Stone Town,Spice Tour&Prison Island Private Tour
Description
This tour is a perfect blend of history, culture, and flavor—only found in Zanzibar. Walk through the winding alleys of Stone Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site filled with Swahili-Arabic charm and rich stories. Explore Prison Island, home to giant Aldabra tortoises and colonial ruins, with stunning views of the turquoise ocean. Finally, awaken your senses on a Spice Tour, where you’ll see, touch, and taste Zanzibar’s world-famous spices straight from the source. With a local guide, all entrance fees, and transport included, this is the ultimate way to connect with the real Zanzibar in just one day.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Explore the cultural and historical heart of Zanzibar through a guided walk in Stone Town. Discover its narrow streets, old buildings, lively markets, and famous sites like the House of Wonders, Old Fort, and the former slave market. It’s a great way to learn about the island’s rich history and local life in just a few hours.
Prison Island, also known as Changuu Island, is located about 5 kilometers from Stone Town, Zanzibar. In the 19th century, it was used by Arab slave traders to detain enslaved people. Later, in 1893, the British built a prison on the island, but it was never used for that purpose. Instead, the island became a quarantine station for yellow fever and other diseases. Today, Prison Island is a popular tourist attraction, known for its beautiful beaches, clear waters, and the giant Aldabra tortoises that live there.
Zanzibar is known as the “Spice Island” because of its long history of growing spices. During the 19th century, under Omani rule, cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, and pepper became major exports. Spice farms were created across the island. Today, visiting a spice farm is a popular activity where tourists can see, smell, and taste fresh spices, and learn how they are grown and used in Zanzibari culture
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
For any questions or assistance, feel free to contact us directly: Ibramy de Zanzibar Phone / WhatsApp: +255 686 520 678 Instagram: @ibramydezanzibar We will meet you at your hotel reception or any location you prefer. If your hotel is not listed, no problem! Just share your full name, hotel name, and phone number with us on WhatsApp for smooth coordination.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(54)
To get to prison island is definitely an experience ~ waves are a bit rough. The island has full of history and wish our guide was knowledgeable about it. We relied on reading whatever we can find on display. Stone Town gave me chills due to historical circumstances and events that had occurred in that area. Again, we read everything which was great. We would have liked to receive info about other buildings or sites we saw nearby, when asked. We didn’t care about their current markets due to hard sale tactics. Spice town is overrated and good to see a couple of plants of 2 spices we usually use
Thank you very much for taking the time to share your detailed feedback. I’m sorry to hear that the historical information provided during your tour did not meet your expectations. I understand how important it is, especially when visiting places such as Prison Island and Stone Town, to receive more detailed explanations about their history, buildings and important events. I truly appreciate your feedback and will take it seriously. It will help me improve the way I present the historical and cultural information to my guests, and make sure I provide more explanations rather than leaving guests to rely mainly on the information displayed at the sites. I’m also sorry if the market experience felt uncomfortable because of the sales approach. I understand that not everyone enjoys that kind of experience. Thank you again for your honest comments. I’m glad you still enjoyed discovering Zanzibar, and I hope you will keep the positive memories of your time here with you.
This was such a fantastic tour. Tour Guide was exceptional!!!! Extremely knowledgeable about spice farm, Prison Island and Stone Town. I learned more about Zanzibar in the one day than the entire time I was there. He was very accommodating but kept us on schedule. He was a wealth of knowledge!
Thank you so much for your wonderful review! I'm delighted you enjoyed the tour and learned so much about Zanzibar. It was a pleasure guiding you, and I hope to welcome you back again someday! 😊🌴
Pickup was punctual and we started with the Spice farm, prison island and Stone town. The Spice farm was a good experience where we learned a lot from our guide. The prison island is beautiful and has a lot of history, and seeing the turtles is truly a highlight. The oldest one when we visited was 201 years old. Lastly our guide walked us throu Stone Town, with a lot of good information and pictures of how it looked before. We visited different markets, museums and walked around. He was very informative and answered all our questions. It was a long day with a lot to see and learn, and never any rush. Bring enough cash as there are many places that expect tip.
Thank you for your kind review! We're so happy you enjoyed the tour and learned about Zanzibar's history and culture. It was a pleasure hosting you. We hope to welcome you back again someday! 😊
Really enjoyable day out. The guide gave plenty of interesting information. Puck up at our hotel was on time and we had enough time for all three parts of the trip.
Thank you very much for your kind review! We’re delighted that you had an enjoyable experience exploring Stone Town, the Spice Farm, and Prison Island. It’s wonderful to know that you found the tour informative, appreciated the punctual hotel pickup, and felt there was plenty of time to enjoy each destination. Your feedback means a lot to us, and we hope to welcome you back to Zanzibar for another unforgettable adventure in the future. Safe travels!
This was an excellent value for money. We had Nasser as our tour guide and Khasim as our driver. Both were very professional and punctual. Nasser did an amazing job showing us around Stonetown, the Spice Village (along with our buddy Khalid), and Prisoner Island. The tour was informative, interesting and fun. My favourite part was walking around the market and bartering. Nasser never made us feel rushed. I am now leaving with an appreciation and admiration of Zanzibar! Khasim was a great driver and we felt very safe with him. If you are on the fence about this tour, just do it!!!
Thank you so much for your kind review! We’re delighted to hear that you enjoyed the tour with Nasser and Khasim. Your support means a lot to us, and we’re happy you’re leaving Zanzibar with great memories. We hope to welcome you back again someday!
A very beautiful experience. The guide Ibrahim was very nice and caring.
Thank you so much for your kind review! It was a real pleasure to guide you and share the beauty of Zanzibar with you. I’m very happy to hear that you had a wonderful experience. Wishing you all the best, and I hope to welcome you back to Zanzibar one day!
The tour was thorough and as advertised. Our guide, Juma, was thorough and provided excellent commentary and detail on all the places we visited in addition to cultural information. He was also very attentive and ensured we were comfortable at all times.
Thank you for your kind feedback, David. We're happy you enjoyed the tour and that Juma helped make your experience memorable. It was a pleasure hosting you in Zanzibar, and we hope to see you again in the future.
Learned a lot about history of island and its slave trade past. Learned about their government and culture. We are leaving the island knowing a lot more about its rich culture and importance in the world.
Thank you very much! I'm happy you enjoyed learning about Zanzibar’s history and culture. Karibu again! 😊
The guide (whose name I don't quite remember) did a good job. He showed up on time and was easy enough to understand. The order we did things was a bit different than shown but that didn't matter one bit. We started with the Spice Farm. His knowledge of the spices and fruits seemed deep. Him and one of the farmers took me around and had me guess which spice was which based on smell and taste so I recommend studying up a bit beforehand if you want to do well. There was a coconut tree climbing.and a fruit tasting. They also gave you a chance to buy some of their wares but there was very little if any pressure to do so (especially compared to the pressure you'll find in Stone Town). Next we did the walking tour which I had done separately the day before so there wasn't much new info but there was some. After the walking tour we went to the beach and got a boat to Prison Island. There we did the history of the island and looked at the turtles. The island isn'tvery large and there really isn't a ton to see so it doesn't take super long. The only concern I had was that the guides knowledge for the walking tour and the island seemed like it was a bit lacking compared to the Spice Tour.
Thank you very much for your review 🙏 I’m happy you enjoyed the Spice Farm. I also appreciate your feedback,I will continue improving the historical part of the tour. Thank you for choosing us and welcome again 😊
We spent a wonderful day with Ibrahim, who is a thoughtful guide and who knows our language to introduce us to Stone Town and everything else! Thank you Ibrahim.
Thank you so much for your wonderful review! 😊 I’m really happy you enjoyed the day and discovering Stone Town with me. It was a pleasure guiding you. You are always welcome back to Zanzibar!
