Changuu — universally called Prison Island — is a small coral island a few kilometres off Stone Town, about half an hour away by boat. A prison was built here in the 1890s, but it never held convicts: the buildings were used instead as a quarantine station for ships arriving in Zanzibar.
The island’s real stars arrived in 1919, when the governor of the Seychelles sent a gift of Aldabra giant tortoises. Their descendants now number in the dozens. The oldest are believed to be well over a hundred years old, and their ages are painted on their shells.
Top things to do at Prison Island
Meet the tortoises
You walk among the animals in a large enclosure and can feed them leaves supplied by the keepers. They are gentle, but heavy and stronger than they look — do not sit on them, and keep fingers clear of their beaks.
See the old prison
The cell block and courtyard still stand, with a small exhibition on the island’s history and views back to Stone Town.
Add Nakupenda sandbank
Many boats continue to Nakupenda, a strip of white sand off Stone Town that emerges as the tide falls. The Prison Island, Nakupenda and Stone Town day includes a barbecue lunch on the sand.
How to get to Prison Island
- From Kendwa: drive to Stone Town (a little over an hour), then about 30 minutes by boat. Organised day tours handle both legs.
- Independently: boatmen on the beach in Stone Town offer the crossing; agree the price, the waiting time and the life jackets before you board.
Insider tips
- An entrance fee for the tortoise sanctuary is charged in addition to the boat. Tours either include it or collect it on the day.
- Mornings are cooler and the tortoises are more active.
- Bring swimwear and reef shoes: there is a small beach and some snorkelling off the island.
Best tours & tickets for Prison Island
These well-reviewed experiences are the simplest way to see Prison Island from a Kendwa base:
Day trip from $42 Zanzibar: Prison Island, Nakupenda & Stone Town Tour with BBQ
A west-coast day that swaps the spice farm for a sandbank: boat to Prison Island, lunch and a swim on Nakupenda, then the old town on foot. Check the listing for transfer options from the north.
- Giant tortoises on Prison Island
- Barbecue lunch on the Nakupenda sandbank
- Guided walk in Stone Town to finish
Day trip from $55 Zanzibar: Stone Town, Spice Tour & Prison Island with Lunch
Three of the island’s essential sights in a single day, and by far the most-reviewed way to do them. A long day from Kendwa — Stone Town is over an hour’s drive — but it ticks off the history, the tortoises and the spices in one go.
- A guided walk through UNESCO-listed Stone Town
- Boat to Prison Island and its giant tortoises
- Spice farm visit with a Swahili lunch
