Rondleiding door het gevangeniseiland

We booked the tour in the last minute but we met amazing guide, Aziza. She deeply understood the past, present, and future of Zanzibar and explained it with great passion. We came here to relax but with the story of Zanzibar, it became much glamorous experience. Also, the short trip to the island with a boat was fun.

I did this tour as a solo traveller and had a brilliant experience with my guide, Mohamed. He was extremely polite, very knowledgeable, and gave great information throughout the visit to Prison Island. The tour starts with a speedboat ride to the island, which is home to a tortoise reserve as well as peacocks, peahens, and chicks. The tortoises were incredible — the oldest is 200 years old! Mohamed shared lots of interesting facts about the wildlife, including the tortoises, the deer, and even the fancy pigeons (definitely not your typical British pigeons!). After spending time with the tortoises, we walked around to the main prison complex. There’s a café/bar, some lovely gift shops, and a beautiful panoramic view across the sea. There’s also a small museum with helpful information about the building’s history. Next, we headed to the snorkelling spot. I was under time pressure to get to another tour, and there was a bit of rain, so I didn’t end up snorkelling — but the water was crystal clear and full of visible sea life, including starfish, fish, sea urchins, and more. We were also given cassava chips as a snack, which were great. A practical note: if you plan to snorkel, you usually arrive in your swimwear as there isn’t a clean changing area on the island. Most people head back to their hotel to change afterwards. Since I had a walking tour immediately after, it didn’t work out for me this time. On a hot day you might dry quickly, or you could bring spare clothes and use a restroom if needed. Overall, this was a fantastic tour — beautiful scenery, a very knowledgeable guide, and Mohamed is also highly skilled at taking great photos! For solo travellers: the website says it’s suitable for individuals, which it absolutely is. The team were very accommodating, but there weren’t others in the group on this occasion, so it ended up being a private tour. This made it more flexible for me, though it does mean you may or may not meet other travellers. Highly recommended

Muhsin’s energy level was lackluster and he just appeared to go through the motions of being a guide. The island, peacocks and tortoises were interesting but the snorkeling was below par with other places on Zanzibar. The advertised water and snacks never materialized. Not convinced it was worth $110.