Zanzibar Archipelago à 5 km from Stone Town

Isola della prigione Changuu à Where Time Walks Slowly

A prison built in 1893 that never held a single prisoner. A quarantine station that guarded the gates of East Africa against yellow fever. Today: giant tortoises older than the 20th century, moving slowly beneath coral stone arches by the Indian Ocean.

150+ Years à Oldest Tortoises

200 kg Adult Tortoise Weight

20 min Barca da Stone Town

1893 Prison Built

Aldabra Giant Tortoise Sanctuary Colonial History 1860à1931 Coral Reef Swimming

Home à Destinations à Zanzibar à Isola della prigione (Changuu)

Panoramica

Una prigione quella Never Held Prisoners

Prison Island is one of the most fascinating short excursions in the whole of East Africa à a small coral island whose complicated history of slavery, colonial medicine, and species conservation has produced one of the region's most memorable wildlife encounters.

Officially named Changuu Island à a name almost nobody uses à the island lies just 5 kilometres off the waterfront of Stone Town, accessible by a 20à30 minute ride in a traditional wooden boat. It measures less than one kilometre in length, but the layers of history compressed into that small space are extraordinary.

The island's story begins in the 1860s, when Majid bin Said à the first Sultan of Zanzibar à gave it to Arab slave traders, who used it to hold rebellious enslaved people before selling them at Stone Town's slave market. In 1893, Lloyd Mathews, the British First Minister of Zanzibar, purchased the island and built a prison complex intended for violent criminals from the mainland. The prison was completed in 1894 à but not a single prisoner was ever held there.

Invece, con la febbre gialla e il colera che si diffondevano nelle città portuali dell'Africa orientale, le autorità britanniche convertirono gli edifici completati in un quarantine station à the primary quarantine facility for all of British East Africa. Ships arriving in Zanzibar from infected regions would stop here first; passengers suspected of illness were isolated in what had been designed as prison cells, now functioning as hospital rooms. The station operated until the mid-twentieth century, when disease control shifted to other mechanisms. Today, the coral stone buildings à wide verandas, wooden shutters, long corridors à still stand, serving as both museum and shelter for the island's most famous current residents.

In 1919, the British Governor of the Seychelles gifted four Aldabra giant tortoises to the island from the Aldabra Atoll à the species' only natural home on Earth. The tortoises bred, and by 1955 their numbers had reached around 200. By 1996, through theft for the exotic pet trade and bushmeat, only seven remained. Emergency conservation measures à including a dedicated sanctuary and 80 additional hatchlings from the Seychelles à have restored the colony to a thriving, sustainable population. Today these ancient creatures, some over 150 years old and weighing up to 200 kilograms, are Prison Island's defining attraction.

Statistiche dell'isola

Official nameIsola di Changuu

Distanza da Stone Town~5 km

Tempo di giro in barca20à30 minutes

Prison built1893 (never used)

First tortoises arrived1919

Oldest tortoise estimate150à190+ years

Adult tortoise weightUp to 200 kg

IUCN tortoise statusVulnerable

Tassa di ingresso all'isola~$4à12 USD

Orario di visita consigliato2à4 hours

Società mondiale per la protezione degli animali

The tortoise sanctuary was re-established with WSPA (now World Animal Protection) assistance in 1996, recovering the colony from just seven individuals to a thriving protected population.

Historical Timeline

Dalla prigione degli schiavi a Tortoise Sanctuary

Prison Island's layered history reflects the wider story of Zanzibar's colonial transformation à from the slave trade through British rule, epidemic disease control, and finally conservation. Each era left physical marks on the island that visitors can still trace today.

1860s

Il luogo di detenzione degli schiavi

The first Sultan of Zanzibar, Majid bin Said, gave the uninhabited island to Arab slave traders. It became a holding ground for enslaved people considered too rebellious for direct sale at Stone Town's open slave market à the largest in East Africa. The island also served as a coral mine, with coral stone quarried here used as building material in Stone Town's expanding urban fabric.

1893

La prigione mai usata

British First Minister Lloyd Mathews purchased the island from its Arab owners and commissioned a prison complex for violent and repeat criminals from mainland territories under Zanzibar's jurisdiction. Construction was completed in 1894. However, the prison never housed a single prisoner à its use was immediately overtaken by the urgent public health crisis spreading through East Africa's Indian Ocean ports.

1890sà1930s

East Africa's Main Quarantine Station

As cholera, yellow fever, and bubonic plague swept through the region, the British authorities repurposed Changuu as the primary quarantine station for all of British East Africa. Ships entering Zanzibar à then the most important port on the East African coast à were required to stop here first. Passengers and crew showing symptoms of contagious disease were isolated in the former prison cells and cared for in an adjacent medical centre. A new, larger quarantine complex was built in 1931, raising capacity to 904 persons.

1919

Arrivano le prime tartarughe giganti

The British Governor of the Seychelles sent a gift of four Aldabra giant tortoises to Changuu Island à taken from Aldabra Atoll, their only natural home in the world. The four tortoises were the founding population of what would become one of the most significant Aldabra tortoise sanctuaries outside the Seychelles. By 1955, the colony had grown to approximately 200 individuals.

1960sà1996

La crisi vicina all’estinzione

Da the 1960s onwards, the tortoise population began to collapse as people stole the animals for sale as exotic pets or for their meat. By 1980 there were around 100 adult tortoises remaining; by 1990 only 50; by 1996 just seven. The Zanzibar government, working with the World Society for the Protection of Animals (now World Animal Protection), intervened à building a protected sanctuary compound and importing 80 hatchlings from the Seychelles to restart the colony. By 2000, numbers had recovered to 17 adults, 50 juveniles, and 90 hatchlings.

Today

A Living Conservation Success Story

Prison Island is now a government-owned tourist destination, with the historic prison and quarantine buildings standing as museum structures around the active tortoise sanctuary. Some tortoises are estimated to be 150à190 years old à their ages are painted on their shells by the sanctuary's keepers. Young tortoises are kept in a separate protective enclosure to shield them from birds of prey. Peacocks roam freely across the island grounds. A boutique hotel, swimming pool, and restaurant occupy the former European Bungalow and quarantine buildings.

Prison Island à Changuu Island, Zanzibar

"The prison on Changuu Island was never used for what it was built for. What remains instead is something stranger and more moving à a place where animals older than the 20th century move slowly between coral stone walls built by empire, indifferent to the history that surrounds them."

à Haven Trails Adventures, Moshi, Tanzania

Cosa vedere e fare

Four Reasons to Visita l'Isola della Prigione

Giant Tortoises

Aldabra Species à 150+ Years Old

The island's defining encounter à walking among Aldabra giant tortoises weighing up to 200 kilograms, some of whom were already alive during the First World War. Their ages are painted in blue on their shells by sanctuary staff. Visitors can feed them bundles of fresh spinach (provided by keepers for a small charge); the tortoises move slowly but determinedly toward food, and will gently push against you with their shells. Young tortoises are kept in a separate protective compound. The oldest individuals are estimated at 150à190 years of age à making them some of the longest-lived land animals on Earth.

All Ages à 2-hr Minimum à Sanctuary Entry Fee

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Le rovine della prigione

1893à1894 à British Colonial à Never Used

The prison complex à completed in 1894 and never used as intended à remains standing in remarkable condition. Long coral stone corridors, wooden-shuttered cells, wide ocean-facing verandas, and the architecturally distinctive European Bungalow (now a restaurant named after Lloyd Mathews) can all be explored. Informational displays explain the island's transformation from slave holding ground to quarantine station to conservation refuge. Some of the tortoises use the prison's shaded corridors as a favoured resting spot à the cells now sheltering the island's most protected residents.

Self-Guided à Included in Entry à 30à60 min

Swimming & Snorkelling

Clear Water à Coral Reef à Calm Lagoon

Prison Island's western beach offers clear, calm water for swimming à the shallow lagoon is well-protected and suitable for all ages. Snorkelling around the fringing coral reef reveals tropical fish and coral life, though experienced snorkellers will find better reef quality at Mnemba Atoll or Chumbe Island. Many boat captains are happy to combine Prison Island with a visit to the pristine Nakupenda sandbank à a short distance away à for a full day on the water including a seafood barbecue. Swimming at Prison Island is best in the morning before boat traffic increases.

Swim à Snorkel à Combine with Nakupenda

Fauna selvatica e pavoni

Free-Roaming à Island Grounds à Year-Round

Prison Island's island grounds are home to a free-roaming colony of peacocks à a striking contrast to the giant tortoises they share the grounds with. The peacocks were introduced as decorative birds in the resort era and have established a semi-wild population that wanders freely between the sanctuary, the old prison buildings, and the beach. Their bright plumage and unexpected presence in this colonial-historic setting creates one of Zanzibar's more surreal wildlife encounters. Birders will also find a variety of seabirds and migratory species along the island's shoreline year-round.

Free-Roaming à No Extra Charge à Year-Round

La tartaruga gigante di Aldabra

Ancient Creatures, Remarkable Lives

La tartaruga gigante di Aldabra (Aldabrachelys gigantea) is one of the world's largest land tortoises and among the longest-lived land animals on Earth. The species is native exclusively to the Aldabra Atoll in the Seychelles à the only location in the Indian Ocean where a large wild population survives naturally. All other populations, including those on Prison Island, exist as a result of deliberate relocation and conservation intervention.

The tortoises at Changuu Island have their estimated ages painted in blue on their shells by sanctuary keepers. The oldest individuals on the island are estimated to be between 150 and 190 years old à born between approximately 1835 and 1875. Some sanctuary staff believe the very oldest animal may be approaching 200 years, which would make it one of the oldest land animals currently confirmed alive on Earth. The celebrated tortoise Jonathan on the island of St Helena (believed born in 1832) is thought to be the oldest known, but the Changuu elders are not far behind.

Adult Aldabra tortoises are entirely herbivorous, nutrendosi di erbe, foglie e frutti. Su Prison Island, gli allevatori integrano il foraggiamento naturale con spinaci freschi e verdure, che i visitatori possono dare direttamente agli animali. Le tartarughe sono calme e abituate alla presenza umana, ma il santuario segue regole rigide: non tentare di cavalcare o arrampicarsi sulle tartarughe (questo è stressante per gli animali ed è severamente vietato), nutrirle solo con verdure approvate dai custodi e non utilizzare il flash a distanza ravvicinata.

150+

Est. Oldest Age (Years)

200 kg

Max Adult Weight

Tortoises Left in 1996

1919

First Tortoises Arrived

IUCN

Vulnerable Species

Aldabra

Native Atoll, Seychelles

Tortoise Sanctuary Recovery

The recovery of Prison Island's tortoise population from seven animals in 1996 to a thriving, multi-generation colony is one of East Africa's most successful small-scale conservation interventions. The Zanzibar government partnered with the World Society for the Protection of Animals (now World Animal Protection) to build a protected sanctuary compound, import 80 hatchlings from the Seychelles, and establish strict anti-poaching protocols. By 2000, the colony had recovered to 17 adults, 50 juveniles, and 90 hatchlings. A dedicated foundation continues to oversee the tortoises' welfare today.

World Animal Protection à Since 1996

Responsible Tourism Guidelines

Prison Island receives high visitor numbers as one of Zanzibar's most popular day excursions à making responsible visitor behaviour essential to the tortoises' welfare. The sanctuary strictly prohibits climbing on tortoises, feeding unauthorised food, using flash photography at close range, or disturbing the animals when they are clearly trying to move away. Haven Trails briefs all guests on responsible wildlife encounter behaviour before any excursion, and works exclusively with boat operators and guides who enforce sanctuary guidelines consistently.

No Riding à Approved Food Only à No Flash

Organizza la tua visita

Getting There & Essential Information

Getting There

20à30 min wooden boat from Stone Town waterfront
Boats depart near Forodhani Gardens à easy to find
Boat cost: $20à30 per boat (negotiate before departure)
Private transfers: Haven Trails arranges dedicated boats
Ideale in combinazione con: tour di Stone Town o banco di sabbia di Nakupenda
Si consigliano partenze mattutine (acqua più calma, luce migliore)

Entry & Activities

Island entry fee: approximately $4à12 USD a persona
Alimentazione delle tartarughe: piccolo supplemento per le verdure
Attrezzatura per lo snorkeling: disponibile a noleggio presso alcuni tour operator
Restaurant on-site: former European Bungalow (Mathews)
Recommended time: 2à4 hours including swimming
Haven Trails packages include all entry fees

Cosa portare

Swimsuit and towel à beach swimming available
Sun protection à the island has limited shade
Scarpe chiuse per il santuario delle tartarughe
Camera (no flash near tortoises)
USD cash à some vendors do not accept cards
Modesto insabbiamento per il giro in barca attraverso Stone Town

Domande frequenti

Common Questions

Vale la pena visitare Prison Island?

Yes à for most Zanzibar visitors, Prison Island is absolutely worth a half-day. The combination of a genuinely unusual colonial history (a prison that never held prisoners, now used as a conservation refuge), a close encounter with 150-year-old giant tortoises, and a pleasant boat ride from Stone Town creates an experience that is difficult to find anywhere else in East Africa. The key is not to rush it. Most visitors who are disappointed stayed for less than an hour. Allow 2à3 hours minimum, walk the old buildings slowly, and spend time in the sanctuary beyond just the first photo opportunity.

Prison Island è adatta ai bambini?

Prison Island is one of Zanzibar's most child-friendly excursions. Young children are almost universally delighted by the giant tortoises à particularly the feeding experience and the opportunity to interact with animals that are substantially larger than themselves. The boat ride is short and calm (20à30 minutes), the sanctuary grounds are safe and easy to walk, and the beach provides a natural end to the visit for swimming and splashing. Haven Trails recommends morning departures for families with young children, when the tortoises tend to be most active and the island is quieter.

Posso combinare Prison Island con un tour di Stone Town?

Yes à this is Haven Trails' most recommended combination for Stone Town days. A typical day runs: morning Stone Town walking tour (3 hours, covering the Old Fort, House of Wonders, carved-door alleyways, Darajani Market, and the former Slave Market site) ? lunch at a Stone Town restaurant ? afternoon boat to Prison Island (2à3 hours including the tortoise sanctuary and a swim) ? return to Stone Town in time for sunset at Forodhani Gardens and the nightly food market. Haven Trails can arrange this as a fully guided combined day excursion with private transfers throughout.

Perché si chiama Prison Island se non è mai stata una prigione?

The name came from the imposing prison buildings constructed in 1893 à which gave the island an unmistakably institutional appearance that stuck with local people and passing sailors long before anyone tried to use it for anything else. The prison was completed in 1894, but the colonial authorities immediately repurposed it as a quarantine station rather than a prison, so technically the facility served as a hospital and holding station for the sick à not criminals. "Quarantine Island" would be historically more accurate, but Prison Island was the name that caught on and has never been replaced. The official Swahili name, Changuu (after a species of fish common in the surrounding waters), is rarely used outside official documents.

Qual è il momento migliore della giornata per visitare Prison Island?

Morning visits (departing Stone Town by 9am) are generally recommended for three reasons: the tortoises are most active in the cooler morning hours, the island is quieter before the main wave of day-trip boats arrives, and the morning light is better for photography. Afternoon visits are perfectly viable but the sanctuary can become busy between 11am and 2pm, and the tortoises tend to shelter in shade during the hottest hours. Haven Trails schedules all Prison Island excursions for morning departures unless guests specifically request otherwise.

Come si inserisce Prison Island in un itinerario a Zanzibar?

Prison Island works best as a half-day excursion from Stone Town à typically combined with a Stone Town walking tour on the same day, or as a standalone morning boat trip leaving from your beach hotel. It is not a full-day destination on its own. Haven Trails recommends a minimum of 4 full days in Zanzibar: 2 nights in Stone Town (covering Prison Island and a walking tour on the same day, plus a spice farm half-day) and 2à5 nights on a beach. Guests who have more time can add Jozani Forest, a dolphin swim at Kizimkazi, and a Mnemba Island snorkelling trip to complete the Zanzibar experience.

Visit Isola della prigione

Tartarughe giganti più antiche del XX secolo, una prigione coloniale che non ha mai tenuto prigionieri e a 20 minuti di barca da Stone Town. Lascia che Haven Trails organizzi le tue escursioni a Zanzibar.

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