Prison Island (half day)

Departure 08:30 from hotel, return approx. 14:00

 

Prison Island is a small island off the coast of Stone Town, a 1½ hour drive from Michamvi. Your driver will take you to the city beach, next to Mercury’s Restaurant, in Stone Town. From there, you will be transported by boat to Prison Island (a 20 minute boat trip).

On the island you can take a walk through the island’s forest, the habitat of a variety of birds, fruit bats and butterflies. The main attraction is however, the tortoises which you can feed and also pet. The tortoises were imported in the late 19th century from the Seychelles. Some of them are now over 100 years old and weigh over 200kg. The building on the island was originally built to be a prison, but never had any inmates. Later during the yellow fever outbreak, it was converted into a quarantine center. The island is surrounded by a beautiful coral reef and is good for snorkeling or you can relax on the sandbank.

 

Don’t forget sunscreen, a towel and money, in case you want to buy souvenirs!