There was no question that I would visit Robben Island during my time in Cape Town. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is where Nelson Mandela served 18 of his 27 years behind bars before the fall of apartheid. It’s located just off the coast and regular ferry service is offered through the official tour company — a return ticket costs 300 Rand (about $30) and includes a bus tour of the island. I checked the forecast for a clear day and bought my ticket.

Here’s breakfast before my walk to the ferry, because I shamelessly enjoy photographing my meals:

It takes about 45 minutes to walk from my hostel in Gardens to the V&A waterfront. There are buses that will get me there faster for a nominal fee, but the weather is gorgeous.

Once inside the ferry departure terminal (which also houses a mini museum celebrating the life of Nelson Mandela, a tiny counterpart to the sprawling compound honoring this man in Johannesburg), everyone with tickets for the next ferry queues up.

During the time of my visit the normal ferry is out of commission so they are using other (read: slower) vessels. I think the trip is normally 30 minutes, but it takes about 45 to get there and a full hour to get back. I’d hardly complain, except there aren’t enough seats on the upper deck and there’s no way I’m going to sit inside the cabin on this beautiful day. So I stand the whole time and admire the views.

Picking a clear day was strategic because aside from the obvious advantage (enjoying the island in sunny weather) I knew that a cloudless day would allow for glorious views of Table Mountain looming over Cape Town. And these views did not disappoint.

The ferry docks and everyone climbs out. We’re instructed to board nearby buses for the tour — a guide will provide commentary as we drive around the island. Afterwards, the bus will drop us off at the prison where Mandela and others were held, at which point another guide will take over. Then we’ll all walk about 5 minutes back to the ferry terminal. In total, the entire experience takes four hours door-to-door, including round-trip ferry service from Cape Town.

At this moment in time visitors are unable to explore the island themselves on foot but there are plans to overhaul the Robben Island experience. Instead of this four-hour trip, in the future there might simply be regular ferry service every 30 minutes all day long. Visitors will be able to download an app to explore the island themselves instead of with a guide. Personally, this sounds fantastic, as I would’ve loved more freedom to walk around the island instead of being shepherded by our tour guide and bus driver.

This is Robben Island’s logo — a series of human forms, each one more distinguished than the previous, as if the individual is slowly becoming free. It honors the years Nelson Mandela and his fellow prisoners spent working in the quarry here, chiseling away at bedrock. Each day was another step closer to freedom.

This is our guide for the bus tour. I’m not deeply knowledgeable in the history of apartheid so I find his information valuable.

The only place we’re allowed to get out of the bus is at this overlook below. (There are bathrooms and a place to buy food and drinks inside that building on the right.) We have about 15 minutes to walk around here.

This sign depicts the slave trade route across the Atlantic:

Back on the bus, we continue circling the island and pass the quarry where Nelson Mandela spent most of his days working.

Prisoners would duck into the cave below to avoid harsh sunlight during lunch breaks, but this was also where the only toilet bucket in the quarry was located.

Next we arrive at the prison compound.

The jail tour is led by a former prisoner. It’s especially poignant to hear him talk about his experience and the living conditions first-hand.

Depending on each prisoner’s ethnicity, he was given a different quantity and quality of food.

Here is our group outside of Mandela’s prison cell:

Mandela spent 18 years of his life in this room. Four years after his release in 1990, he was elected president of South Africa.

While his particular cell is only visible from the outside, we’re allowed to walk into the surrounding cells. This is the one right next to Mandela’s:

On our walk back to the ferry, we spot a penguin. We must stick to the walkways so as not to disturb their habitat.

I take a photo inside the Robben Island store because I like the quotes and barbed wire along the ceiling. A cashier tells me photos are not allowed, so I leave. You can take photos everywhere else on the island so this makes no sense to me.

We’re supposed to have a chunk of time here to walk around — there’s lots of signage detailing the island’s history, as well as restrooms and the store. But within five minutes there is an announcement to get on the ferry immediately. Everyone rushes back to comply. And then we sit there for 30 minutes before our ferry departs! But even more frustrating is that we’re on a (very) slow ferry… so during our 60 minute ride back, a second ferry that departed later eclipses us to arrive in Cape Town first. Oh well… at least our captain didn’t get lost on this straightforward route, as one did this past January. Oy.

But again, the views are pretty, and this time I have a seat for most of the journey.

All in all, the Robben Island experience is worth it despite my frustrations with the current ferries. Once the normal ferries are back up and running it should be a consistent journey. Just make sure you pick a day with clear weather, as it would’ve been fairly miserable to go on a rainy day with choppy water.