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Stone Town and Prison Island from Zanzibar: Unique Combination of History and Nature Tours
4.1
43 Ratings
Stone Town
An excellent fusion of two excursions providing a distinct, comprehensive tour of Stone Town’s history and nature
An excellent fusion of two excursions providing a distinct, comprehensive tour of Stone Town’s history and nature
Duration:
5 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Prison Island - Changuu Private Island - Visit Prison Island, a former prison for slaves and a quarantine station for Zanzibar and Mainland. Visit the giant tortoises and enjoy the fantastic white sandy beach and spectacular natural forest teeming with variety of birds and snorkeling near the Island.
- The Old Fort (Ngome Kongwe) - Visit…
- Prison Island - Changuu Private Island - Visit Prison Island, a former prison for slaves and a quarantine station for Zanzibar and Mainland. Visit the giant tortoises and enjoy the fantastic white sandy beach and spectacular natural forest teeming with variety of birds and snorkeling near the Island.
- The Old Fort (Ngome Kongwe) - Visit Portuguese Old Fort. It was built by Omani Arabs after expelling the Portuguese in 1699. It was used as a garrison and prison in the 19th century, and as a terminal of the Zanzibar railways 1945-28. A new guardhouse was built in 1947 and used as the ladies’ club, and an amphitheatre was added in the 1990s.
- Forodhani Gardens - Sightseeing
- St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Cathedral - Visit The Roman Catholic cathedral of St. Joseph. One of the most important historical buildings in Stone Town. The church is regularly used by the local Catholic community, with several masses being held each Sunday and occasionally on weekdays.
- Freddie Mercury Museum - Visit Freddy Mercury House, the former lead singer of Queen, was born in Zanzibar in 1946 where his name was Farrokh Bulsara. The museum is set in the actual house that Freddie and his family lived, prior to their move to the UK. It covers Freddie’s birth and early childhood in Zanzibar.
- Gizenga Street - Discover the ancient life of the city, culture and their folklore. The discovery of ancient buildings the doors owe their distinctive brass studs to India.Countless shops to buy various goods (antiques, pictures, traditional clothes, valuable handcrafts
- Old Slave Market/Anglican Cathedral - Visit The Anglican cathedral Church and the old Slave Market. The Church is one of the most prominent examples of early Christian architecture in East Africa.The church is located in the center of the old town, and occupies a large area where the biggest slave market of Zanzibar used to be; the construction of the cathedral was in fact intended to celebrate the end of slavery.
- Darajani Bazaar - Visit the Old Market of Fish Vegetables & Fruits. Spices and various things…
What's Included
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Bottled water
- Entrance fees to Prison Island Park
- Guided tour with a professional art historian
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Bottled water
- Entrance fees to Prison Island Park
- Guided tour with a professional art historian
What's Not Included
- Food and drinks
- Food and drinks
Additional Information
- May be operated by a multi-lingual guide
- A minimum of 2 people per booking is required
- May be operated by a multi-lingual guide
- A minimum of 2 people per booking is required
Location
Prison Island - Changuu Private Island
Off the Coast From Stone Town, Shangani
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.1
(43 Ratings)
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1 star
Shangaraivilla
Sep 15, 2024
Memorable Experience!!! - An Incredible and beautifu Island with an incredible culture and historical background. The prison Island and the old building. Make it a Stanning Destination.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Brahim_i
Aug 18, 2024
Good experiance - We had a great time in this tour. Prison island was good, it was very nice to see giant turtles. In Stone island part, we can see historical places and Zanzibar streets.
Tour guide Muhammed was very nice and explain very well
Review provided by Viator
Sandra_e
May 23, 2024
Flexible and knowledgeable - The guide Yakop was very knowledgeable and accommodating. My husband had difficulty walking so he quickly changed the tour to accommodate my husband's handicap.
Review provided by Viator
Glen_m
Sep 3, 2023
Everything included in... - Everything included in the trip was amazing experience the package was perfectly put to gether for amazing memories
Review provided by Viator
Bayode_f
Jul 26, 2023
Amazing. Done with 4 kids three adults - Shadow our spice guide was amazing. Mohammed was amazing on the walking tour and prison island your. Learned so much. Amazing. Walking wasn't bad. Had my 60+ yr old mother, wife, and four kids (4,6,8,9) no one complained. All fun
Review provided by Viator
Samara
Aug 22, 2022
Ausflug - We were on a tour with Ali and Fatima. It was really informative, he could answer all our questions and it was all well organized. We felt very comfortable! We would like to thank you for the great tour, which we enjoyed very much :-)
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kris
Oct 16, 2022
Amassing trip not to be missed - A great interesting and informative trip; well worth the 1.25 hour drive from the hotel. Booked via Viator in UK: Picked up on time by English speaking driver. Taken to Stone Town to meet great guide, again good English boarding a small boat we headed out to Prison island, past Snake island which we passed on. This was the only negative of the trip as I found getting on and off the boat difficult as I have issues lifting my legs high but no issues walking.
There is no provision for this however the boatman and guide were great help if not amused.
Having got to the island without seeing myself laughing, I then had to get out; another dilemma! Freedom from the boat, we walked up a wooded walkway into the pens where the giant tortoises live and have done for over a hundred years since being introduced by the Seychelles. Mummy T has since passed way but Daddy has been very busy,,,,,,,,. They love to be petted behind the head and of course, fed.
The prison is now a ruin with fantastic views and was where yellow fever cases where sent to to recover although from our observation, died……..
Back we went. To Stone Town where we wandered through the streets, passed the home of Freddie (Freddie Mercury of Queen) yes he came from Zanzibar for those not in the know).
Passed many doors being educated by what the meaning of the carvings meant. 4 roses meaning a very busy man, like a tortoise, many wives!
The fort was introduced by the Portuguese and is where slaves were brought and sold under a 100 years ago. You can buy nic-nacs to take home here or a huge mask as we did. Thank goodness the guide carried for us. Tour is approx 4 hours long plus the travelling there and back but well worth it. Excellent day out.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Steve_o
Jul 1, 2022
Great day out - A great trip , it was as expected . Picked up on time . Loved the boat trip to Prison Island to see the tortoises . Stone town was interesting , locals were friendly .. only down side to the day when the driver taking us back to the hotel , ran over a dog . To be fair it did walk out in front of us , but he didn’t try to avoid it or see how it was .. but a dampener on the day
Review provided by Viator
Dreamer01328279996
Mar 23, 2022
Some good points and some bad… - We paid £112.84 in total for this trip for 2. Then had to pay 11,500 TSH per person to get into the slave exhibition. Which wasn’t worth the money as just placards on a wall, all information readily available on the internet. Feel this exhibition should be included in the price already paid.
Our guide Yakoub was knowledgeable. And the boat driver friendly.
The driver picked us up on time, but played loud music going and coming back from stone town, I had to ask him to turn the music down. On the way back we saw red Columbus monkeys on the trees. I asked the driver to stop so we could take a photo, but as I got my camera ready he drove off stating tomorrow he would bring us to the forest- something which we had previously conversed we would of liked to see but made no plans with this company or the driver.
The tortoise are lovely, but on leaving the locals on the island ask for money to support the turtles….when we have paid already to see them in the first instance.
Stone town was steeped in history. But on entering the Portuguese fort, again- locals asking for money to support their fort. In stone town along the promenade we were followed, every time Yakoub stopped to speak to us so too did the men around. Found this a little unsettling.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ibrahima_j
Dec 20, 2023
Good tour but not great - Overall experience was good a few suggestion and a few comments.
- it is almost a whole day experience, so have a heavy breakfast or plan lunch.
- The spice store is worth it as long as the giant tortoises.
- The tour of Stonetown could be skipped especially if you don’t have a super knowledgeable and energetic guide. This is the reason why we give three stars to the experience or guide was not great.
Review provided by Viator
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