Prison Island Tour
Prison Island Tour
Overview
The prison island lies just off the Old Stone Town, it was earlier the former prison for slaves and a quarantine station for Zanzibar and the mainland, nowadays the island gives you the chance to escape for some peace and quiet. It is also a home to giant land tortoises that were imported from Seychelles in the late 19th century. Now it is more commonly known as a home of Zanzibar’s Giant Aldabran Tortoise colony, some of which are over a hundred years old! This endangered species came to Zanzibar as a gift from the government of the Seychelles.
Once on the island, you have the opportunity to feed and pet the tortoises, if you have time you may also like to take a stroll through the forested interior where you will see a wide variety of birds, colorful peacocks, bats, and beautiful butterflies. Keep your eyes peeled too for the shy and elusive Duikers – an unusual tiny antelope species. It is fringed with a beautiful coral reef, ideal for snorkeling, and has a lovely white beach for sunbathing. On the way back to stone town you can enjoy the view of the Stone town. This is a half-day trip including a boat ride, entrance fees and snorkeling equipment.
What’s Included
Experienced Professional Tour guide
Snorkeling gear (life jacket, mask & flippers)
Boat charter
Pick up and drop off from your hotel in private car
Mineral Water during the tour
Entrances Fees
Transport waiting charge
All taxes, fuel surcharges and service fees included
What’s Excluded
Medical Insurance if needed
Gratuities for tour guide
International & Domestic Flights
Visa fee (US $50 / US $100 for American or Irish Passport holders – to be paid upon arrival)
Airport/Departure Tax
Expenses of a personal Nature
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What Our Clients Say About Us
Best way to see Zanzibar
We were on an 11-day tour of the Northern and Central/Urban part of Zanzibar with a group of 16. We could not have been happier. We were split into two groups each with a guide, Ali and Mohammed. But we were often together giving us two guides. They were wonderful, so knowledgeable, helpful and caring. They could not do enough for us. They were so open and honest about their lives we gained insights into Zanzibar we could never have had without them. They were also hilariously funny. We loved all our stops but would have liked to have spent another night in Kendwa. We would highly recommend the trip.
Whitney May Baxter from Geelong, Australia
Date of experience: February 2020
Trip type: Traveled with family
Great tour operator & great local guide
Very efficient tour operator. I booked the 8 days Zanzibar tour and everything was perfect. Since the beginning they were very efficient. They answer to all your questions within one day and they send all the information you need before departure. The tour was well organized, intensive because we only had 8 days but it really covered the most important places. My guide Ahmed was amazing, he explained a lot of things about the history and the culture of Zanzibar. he was always available for us and he helped to organize all the excursions during the free time. Definitely recommend them for a great time in Zanzibar.
Raziel Paczkowski New York City, New York
Date of experience: October 2019
Trip type: Traveled Solo
Immersive holiday experience
After years of wanting to go to Tanzania, I landed in Zanzibar and in the good company of Mohamed. My booking with Khamis was efficient and she was super pragmatic about how I should go about the trip. Being a solo traveller can be expensive and I appreciated that Khamis and Mohamed were aware of this and provided me with options that didn’t burn a hole in my pocket. There was a genuine interest in curating my days to what I wanted and as a result not only did I drink some yummy coffee, eat mangoes off a tree on a highway but also watch the strange art of selling homes in an open market.
Ummi Ahda Ikrima from Hatta, United Arab Emirates
Date of experience: June 2019
Trip type: Traveled solo
Perfect for my group!
Everything was outstanding. The tour system they have set up met my needs and exceeded them. Considering that I have been on all of the tours before, I will say that they are just different than the other tour companies. Ahmed was young, very intelligent and loved sharing his knowledge and the history of his beloved country. He is very interactive with his clients and that makes it so much easier for his clients to understand what he is saying and made it easier for them to remember what he says. Thank you for making my trip go so smoothly! I will be using Wave Tours & Safari again!
Christian Günter from Frankfurt, Germany
Date of experience: July 2019
Trip type: Traveled with friends
One of the best tours we've ever done
My husband and I did a half day (3 or so hours) Stone Town Walking Tour with Mohammed which was absolutely fantastic. Mohammed was so unbelievably knowledgable about Zanzibar in general and had a great personality for what he's doing - very interesting historical facts and anecdotes laced with humour. Absolutely first class tour.
Alessia Lombardo Pomezia, Rome, Italy
Date of experience: August 2019
Trip type: Traveled Couples
Perfect Vacation in Zanzibar
I can just describe this company with one word: PERFECT. Since the moment I decided to plan my vacation to Zanzibar I contacted Khamis via email and she gave me all the recommendations and planned my days. Khamis was responsable and always responded my questions in a timely manner. During my days in Zanzibar we had the most amazing time thanks to our tour guide, Ibrahim. He was always on time, he answered all our questions and explained everything with details. They exceeded all my expectations and we were very pleased. I will definitely recommend this company to anyone traveling to Zanzibar.
Dimitri Semotchko from Saint Petersburg, Russia
Date of experience: January 2021
Trip type: Traveled with family
