Prison Island Tour
Zanzibar is portrayed as a mixture of Arabic, African, Indian, and European legacies, making an exceptional social blend on the island, occasionally observed somewhere else. One reason for this is Zanzibar's horrible past and it's significant that individuals know about the monstrosities that occurred.
On a Prison Island tour, you will get to see around the island and get to know the slave history, visit the Mangapwani slave chambers. Swimming around the prison Island is accessible, while you can also take pictures with Giant turtles.
To arrive at the island from Changuu Island, a boat needs to be hired, with a tour/excursion lasting for half a day. Changuu (Prison Island) is a formerly known slave prison off the shore of Stone Town.
Island Slave History
On this tour you will get yourself familiar with the Island's slave History. If you are keen on finding out about the islands part in the slave trade, book for Prison Island Tour with our Guide to take you to the old slave market, slave caverns. The Mangapwani Slave Chambers is a great spot to go to in the event that you need to find out about the repulsions of slavery and the part of Zanzibar when it comes to the Africa slave trade. The majority of the slaves Africa and particularly East Africa were brought to Zanzibar prior to being taken for forced labor in various pieces of the world.
The Mangapwani Slave Chambers is located approximately 12 miles from Stone Town. The chambers were constructed underground and were utilized to hide slaves even after slavery was annulled. You can end your tour by taking a swim at the previous slave port.
Presently, Mangapwani Slave Chambers is the home to huge Aldabra tortoises, imported from Seychelles. You can take care of the tortoise take pictures and appreciate the forest. Further, white sandy beach is accessible to sunbathe and get an extraordinary perspective on Stone Town.
Additionally, some of the Tortoises are estimated to be more than 100 years of age. In the wake of investing energy petting and contacting the turtles, you can swim on the beach and respect the astounding scene and winged animal life including the astonishing peacocks.
Visit Prison Island (Changuu)
Prison Island, otherwise called Changuu Island was left immaculate until it was occupied by the Arabs in the 1860s. The island was utilized as an impermanent haven for slaves who were viewed as defiant or with attributes to lead revolts. The slaves were kept there prior to being sold abroad. The Island was likewise utilized to quarantine the individuals who became ill during yellow fever pandemics.
Snorkeling around Prison Island
Prison Island features a wonderful archipelago giving you the opportunity to snorkel and swim around. Pleasant and turquoise waters that create the genuine nature of heaven. Undoubtedly, it is protected for all ages and with its white sandy beach, many appreciate the long dazzling beach walks here.
Featuring beautiful schools of fish and remarkable coral reefs Prison Island is also one of the best diving spots with exotic fish as blue stripe, barracuda, dark snapper, orange-lined triggerfish, clown triggerfish, emperor angelfish, spotted garfish, longfinbannerfish, rabbitfish, and many more!
Take pictures with Giant turtles!
Prison Island houses giant sea turtles. The majority of these creatures are 70 to more than 100 hundred years old. After enjoying a swim tourists can take essential pictures with the monster turtles.
Stone Town Tour
Stone Town, otherwise called MjiMkongwa (old town in Swahili), is the mysterious fundamental town of Unguja Island - the primary island of the Zanzibar archipelago. The name Zanzibar will ordinarily invoke pictures of fine white sands, the sun reflecting off the shining Indian Ocean, completely clear waters, sweet-smelling spices, coconut palms, and a refreshing breeze. While this is all evident, in case you're wanting to visit Zanzibar, ensure you drag yourself away from the poolside for an evening, a day, or even a few evenings to investigate the wonders of Stone Town!
An extraordinary spot to begin any visit to the town would be at Darajani. Situated on the outskirts of the old town, this is a clamoring, occupied, and wild commercial center where men on creaky bicycles weave between bins hurling with papayas or pineapples, shriveled old bibis (older women) in splendidly shaded dresses deal over onions and chillis, and youngsters wait at traffic intersections, talking, getting into cuts of watermelon, or invigorating themselves with coconut water, directly from the nut! This is an incredible spot to load up on spices, which can be purchased less expensive than at the more touristy shops.
Those much more courageous can set out toward the Suma street, situated inverse Darajani and to one side of the hurling daladala (transport) terminal. This road is the spot to purchase textures - anything from modest cotton kangas to weighty, waxed kitenge, sequined moves of breezy chiffon, and wraps of strong creature print.
Heading into the major town is the ideal opportunity to lose yourself in the labyrinth-like back streets and crisscross asphalts of the old town. En route, you will stroll past road vendors selling Kaskata (a sort of nut candy) or mandazi (cardamom seasoned semi-sweet doughnuts), or scrumptious sambusa (Swahili for samosa). Open shop-fronts uncover tailors working endlessly inside, and packs of snickering kids will run past you and vanish around the bend. And, obviously, there are numerous trinket shops, most selling beaded adornments, wooden carvings, and stylized wildlife life or Masai works of art, some selling valid and fascinating collectibles. This is your opportunity to take a stab at some appropriate dealing!
During your tour, you may wind up in Jaws Corner – the main gathering point for Zanzibaris to get together to play dominos or bao (a convoluted and testing nearby game), trade news, and possibly drink a spiced coffee or fresh tangawizi also known as ginger tea. On the off chance that you end up here at night or around evening time, try to attempt some grilled octopus from one of the road dealers!
The absolute best activities in Stone Town incorporate the House of Wonders, the Old Fort, Freddie Mercury's House, St Joseph's Cathedral, the Hamamni Persian Baths, Jaws Corner, the Abeid Curio Shop, and the Zanzibar Cultural Arts Center.
Visit Historical sites in Stone town
Interesting sites to tour are numerous while their meaning is so unique. Your guide will take you to the place of wonders known as beit-el-ajaab. It is presently known as the National Museum of Zanzibar which was rebuilt in 1883. Additionally, the Arab fort which is otherwise called an old fort, while you are going along through bazaar roads you will proceed towards the Feddie Mercury house, old slave market, different trinket ships including the recollections of Zanzibar, natural product market, zest market, and so forth. Without failing to remember the Zanzibar bent doors brightening stone town.
Go for Shopping
The majority of the curio shops are situated in stone town whereby gifts and trinkets are found, doing the stone town/city tour is the main chance to purchase for your friends and family, things like fine arts, Zanzibar chests, and many more souvenirs to take home. It is very normal for tourists to deal for better pricing in stores featuring souvenirs.
One of the prominent activities in Zanzibar is simply walking during your tour around Stone Town. Essentially, Maasai bracelets, jewelry, paintings, wooden carvings, Zanzibar chests, and colorful spices are available everywhere!
Get yourself to a rooftop Restaurant to dine.
Eating at a rooftop eatery is one of the most sentimental activities in Stone Town and they are the ideal spot to unwind for the night and watch the sun as it sets over copper hued roofs.
Spice Plantation Tour
Spice tour in Zanzibar is a 3 hour guided tour. Tourists will be able to find a lot of things including Tropical fruits, Spices and herbs, and a few of the infrequently types of different plants from various vegetation.
While on your tour you will see spices such as curry, Cardamone, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, pepper, tamarind, ginger, menthol, Zanzibar's cloves, and numerous different spices and herbs.
Our guides will explain what the different plants are utilized for, however not every one of them is for food, others are utilized for medicinal purposes.
Neem, for example, was traditionally utilized as medication for malaria and heartburn. Additionally, the iodine tree delivers a dark red sap utilized to battle disease and wounds.
A four-hour guided tour of exotic spices and natural products will be conducted on the plantations. The tour begins at Kibweni Palace and continues to Kidichi. There are likewise Persian showers built by Seyyid Said Sultan. He dedicated it to his wife named Princess Shehrzard, a relative of the SJA of Persia. The tour gives a brilliant knowledge into a variety of tastes and smells from spices, natural products, spices, and lovely plants and blossoms
Zanzibar is known as The Spice Island because of the spices that grow on the island. You will have the opportunity to taste spices like vanilla, turmeric, cumin, cinnamon just as numerous others, utilized for cooking or in conventional medication purposes. Our guide will clarify what the spices are utilized for and their outstanding properties. Ultimately, you'll wind up placing turmeric in everything!
Dolphin Tour
Kazimikazi fishing village, situated on the southern part of the island, is a site of a 12th century mosque. The mosque is the earliest remaining evidence of the Islamic religion in East Africa. The village also offers several schools of bottle-nosed dolphins and Humpback dolphins.
The dolphins can be spotted on a short boat trip. If you are lucky, you can even have a very special experience of the dolphins swimming so close that you could almost touch them. You can also feel the brilliant sensation of swimming with the dolphins, but please don't expect to touch them, since they are very shy. The village not only offers immense natural reasons for visitation, but also historical and cultural.
Jozani Forest Tour
Jozani Forest is best known for its red colobus monkeys, which are endemic to Zanzibar. About 20 years ago, the monkeys were considered to be in danger of extinction. This trend has since reversed due to the conservation project. There are about 6000 red colobus monkeys residing in Jozani Forest.
After visiting the red colobus, you will walk across to the Pete-Jozani Mangrove Boardwalk. It entwines through coral thicket vegetation, mangrove forest and across a creek. You walk through mangrove forest which is extremely crucial to Zanzibar’s ecosystems, providing a habitat for many lizards, snakes and birdlife as well as preventing coastal erosion.
Jozani Forest is situated 38 km southeast of Stone Town. In 1995, the Jozani Chwaka Bay Conservation Project was set up to protect the largest remaining patch of indigenous ground-water forest that used to cover Zanzibar. Local communities are involved in the project and some of your entrance fee contributes to development projects and to compensate local farmers whose crops are often damaged by the red colobus monkeys.
Jozani Forest has several habitats including swamp forest, evergreen thickets, mangroves, as well as a variety of wildlife, including sykes and red colobus monkeys, bush pigs, Ader’s duiker, and suni antelopes, elephant shrews, chameleons, and lots of birdlife.
It isn't allowed to stroll off the ways without an official guide to ensure your safety. There is a wide collection of different nature trails for visitors through the woods. The principal trail starts at the recreation center passageway and is a relaxed walk for an average of 60 minutes.
Safari Blue Tour
Blue Safari is one of the best-guided tours you can do in the Zanzibar archipelago. The name of Blue Safari comes from the beautiful blue color of the water surrounding the visited area. During Blue Safari you will have the opportunity to live an extraordinary experience in the crystal clear waters of the Zanzibar archipelago observing the colorful underwater life.
During Blue Safari you will be guided to a remote and relatively untouched area of the Zanzibar archipelago so you can experience and enjoy the marine life in areas where the civilization hasn't left its mark.
Blue Safari is a full day tour and you will be sailing with the guide in traditional local boats - dhows - which are 8-10 meters long or 6 - 8 seater fibre boat. The excursion starts from the local village of Fumba (30-40 minutes drive from Stone Town).
In the bay where the Blue Safari takes place, there are a few inhabited islands and sandbanks, and the area is frequently visited by humpback and bottlenose dolphins.
Depending on the tide and our luck, we have the opportunity to watch these beautiful marine mammals playing around the boat in the shallow waters of Marine Park of Menai Bay.
The first stop will be on a sandbank where you can do snorkeling in shallow waters and see beautiful colored marine life. Fishes like Butterfly Fish, Angel Fish, Clown Fish will swim near you, and if you have an underwater camera you can make some beautiful pictures. And if you don't have it, I'm sure that these moments will become nice memories to remember.
After snorkeling, we will take a short break and enjoy local fruits like fresh coconut, mango, pineapple, banana to rehydrate ourselves and wash the taste of salty water. You can rest for a while under the shades we will set up for you before going to the next stop of the Blue Safari.
While we were at the sandbank enjoying the snorkeling, our charter boat was on its way to Kwale island to prepare our lunch. We will be welcomed by our chef who prepared for us a traditional barbecue lunch.
The lunch is a traditional Zanzibari buffet including grilled fish, slipper lobster, octopus, squid, chicken, rice, tamarind, curry and coriander sauces, all fresh and served directly from the grill. Cold drinks and sodas will be available throughout the day.
After lunch we will visit one of the attractions of the island, a giant baobab tree which is said to have fallen more than 300 years ago but it still alive and produces fruits.
When the tide will allow it, we will visit a beautiful mangrove forest where you can swim and explore.
We will return to Fumba with the same local sailing boat at 3:30 PM.