"This island, about five miles off the coast of Cape Town, had been a notorious penal colony since the Dutch and English colonial times. But its main notoriety comes from the fact that this is where many iconic South African freedom fighters were imprisoned—chief among them Nelson Mandela, who spent 18 years of his 27-year sentence at Robben Island. Visitors board a ferry from the V&A Waterfront (they should book in advance, as boats frequently sell out), then take a bus tour around the island before walking through the prison itself." - Sarah Khan