Zanzibar Stone Town, Prison Island & Spice Tour

The tour started out with our guide picking us up at our hotel in Stonetown and walking to the beach side to take a water taxi to prison Island. Our guide, Abdi, led us through the different areas of prison island, giving us background information about the tortoises and about the use of the island and its history in the slave trade. The tortoises were really cool to see. Some are as old as 200 years old! Actually got to touch them, not sure if that was technically allowed but tortoises apparently like head and neck massages. We also saw some peacocks, and Dik diks on the island. Also, it was great that the tour started with Prison Island because when we got there, we were the only tourists on site for most of the time we were there, so we were able to spend time in the tortoise area in peace without feeling rushed. We then took the water taxi back to Stonetown and did the walking tour portion, which terminated at a museum about the slave trade, which we found really interesting because we did not know much about the Indian Ocean slave trade. Abdi was really knowledgeable and provided a lot of interesting information about the history and architecture, and answers to our questions along the way. Lastly, a different tour guide, Khalifa, picked us up from the museum area and drove us to Tangawizi Spice Farm and while there we looked at and tasted different plants and spices and learned a lot of things we didn’t know. We had lunch at the spice farm, and had the opportunity to buy spices while there, as well as other products like soaps and oils made from the spices of the farm. Both Abdi and Khalifa were great tour guides and I would highly recommend them both.