Stone Town and Prison Island from Zanzibar

I took my three children and husband on this trip back in December and it was certainly one of the best parts of Zanzibar. Our tour guide- Mohammed- was prompt and on time and the tour began with a lovely boat ride to Prison Island. The tortoises were amazing to look at and learn about, and our tour guide defiantly knew what he was talking about! We then walked around the island for a bit- it was serene and calm and very relaxing to soak in all the nature. And then came the part we were all waiting for- the snorkelling! I would recommend coming all the way to Africa just for the snorkelling- it was a once in a life time experience. The waters were clear and calm and you could see all the corals and fish without even straying far from the boat. My family and I will 100% remember this tour for a long time to come and I couldn’t recommend it enough !!

We had a good day from the cruise terminal, (Better signage would help though). Prison Island turtles especially interesting. Note to board the speed boat, it is from the stony beach, and you must remove shoes and roll up trousers. Not suitable for older or disabled passengers. Walking tour of the alleys and markets was excellent with our own guide. The ship’s group tours were all straggling along and heard nothing. I’m glad we booked with Viator.

It was an amazing experience getting to know and see more of Zanzibar. The tour operator were very helpful and professional.

When we booked we thought we were having an opportunity to snorkel on Prison Island. This did not happen as there was no chance to do it. That was disappointment number one. The tour of the island was good however it appeared that our guide was reading the facts off his phone. Where ever we walked it was single file and he only spoke to me leaving me to tell my friend what the information was being said. He was a nice young man but it was obvious that he was in training and not an experienced guide. When we reached shore we discovered that our tour was to be a walking tour of 3 hours and there was no air conditioned vehicle. At 31 degrees we would never have booked this tour to walk especially with the high humidity. While we were walking he ran into a store and bought us a 1.5 litre of water. Rather large to carry but there was no place to sit down and have a drink. Also, there was no washroom break - we are saying that the opportunity was not presented to us as it was to be a 3 hour walk. Our guide tried to meet our needs but fell short on the walking tour.

Impressive, Guide was completely responsive to us and had a great knowledge. First visited Prison Island as it doesn't have that many visitors in the morning. Prima organizes everything!

Have a wonderful tour with Mau the nice driver and Alex the excellent guide, recommend it warmly to anyone.

Interesting history but not a whole lot to see on the island besides reading the history and seeing a building but was neat to see the tortoises. Stonetown tour was interesting… would have liked to have gone into freddie mercury museum. Our guide was great and knowledgable but at times was hard to hear and understand.

We paid 250€ for two for the visit to Stone Town, the spice market and Prison Island with Dertour. Unfortunately we were very disappointed. Prison Island is not worth visiting because there is not much to see. We imagine a prison, but not at all. Spice market we were only shown a stand. And Stone Town we had to go to a souvenir store that was his guide. Freddy Mercuri Museum only from the outside. So too expensive for everything. Conclusion We took a taxi and we went back to Stone Town and we quietly visited all of us and harmlessly for $120 taxis for two.

Fantastic boat ride and tour guide Mohamed was so knowledgeable and friendly, we really enjoyed our trip around Stone Town and Prison Island. The tortoises and peacocks were fascinating as were the stops around town. I just wish we had more time at each of the major sites. This was a true life-changing experience.

An Incredible and beautifu Island with an incredible culture and historical background. The prison Island and the old building. Make it a Stanning Destination.