Prison Island Tour
Description
Join us on a half day trip to Prison Island. We will take a boat from the shores of Stone Town, setting down anchor 5 km away, on the beautiful beach of Prison Island. The prison – which is now owned ny a hotel – was built in 1893 and was originally intended to house violent prisoners from the mainland and sick peo- ple.Prison Island giant tortoise You will get the opportunity to visit the tortoise sanctuary, which contains a large colony of giant tortoise imported from the Seychelles in the late 19th century. The average weight of these crea- tures is 200 kg, and many of them are said to be over 150 years old. There will be a chance to touch the tortoise and take photos. The island is also a home to a colony of beautiful peacocks. For the rest of the trip you can either enjoy the marine life as you snorkel around the coral that fringes Prison Island or just relax under the warm glow of the sun, until you head back to Stone Town.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Just a short boat ride from Stone Town, Changuu Island (also known as Prison Island) is a one-of-a-kind and accessible excursion with an intriguing history, unique wildlife and picturesque, You will visit the giant old tortoise, beautiful colorful peacock, swing on the crystal clear sea and snorkelling.
Changuu Island has served several roles over the centuries; one was a medical quarantine outpost. Nowadays it is a tourist attraction and wildlife sanctuary. The buildings are quite picturesque in their classical construction and vivid colors, and are a must-see while on the island. One of the best-known features of Changuu Island is its tortoise sanctuary. Just four Aldabra giant tortoises (Aldabrachelys gigantea), native to the Seychelles and second in size only to Galapagos giant tortoises and have produced hundreds of offspring. Visiting the sanctuary and feeding the tortoises, along with observing other animals brought to Changuu (such as the tiny dik dik antelope and peacocks), makes for a charming visit. Enjoy beautiful views eastward towards Stone Town and a walk on the rustic wooden pier. Additional activities such as snorkeling off the island’s beaches.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- Child rate applies only when sharing with 2 paying adults
Reviews(34)
We booked the tour in the last minute but we met amazing guide, Aziza. She deeply understood the past, present, and future of Zanzibar and explained it with great passion. We came here to relax but with the story of Zanzibar, it became much glamorous experience. Also, the short trip to the island with a boat was fun.
I did this tour as a solo traveller and had a brilliant experience with my guide, Mohamed. He was extremely polite, very knowledgeable, and gave great information throughout the visit to Prison Island. The tour starts with a speedboat ride to the island, which is home to a tortoise reserve as well as peacocks, peahens, and chicks. The tortoises were incredible — the oldest is 200 years old! Mohamed shared lots of interesting facts about the wildlife, including the tortoises, the deer, and even the fancy pigeons (definitely not your typical British pigeons!). After spending time with the tortoises, we walked around to the main prison complex. There’s a café/bar, some lovely gift shops, and a beautiful panoramic view across the sea. There’s also a small museum with helpful information about the building’s history. Next, we headed to the snorkelling spot. I was under time pressure to get to another tour, and there was a bit of rain, so I didn’t end up snorkelling — but the water was crystal clear and full of visible sea life, including starfish, fish, sea urchins, and more. We were also given cassava chips as a snack, which were great. A practical note: if you plan to snorkel, you usually arrive in your swimwear as there isn’t a clean changing area on the island. Most people head back to their hotel to change afterwards. Since I had a walking tour immediately after, it didn’t work out for me this time. On a hot day you might dry quickly, or you could bring spare clothes and use a restroom if needed. Overall, this was a fantastic tour — beautiful scenery, a very knowledgeable guide, and Mohamed is also highly skilled at taking great photos! For solo travellers: the website says it’s suitable for individuals, which it absolutely is. The team were very accommodating, but there weren’t others in the group on this occasion, so it ended up being a private tour. This made it more flexible for me, though it does mean you may or may not meet other travellers. Highly recommended
Muhsin’s energy level was lackluster and he just appeared to go through the motions of being a guide. The island, peacocks and tortoises were interesting but the snorkeling was below par with other places on Zanzibar. The advertised water and snacks never materialized. Not convinced it was worth $110.
Beautiful view from the island with blue clear water all around the island. However, we payed 30$ for a private boat for 4 persons, 3$ per person on land for our ticket and what we thought was the entrance fee to prison island, and then 12$ per person when arriving on the island to see the tortoise sanctuary, the small museum, restaurant etc. So basically you pay the 3$ to enter the island and to swim in the ocean and then 12$ to see the prison/hospital and tortoises. The coral reef they mention is nonexistent.. you can snorkel if interested but only see stones and cement at the bottom. So to sum up: it’s not worth the money.
The guide was on time, he smoothly and quickly arranged travel, the island itself was amazing, especially the tortoise sanctuary. The guide was friendly and accommodating, but I not particularly knowledgeable. That doesn't matter much, though, because the prison island museum - which was very good - has all the information on the displays.
Muhsin is the Mr Five Star tour guide!!! We had a very fun boat ride, an educational tour of prison island, and a relaxing time interacting with the famous tortoises. My husband and I fully enjoyed our morning with Muhsin. He was extremely accommodating, offered us time to swim on the island, and allowed us to pace our visit. I would highly recommend Muhsin and the Colors of Zanzibar tour company!
The boat trip there was fun and the turtles were impressive to see. As was to be expected, there were a lot of tourists.
The island has become a tourist attraction with bar, restaurant, pizza and souvenir shop. Only pictures and descriptions in a small room tell the story of what is called a museum. The turtles are in an enclosure that is full of garbage (plastic and paper) and the poor animals eat this with the amusement of the staff.
Nice trip tonPrison Island, and nice snorkeling around. We even have been lucky enough to see dolphins. Our guides Fatma and Muhsin were really lovely
We booked through viator colours of zanzibar fatima met us at the fort nd walked us to the boat when on the boat she gave us some history walked us around the prison island and sawvthe turtles in their habitat and gave us time to explore than after giving us the history of the place then had chance to swim paddle in oceam then back to shore all in all great tour very informative was lovely to meet fatima who then showed us where we could eat over and above her job
