Once you step off the ferry, you board a tour bus with a local guide. The bus drives around the island while the guide explains the history, the prison system, and daily life on the island. Here’s what you will typically see: You see buildings and remains from the time when the island was used as a leper colony. • A small old church and several grave markers are pointed out. • Guides explain how people were isolated here long before apartheid.You’ll pass through: • The staff village where current island residents (guides, workers, museum staff) live. • Old houses and administrative buildings from the apartheid era.The Lime Quarry This is one of the most meaningful stops: • Prisoners, including Nelson Mandela, were forced to work here doing physically exhausting labour.After the Bus Tour: Walking Tour Inside the Prison After the bus loop, travellers enter the maximum–security prison area. A former political prisoner becomes your guide. You will see: Mandela’s cell (B-section)