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Stone Town and Prison Island from Zanzibar: Unique Combination of History and Nature Tours
4.1
49 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 - Explore Prison Island, once a detention center for slaves and a quarantine station for Zanzibar and the Mainland. Meet the giant tortoises and relish the stunning white sandy beach and the breathtaking natural forest, home to a variety of birds. Enjoy snorkeling near the Island.
- **The Old Fort (Ngome…
- Prison Island - Changuu Private Island - Explore Prison Island, once a detention center for slaves and a quarantine station for Zanzibar and the Mainland. Meet the giant tortoises and relish the stunning white sandy beach and the breathtaking natural forest, home to a variety of birds. Enjoy snorkeling near the Island.
- The Old Fort (Ngome Kongwe) - Discover the Portuguese Old Fort, constructed by Omani Arabs after they ousted the Portuguese in 1699. It served as a garrison and prison in the 19th century and was the terminal for the Zanzibar railways from 1945-28. A new guardhouse was erected in 1947, later used as a ladies’ club, and an amphitheater was added in the 1990s.
- Forodhani Gardens - Enjoy sightseeing
- St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Cathedral - Explore the Roman Catholic Cathedral of St. Joseph, a significant historical building in Stone Town. The church is actively used by the local Catholic community, with several masses held each Sunday and occasionally on weekdays.
- Freddie Mercury Museum - Visit the Freddie Mercury House, where the former lead singer of Queen, born Farrokh Bulsara in Zanzibar in 1946, lived. The museum is located in the actual house where Freddie and his family resided before moving to the UK. It showcases Freddie’s birth and early years in Zanzibar.
- Gizenga Street - Experience the ancient life of the city, its culture, and folklore. Discover ancient buildings with doors featuring distinctive brass studs from India. Numerous shops offer a variety of goods, including antiques, pictures, traditional clothes, and valuable handicrafts.
- Old Slave Market/Anglican Cathedral - Visit the Anglican Cathedral Church and the old Slave Market. The Church is a prominent example of early Christian architecture in East Africa. It is situated in the heart of the old town, occupying a large area where Zanzibar’s largest slave market once stood; the cathedral’s construction was intended to commemorate the abolition of slavery.
- Darajani Bazaar - Explore the Old Market of Fish, Vegetables, and Fruits. Discover spices and various other items…
What's Included
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Bottled water
- Professional art historian guide
- Government fees
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Bottled water
- Professional art historian guide
- Government fees
What's Not Included
- Food and drinks
- Entrance fees
- Food and drinks
- Entrance fees
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
(49 Ratings)
5 stars
4 stars
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2 stars
1 star
Andrea_h
Oct 7, 2025
Impressive, Guide went... - Impressive, Guide was completely responsive to us and had a great knowledge. First visited Prison Island as it doesn't have that many visitors in the morning.
Prima organizes everything!
Review provided by Viator
Gabriel_k
Oct 4, 2025
Wonderful tour to Stone Town and Prison Island - Have a wonderful tour with Mau the nice driver and Alex the excellent guide, recommend it warmly to anyone.
Review provided by Viator
James_l
Oct 19, 2024
Wonderful experience - Fantastic boat ride and tour guide Mohamed was so knowledgeable and friendly, we really enjoyed our trip around Stone Town and Prison Island. The tortoises and peacocks were fascinating as were the stops around town. I just wish we had more time at each of the major sites. This was a true life-changing experience.
Review provided by Viator
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
Annelisse_p
Sep 4, 2025
Interesting history but... - Interesting history but not a whole lot to see on the island besides reading the history and seeing a building but was neat to see the tortoises. Stonetown tour was interesting… would have liked to have gone into freddie mercury museum. Our guide was great and knowledgable but at times was hard to hear and understand.
Review provided by Viator
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
Julie_w
Jan 13, 2026
When we booked we thought... - When we booked we thought we were having an opportunity to snorkel on Prison Island. This did not happen as there was no chance to do it. That was disappointment number one. The tour of the island was good however it appeared that our guide was reading the facts off his phone. Where ever we walked it was single file and he only spoke to me leaving me to tell my friend what the information was being said. He was a nice young man but it was obvious that he was in training and not an experienced guide.
When we reached shore we discovered that our tour was to be a walking tour of 3 hours and there was no air conditioned vehicle. At 31 degrees we would never have booked this tour to walk especially with the high humidity.
While we were walking he ran into a store and bought us a 1.5 litre of water. Rather large to carry but there was no place to sit down and have a drink. Also, there was no washroom break - we are saying that the opportunity was not presented to us as it was to be a 3 hour walk.
Our guide tried to meet our needs but fell short on the walking tour.
Review provided by Viator
Gingin2014
Jun 10, 2025
Stone Town - Prison Island - We paid 250€ for two for the visit to Stone Town, the spice market and Prison Island with Dertour. Unfortunately we were very disappointed. Prison Island is not worth visiting because there is not much to see. We imagine a prison, but not at all. Spice market we were only shown a stand. And Stone Town we had to go to a souvenir store that was his guide. Freddy Mercuri Museum only from the outside. So too expensive for everything. Conclusion We took a taxi and we went back to Stone Town and we quietly visited all of us and harmlessly for $120 taxis for two.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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