Stone Town and Prison Island: Zanzibar History Tour

Explore Stone Town’s rich history, meet giant tortoises on Prison Island, and snorkel in crystal-clear waters at Nakupenda. Enjoy a seafood lunch on a stunning sandbank.

Duration: 8 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Stone Town - This historic district in Zanzibar’s capital is a treasure trove of history and a blend of diverse influences, including British, Portuguese, Indian, Omani, and Swahili. This tour uniquely allows exploration of Zanzibar’s Old City, the oldest historical site in East Africa. Visitors can explore significant landmarks such as the Old…
What's Included
  • Private transportation
  • Tour guide
  • Bottled water
  • Lunch
  • Use of snorkeling equipment
  • All fees and/or taxes
What's Not Included
  • Alcoholic Beverages
Additional Information

Travelers will visit the historic district, the capital of Zanzibar, which is rich in history and showcases a blend of British, Portuguese, Indian, Omani, and Swahili influences. This unique tour allows exploration of the oldest historical area in East Africa, as Stone Town was the first town established in the region.
After exploring Stone Town, enjoy a…

Location
Stone Town
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.9
(17 Ratings)
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Carolecook01
Feb 7, 2025
Top tour, one of the best!! - Excellent tour, the driver turned up on time and gave us information on the route we travelled, the boat put to Prison Island was brilliant and once arrived the tour guide gave us so much information on the island. The tortoises and peacocks on island ate a plenty and you can get up close to them, but do not touch or feed, they are very well looked after. The island is beautiful, be respectful! Back on the boat to Nakupenda island, what a stunning location, breathtaking, and wow the lunch is so much food 😍 and perfectly cooked. The guys cook it all on the beach, lobster, prawns, calamari, octopus and tuna, chips and a huge platter of mixed fruit.. 😋 LUSH!!! Then back in the boat to Stone Town and a wander around to the churches and markets. We also went to see where Freddie Mercury was born and grew up.. a fantastic day, with someone who knows everything about the area inside out. 5 star all the way.. BRILLIANT 👏
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ikenna
Feb 7, 2025
Recommend - 100% recommend. The guide was fluent in English, entertaining, informative, and interesting. I recommend to anyone wanting to knock out these must sees.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Zamo_g
Jan 27, 2025
Brilliant experience and... - Brilliant experience and one of the best so far in all other activities done! Room for improvement should on the pick up in the morning. Clear identification for the person picking up with board for person being picked up.
Review provided by Viator
Maxappp
Jan 23, 2025
Stone Town, Prison Island and Nakupenda - We had an amazing time on our tour. Everything seemed to be well planned out and we were picked up from our hotel on time and without any issue. We learned a great deal about the history of Zanzibar while on this tour and we also had a very nice lunch experience on a sand bar off the coast in the Indian Ocean. I would highly recommend taking this tour as you want be disappointed!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Christiana_d
Jan 16, 2025
The Best Excursion!! - The most memorable part of the trip was how detailed oriented Hassan the tour guy was and curating the best experience, he talked about the culture and history of the island and was very knowledgeable. During my tour I mentioned wanting to visit the night market and Hassan told me if it was ok with me he would show me the market after checking out stone town since the market is in stone town. With his guidance I got the best prices and tried traditional dishes - Zanzibar mix and Zanzibar pizza which were really good.
Review provided by Viator
119onyekachio
Jan 12, 2025
5 Stars!!! - Our tours with Hassan were exquisite. He provided a very curated experience for my wife and I on our anniversary getaway to Zanzibar. He is very friendly, engaging and generous with his time; we felt like family. He even provided complimentary transport services for us on 2 occasions. I would highly recommend his touring services for any visitors to Zanzibar.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
112mariacarmelaz
Jan 6, 2025
Grand tour of the history of Zanzibar and visit to the tongue of sand - Hasan is a very good guy and showed us Stone Town and Prison Island giving us news and curiosities about the history of these places in Italian. With his friend's boat he then took us to Nakupenda where he organized a fantastic fruit and fish lunch.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Michellario
Jan 6, 2025
Great hike with great guide. - Hasan was a fantastic guide for this excursion to Prison Island with turtle sanctuary and Nakupenda, where he organized an exquisite lunch of fresh fruit and fish, cooked on site. I recommend it to everyone!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jasmin
Jan 6, 2025
Fantastic tour! Dont be fooled by lack of reviews! - Hassan provided a fantastic tour! Dont be fooled but the sparse reviewing he is a new company only in the last few months but a professional guide with ample experience! He is very friendly and easygoing and when we spoke the morning of the car ride he briefed me on the itinerary so he could personalize the tour to my desires. He was very knowledgeable and was able to expedite the lines for us given his connections. I never felt rushed and he took fantastic photos the entire day without my needing to ask. Highly recommend for your tour!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Lelloemilly
Feb 3, 2025
Day to frame - Beautiful hike made with a group of friends. After a journey of about two hours we arrived in Stone Town and after a short visit we boarded for Prison Island. Here we admired the giant turtles. The real gem of the excursion and the tongue of sand with attached lunch. Simply gorgeous and that we recommend everyone to fareb, but beware of strong currents.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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up to 15 guests
1 Adult
February 2025
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