Stone town, Prison island, Nakupenda with Snorkelling &lunch
Description
Traveller will visit the historic district which is the capital of Zanzibar which concentrate of history and a mix of multiple influences such as British, Portuguese Indian, Omani and Swahili, this is the only tour which will let you explore the oldest part of history in East Africa since stone town was the first town in East Africa. After Stone town Enjoy a 30 minute boat ride with a view of the Stone Town skyline,after arriving on Prison Island your guide will teach you the history and introduce you to the Giant tortoises and will have a chance to explore the Museum full of history about Zanzibar island. After Prison island will have the boat ride to an amazing sandbank which is called Nakupenda which means i love you in Swahili language, enjoy the view of clear crystal water of Indian ocean, here you will have time for snorkelling which will let you enjoy the really marine life of Zanzibar which is unbelievable, Tropical fruits, soft drinks, Seafood platter lunch will be served.
Tour Options
Itinerary
This is the historic district of the capital of Zanzibar which concentrate of history and a mix of multiple influences such as British, Portuguese Indian, Omani and Swahili, this is the only tour which will let you explore the Old city of Zanzibar which hold the oldest part of history in East Africa since stone town was the first town in East Africa, here will visit some historical building such as Old fort, House of wonder, Old dispensary,Freddy Mercury house and so many interesting historical places.
PRISON ISLAND – quarantine hospital and giant turtles, Prison Island is called so because of its first usage as a prison, which was built in 1893. But in fact it was later used as a quarantine hospital and nowadays the home of the giant tortoises which were banned from the city of Stone Town. Enjoy a 30-minute boat ride with a view of the Stone Town skyline, after arriving on Prison Island your guide will teach you the history and introduce you to the Giant tortoises. This trip is so interesting also you will visit the Museum which has a lot of history about Zanzibar and its Culture.
Nakupenda is the name of an amazing sandbank located in the middle of Indian Ocean, its name came from how beauty it is since everybody loves the sand bank thus why they decided to call it Nakupenda which means i love you in Swahili language, enjoy the view of clear crystal water of Indian ocean when you are on the middle of the ocean at the vanishing island, here you will have time for snorkelling which will let you enjoy the really marine life of Zanzibar which is unbelievable, The nice breeze of Indian ocean when entertains you the tropical fruits, soft drinks and Seafood platter will be served which will make sure you enjoy this unforgettable moment in Zanzibar island this is an amazing experience.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Travellers should be at the meeting point 15 minutes before the pick up time
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Wheelchair accessible
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
- All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(106)
We had an incredible excursion today to Prison Island, Nakupenda Sandbank, and Stone Town. The whole experience was well organized, and each destination was absolutely beautiful and full of fascinating history. A huge thank you to our tour guide who shortened his name to, Decko, who truly made the day unforgettable. He was incredibly knowledgeable, friendly, and passionate about sharing the history and culture of Zanzibar. He answered all of our questions, made us feel welcome throughout the trip, and ensured everything ran smoothly. What we especially appreciated was that Decko also gave us honest local advice on the best places to buy souvenirs and genuine Tanzanite, helping us avoid overpriced tourist traps. Those recommendations made a real difference and showed that he genuinely cared about making sure we had the best experience, not just during the tour but throughout our stay. We genuinely couldn’t have asked for a better guide. If you’re planning this tour, we highly recommend requesting Decko. Thank you for an amazing day and memories we’ll never forget!
Our tour guide (sorry can’t remember his name) was amazing, always checking if we are enjoying ourselves, and very knowledgable about the locations we visited. We were picked up from Hotel Riu Palace in the north of the island, and were driven to the town to start the tour. We started at Nakupenda beach due to the tides, had a snorkel before a seafood lunch. We aren’t massive seafood eaters, however the food prepared was really nice and was washed/prepared in a way we were happy to eat it. The beach is quite busy with other companies doing as we were, but it wasn’t too busy that is wasn’t enjoyable. There were quite a few sellers on the island, if you politely say no thank you, they will walk away. After was Prison Island, we also enjoyed this. Our guide gave very good information about the island and its history. Seeing the tortoise was a great experience. We finished with Stone Town, it was very hot/muggy when we visited, and with it being at the end of the tour made it hard work. We didn’t personally enjoy Stone Town as much as the other 2 locations, I am not making the guide down for this as it was nothing to do with him, it was just the location itself. There is a lot of history to the town which was interesting, and the guide did a good job of explaining everything. If you will feel uncomfortable having everyone staring at you, it would be advised to be fully covered while in Stone Town.
The guide was great and took us round lots of interesting sites. Prison island and the sandbanks were a great experience. The food was all cooked fresh and were massive portions!
I had an absolutely amazing experience I could not recommend more! They picked me up near my hotel and brought me back in a very nice taxi and I felt safe the entire time as a solo traveler. Decko taught me so much about the history and culture of the area, but not only this he connected personally both learning from each other. Truly a life changing experience, the beaches are beautiful, the tortoises are amazing- but most importantly the human connection and interaction you have from this experience will be life changing. Please book this tour and support a truly amazing local company!!
Was met on time by Harley but had a bit of waiting time at the shore for transport over to prison island , once sorted it was a fabulous day and Harley was very informative and English was excellent . on the sandbank where there was snorkelling available if wanted or just relaxing on the sandbank where a wonderful seafood lunch and fresh fruit was provided with plenty of water and sodas were available and enjoying the water and sun . The walk around stone town was great and interesting. Walking through the markets looking at all the produce etc was interesting. Definitely recommend Harley and Chidi for tour guides.
It is a wonderful tour, especially if the guide is the Sharif who was amazing from beginning to end, in every detail. A combination of must-see places. Super recommend
Our guide Abdull Majid was great, provided all information about customs and about the places visited, even sang with us the traditional music of Tanzania. The tour is great, the highlight being the lunch in Nakupenda, prepared there, with a great variety of seafood. The tour in Stone Town is also imperative, where we could learn more about the history of Zanzibar and the dynamics of the place.
Amazing guided tour. Everyone was really friendly and helpful
Really beautiful day! Our guide Sultan was very caring from start to finish. She is a very beautiful person, always smiling, cheerful and caring — we felt in good hands all day. We started with Prison Island: perfect because there were not too many people. We were able to discover the history quietly and enjoy the turtles and peacocks, it was great. Then head to Nakupenda... and there, just beautiful. Sultan and his team set up an arbor to stay in the shade and prepared us a waaaaw 😍 meal as beautiful as delicious. We had our private table in love with squid, langoustines, octopus and fruit — a real dream moment. The sellers did not bother us: just refuse nicely and they respect. We didn’t snorkel because we wanted to enjoy the sandbar and the meal. Useful little info: we had some little jellyfish when we put our legs in the water — nothing serious, but a little unpleasant. Finally, Stone Town... just beautiful. History, alleys, culture, architecture, carved doors, craftsmen... really must see. Many thanks to Sultan for a perfect day. I recommend without hesitation 👍
We had a wonderful tour. Our guide Abdul-Majid was so knowledgeable. He was kind, funny, helpful and was genuinely concerned that we were enjoying ourselves. Our driver was also very friendly and a very safe driver in the chaos that is found on the roads. The spice farm tour was full of information from Abdul and the guide at the farm climbed trees to get samples for us to smell. We also were treated to a taste of about 20 different fruits. The prison island tour starts with a great boat ride across to the island. The sea at the island was beautiful and Crystal clear. We got to meet the giant tortoises there. Again Abdul was full of information for us. Stone town is full of history and little streets with shops selling everything you can want. Wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Wise Tours.
