Prison Island Tour

Prison Island was owned by an Arab slave trader of Zanzibar who intended using it as a detention facility for obstinate slaves. Instead, it ended up being used as a quarantine station for yellow fever epidemics. Later, the British bought the island and constructed a jail here, after which the island came to be known as the Prison Island. Nowadays, this islet features a restaurant, the Aldabra Giant Tortoise sanctuary, a rickety wooden bridge as well as the ruins of the jail. Giant tortoises, with an average weight of 200kgs, walk with absolute patience between the trees. Descendants of four tortoises sent as a gift from Seychelles by a British governor in 1919, some of these tortoises are more than 100 years old now! Children visiting the island were allowed to ride these tortoises before they were put on the IUCN Red List for their vulnerability. Now they can only be fed, beware of their beaks though! Snorkelers must explore the marvellous coral reefs found close to the Prison Island. The island is also a great place for sunbathing and swimming. A morning city tour of Zanzibar can be followed by a Prison island visit for a calming effect on the senses after walking through Zanzibar’s busy roads.