A trip to the island, also known as Changuu, is a popular and enjoyable way to get away from the hustle and bustle of Stone Town.

There's a beautiful beach, good snorkelling conditions, remnants of 19th century buildings and a colony of giant tortoises (changuu), after which the island got its Swahili name.

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The prison that never was

The English name refers to a prison that was never there. The island was only used as a transshipment point for slaves.

After the abolition of the slave trade, the British built a building in 1894 to serve as a prison, but it ended up functioning only as a quarantine building during the yellow fever epidemic.

Today, the "prison" building houses several souvenir shops, a restaurant, and a small museum (accessible for free or as part of the island's entrance fee).

In front of the prison building you can take a picture with the sign "I love ZNZ".

The colony of giant tortoises

A fenced area on a large part of the island is home to a colony of giant tortoises, some of which are descendants of four tortoises from Aldabra Atoll in the Seychelles that were given to the British monarch in 1919.

The turtles weigh up to two hundred kilograms and are the second largest turtles in the world after the elephant turtles.

The oldest tortoise is over 200 years old and there are currently around 150 individuals.

You can walk along the path right through the middle of the enclosure.

How to get there - entrance fees and charges

There are no regular ferries to Prison Island and you can get here mainly on organised cruises, all of which start in Stone Town - usually at the Livingston Restaurant near the Tembo B&B Apartments.

There are dozens of agencies in Stone Town offering guided boat trips, including pick-ups at other resorts and beaches around Zanzibar.

All trips can be booked almost exclusively through getyourguide.com, where all Zanzibar's travel agencies are involved.

The price of the trip usually does not include the entrance fee to the Prison Island Nature Reserve of 60 000 tzs / 22 usd. This fee is payable locally in cash to the guide who will be travelling with you throughout.

The actual prices and lengths of the trips vary according to the specific agency and program. As a rough guide, please allow for the following amounts:

• Prison Island only (2-3 hours) - from 35 usd
• Prison Island + Nakupenda Sandbank with lunch (5-6 hours) - from 65 usd

Compare trip prices at getyourguide.com

Individual visits to Prison Island are possible, but only after negotiating a price for a boat cruise directly on the beach, which is likely to be higher than a directly organized trip purchased through getyourguide.com.

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