Zanzibar Prison Island (Changuu Prison Island) Tour

Zanzibar Half Day Tour

 

Feed and Pet Tortoises while at Prison Changuu Island

Snorkeling at Changuu Prison Island in Zanzibar

Changuu Island also known as Prison Island, Zanzibar

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Changu Island (Prison Island) Half Day Tour - Near Zanzibar

Prison (Changuu) Island Half Day Tour View Rates, Discounted Prices - Book & Save Now!

Prison (Changuu) Island earned its name as a former prison for slaves and a quarantine station for Zanzibar and the mainland. Nowadays the island gives you the chance to escape for some peace and quiet. A hundred-year-old Giant Tortoises act as unlikely vigilantes over the island, and you can't help but wonder what tales they would tell, if only they could talk!

 

Approximately one kilometer long and a ¼ kilometer wide the island offers some of the most pristine swimming and snorkeling conditions in crystal clear waters.

 

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Cost for 2011: Per Person

 

Notes

* Time: 3 hours (approximate), departure time is depending on the tides

* Prison (Changuu) Island Included: boat trip, snorkeling gear, refreshments, fruits or snacks and entrance fee Prison Island

 

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Changuu (Prison) Island ½ Day Detailed Itinerary
Duration - 3 to 4 hours
Take a boat trip to this beautiful small island just offshore from Stone Town. Formerly owned by the Arabs and British, it was once used as an old quarantine Centrex for lepers and TB victims. Now it is more commonly known as the home of Zanzibar's Giant Alderman Tortoise colony, some of which are over a hundred years old! This endangered species came to Zanzibar as a gift from the government of the Seychelles.

 

Once on the island, you have the opportunity to feed and pet the tortoises and if you have time, you can do a spot of snorkeling. (Equipment hire not included). You may also like to take a stroll through the forested interior where you will see a wide variety of birds, colorful peacocks, bats, and beautiful butterflies. Keep your eyes peeled too for the shy and elusive Dickers - an unusual tiny antelope species.

 

This tour is a great way to see some history and wildlife, and also to see Stone Town from the water as many old maritime legends would have done! The prison Island or Chang Island is the middle Island of three visible Islands from the Stone Town. The prison on its Island was built in 1893. Historically this small Island was used as point of concealment of slaves later becomes a temporary hospital and a quarantine Island especially during the outbreak of contagious diseases in the last century.

 

The Island endowed with nature features attractive, a self-walking safari cover the island less than one hour, while sand beach for swimming and relaxing, colorful coral reef for snorkeling. Sultan Said in 1830’s, dicker different birds can easily be seen in the Island, brought a number of giant tortoises, some which are 100 years old, there from Seychelles. The tour start either in the morning at 09:00 Hours to 12:00 Hours or in the afternoon at 15:00 Hours to 18:00 Hours

 

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Changu Island (Prison Island) - Near Zanzibar
About 30 minutes by boat from Forodhani in Stone Town area lay Changu, also known as Prison Island. A slight misnomer, as the ruined buildings were never used to house prisoners, as was the original intention of the architects.

The island was once used by an Arab slave trader to contain the feistier, defiant and freedom seeking slaves brought from the African mainland. To prevent their escape before shipping them to the Arabian purchasers, or for auctioning in Zanzibar's slave market, the slaves were dumped on Changuu, from where they were unlikely to attempt escape. In 1893, Mr. Lloyd Mathews, under the orders of the British administrators built a prison. The idea was to send violent and recidivist criminals from the Tanganyika mainland to be detained there but the concept never became a reality. In fact, it ended up being used as a quarantine center for the yellow fever epidemics that once raged through the region. The old prison's crumbling cells can still be seen today and provide occasional shelter for the giant tortoises which are conserved on the island.

 

There are many trees and plants on this small but beautiful island, and it is a delight to walk safely and unhindered through the dappled shadows. Birds abound, and bird-watchers will find plenty of species to delight them. Changuu Island also offers the visitor a chance to sunbathe in peace, or to swim or snorkel in the clear blue waters. Fishing from the shore or boat is also a leisure option, and the fish can be grilled on an open fire on the beach, or taken back to your hotel. Other islets include the uninhabited Kokota Mapanya (Rat Island) and Hngume Island (with its automated lighthouse), and the distant Bawe Island (with its solitary guest house).

 

The Giant Tortoises are Changuu Islands most famous inhabitants, and are to be found nowhere else in East Africa. Not indigenous to continental Africa, the original tortoises were brought from Aldabra in the Seychelles in an effort to extend the Tortoise conservation efforts. Aldabra is famous for harboring endemic and rare marine life species, and along with the Galapagos Islands, it is the one of the worlds few places where giant tortoises exist.

 

Some of the tortoises at Prison Island were rescued from poachers who were intercepted on their way from Aldabra to other parts of the world where they would sell the animals to unscrupulous private collectors or zoos. Giant tortoises face dangers at every stage of their biological growth. Apart from poachers who want them alive, other hunters kill them to use the shells and claws for medicine or saleable souvenirs. Eggs and hatchlings face constant danger from crabs, birds and other predators. Tortoises have been living in the Indian Ocean islands, and probably Aldabra, for over 100 million years but their numbers have fallen to such critically low levels that they are now classified as endangered. The adult tortoises of Prison Island are already producing the next generations, and the future is looking good for the continued survival of the tortoises.

 

Tourists will find an information center adjacent to the sanctuary. Here one can purchase vegetables with which to feed the tortoises, and the money raised is intended to further support the project. Care must be taken when feeding them, as the beak of the tortoise is designed for cropping tough vegetation, and their jaw muscles are very strong.

 

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Booking & Reservations for Prison Island (Changuu Prison Island) Half Day Tour from Zanzibar Island

African Spice Safaris

Booking Office Tel: + 254 (0) 20 2437871

Email: info@africanspicesafaris.com

 

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