 11:00, 13:00 and 15:00 from September to April, with no 15:00 sailing from May to August, and the visit takes about three and a half to four hours. The Table Mountain cableway costs R475 return online or R530 at the ticket office, and the ticket stays valid for seven days if the weather closes the mountain. You can do both in one day, but book the ferry weeks ahead in summer and keep the mountain flexible.

Two places explain Cape Town better than any museum. One is a flat-topped mountain you can see from almost everywhere in the city. The other is a low island seven kilometres out in Table Bay, where Nelson Mandela spent eighteen of his twenty-seven years in prison.

Both are on every first-time visitor's list, and both trip people up in the same ways: tickets that sell out, weather that changes the plan, and queues that eat into a short stay. Here is what we have learned from booking them for guests every week.

> **How we quote prices:** Tour prices are per person in US dollars from our live booking system. Robben Island and cableway prices are in rand, set by the operators, and correct for the 2026/27 season at the time of writing.

## Robben Island: What to Expect

Ferries leave from the Nelson Mandela Gateway at the Clock Tower in the V&A Waterfront. The crossing takes around thirty to forty-five minutes depending on the sea. Once on the island, a bus takes you past the limestone quarry where prisoners worked in blinding glare, the house where Robert Sobukwe was kept in isolation, and the old village and church.

Then comes the maximum security prison. Your guide here may well be a former political prisoner, and that changes everything. They walk you through the cells and the courtyard, and then you stand at the door of the cell where Mandela slept on a mat for years. It is small, plain and very quiet. Most people need a few minutes on the ferry home before they feel like talking.

> Robben Island with your ferry ticket booked, Bo-Kaap, and Table Mountain, all in one private day. [Book this day tour](/destinations/cape-town/#day-tours)

## Robben Island Tickets and Ferry Times

| | Detail |
|---|---|
| International adult | R600 |
| International child | R310 |
| Summer sailings (1 Sep to 30 Apr) | 09:00, 11:00, 13:00, 15:00 |
| Winter sailings (May to Aug) | 09:00, 11:00, 13:00 |
| Total time | About 3.5 to 4 hours |
| Departs from | Nelson Mandela Gateway, V&A Waterfront |

Two practical points. First, sailings are cancelled now and then for wind or swell, so do not leave the island until your last day. Second, the earliest boat is usually the calmest and leaves the afternoon free for something else.

## Table Mountain: Cable Car Prices and Timing

The Aerial Cableway runs from Tafelberg Road to the top in about five minutes, and the round car turns as it climbs, so you get the whole sweep from Lion's Head to the Twelve Apostles. Up top there are easy paths along the edge, a café and views across the city and out to Robben Island.

| Ticket | Online | At the office |
|---|---|---|
| Adult return | R475 | R530 |
| Child return | R230 | Higher at the office |

Online tickets are valid for seven days, which is the single most useful fact about the mountain. When the southeaster blows, the cableway closes, sometimes for a whole day, and the famous "tablecloth" of cloud can sit on top for hours. Buy online, then go on the first clear morning.

If you prefer to walk, Platteklip Gorge is the most direct route, about two to three hours up for a fit adult. It is steep, exposed to the sun and busy in summer. Go early, take water and never go alone.

![The Robben Island sign with Table Mountain across Table Bay](/images/cape-town-tours/p5/05.webp)

## Doing Both in One Day

It is very doable with a bit of planning. Take the 09:00 ferry and you are back at the Waterfront around one o'clock. Have lunch, then drive up to the lower cableway station while the afternoon is still bright. A stop in the coloured streets of Bo-Kaap on the way fits neatly in between.

The catch is weather. If the wind rises after lunch, the mountain may close. A private guide simply turns the day around, perhaps with Signal Hill or Kirstenbosch instead and the cableway on another morning using your seven-day ticket.

## Add the Penguins, or the Vineyards

If you want to pack in the big three in one go, our longest private day pairs a morning on Robben Island with an afternoon down the peninsula at Boulders Beach and the Cape of Good Hope. It runs to about ten hours. You can read more about that coastline in our [Cape Point and penguins guide](/blogs/cape-point-penguins-tour-guide/).

> The ferry to Robben Island in the morning, then Chapman's Peak, Boulders Beach and the Cape of Good Hope with your own guide. [Book this day tour](/destinations/cape-town/#day-tours)

For a gentler day, the mountain combines well with Kirstenbosch and a wine tasting in Constantia, with every ticket included.

> The cableway, Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden and a Constantia tasting, all tickets included, with a private guide. [Book this day tour](/destinations/cape-town/#day-tours)

Only have a morning? Our private half day takes in the cableway, the Atlantic beaches, Chapman's Peak and the penguins in five hours.

> Table Mountain, Chapman's Peak and Boulders Beach in a private five-hour morning. [Book this day tour](/destinations/cape-town/#day-tours)

## Planning the Rest of Your Stay

Most guests give Cape Town four to six days. Our [Cape Town page](/destinations/cape-town/) lists every day tour we run, and if you have an extra day, the [Big Five safari from Cape Town](/blogs/big-five-safari-from-cape-town/) is the question we are asked most often after these two.

> **package cape-town-premium:** Five nights at Ellerman House above the Atlantic, with Table Mountain, a private peninsula day and a private Winelands tour, from US$2,800 per person.

Stand on top of the mountain, look out at the island, and the whole story of the city sits in front of you.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How far ahead should I book Robben Island?

In summer, from about November to March, two to three weeks ahead is wise and more around Christmas and Easter. Ferries are small and tickets are sold per sailing. In winter you can often book a few days out. When you book one of our Robben Island tours, we secure the ferry ticket for you.

### What happens if the Robben Island ferry is cancelled?

Sailings are sometimes cancelled for strong wind or high swell, occasionally on the day. Tickets are normally refunded or moved to another sailing. This is a good reason not to leave Robben Island until your final day in Cape Town.

### How much is the Table Mountain cable car?

For the price schedule running to 30 June 2027, a return adult ticket costs R475 when bought online and R530 at the ticket office. A child return is R230 online. Online tickets stay valid for seven days, which matters because the cableway closes in strong wind.

### Is the cable car or hiking better?

The cable car takes about five minutes and the floor of the car rotates, so everyone gets the view. Hiking up Platteklip Gorge takes two to three hours for a reasonably fit adult and is steep the whole way. Many people hike up and ride down. Never hike alone, and always check the weather first, because cloud can roll in very fast.

### Can you do Robben Island and Table Mountain in one day?

Yes. Take an early ferry, which gets you back to the Waterfront by early afternoon, then head up the mountain while the light is good. Our private full day does exactly this with a stop in Bo-Kaap, and your guide adjusts the order if the wind changes.

### Who guides the tour on Robben Island?

On the island, the prison tour is led by guides who include former political prisoners, and hearing the story from someone who lived it is the part most visitors remember for years. A bus tour of the island covers the limestone quarry, the leper graveyard and the house where Robert Sobukwe was held alone.