PRISON ISLAND

About

Prison Island (Changuu Island)

Prison Island (3 Hours) 5 Stars

Overview

Changuu Island (also known as Kibandiko, Prison or Quarantine Island) (Kisiwa cha Changuu, in Swahili) It is located 5.6 km (3.5 mi) northwest of Stone Town. It takes around 20 minutes by local boat riding from the Stone Town beach. The island saw used as a prison for enslaved people in 1860s and also functioned as a coral rag mine. The British First Minister of Zanzibar, Lloyd Mathews, purchased the island in 1893 and constructed a prison complex there. Despite the prison buildings being completed in 1894, causing the island to become known commonly as "Prison Island", the facility never housed prisoners. Instead it became a quarantine station for yellow fever cases. The British authorities were concerned by the risk of disease epidemics affecting Stone Town, then East Africa's main port. To combat this threat Changuu was turned into a quarantine island serving all of the British territories in East Africa. The old prison was converted into the facility's hospital and in 1923 the island was officially renamed Quarantine Island. More recently, the island has become a government-owned tourist resort and houses a collection of endangered Aldabra giant tortoises.

In 1919 the British governor of Seychelles sent a gift of four Aldabra giant tortoises to Changuu from the island of Aldabra. These tortoises bred quickly and by 1955 they numbered around 200 animals. However, people began to steal the tortoises for sale abroad as pets or for food and their numbers dropped rapidly. By 1988 there were around 100 tortoises, fifty in 1990 and just seven by 1996. A further 80 hatchlings were taken to the island in 1996 to increase the numbers but 40 of them vanished. With the huge efforts of the Government of Zanzibar there are hundreds of them.

Aldabra giant tortoises age to 300+ years. Gigantic Aldabra tortoises are known to be one among the longest-lived animals in the world, at Prison island, the oldest giant tortoise is estimated to be 199 years old. They can be roughly 130 cm long and with an average weight of 250-300 kg (600 pounds).

This historical Island was formerly owned by an Arab and used for the confinement of refractory slaves. In 1893, Lloyd Mathews built the prison, with the idea of sending violent criminals from the Tanganyika mainland to the island. The Prison Island ended up being used as a quarantine center, instead of a prison, for yellow fever epidemics that once raged through the region. Prison Island is still owned by the Zanzibar government.

The old prison still remains standing, providing shelter for the giant tortoises which are conserved on the Prison Island. You can walk in the quarantine center and come face to face with these amazing creatures.

The island is a superb spot for the photographer. On this little paradise one can also swim, snorkel, sunbathe or just relax and enjoy the peacefulness that this beautiful island. It is fringed with a beautiful coral reef, ideal for snorkeling, and has a lovely white beach for sun-bathing.

Highlights

Discover the Prison island also called as Changuu island by the locals and get in-depth about the slave history and Zanzibar's part in marine trade. Now Prison island is a conservation place for the giant tortoises that weight around 250 - 300 kilograms (600 pounds) and age about 300+ years. The oldest we got is 200 years old, most of these tortoises were stolen and sold back in the years. Here they are protected and taken care for. This tour is a perfect half day-trip with refreshments available throughout the day. The island also has a small restaurant where you can enjoy simple meals. If you would like to stay longer and enjoy the beach and ocean, this is no problem!

Things To Do

Prison Island Experiences

Witness Giant tortoises

Feed giant tortoises

Play with tortoise

Play with Peacock

Slave History

Prison History

Swimming

Free Soft Drinks

The best time to go visit is in the morning at 9am or evening because there will be very few people and less crowds you will get to feed and play with the giant tortoises freely.

Jhat Tours & Safaris Co. Ltd

Why Choose Us?

We wil povide you a stree free experience exploring Zanzibar and Tanzania. We provide tour packages that cover all required services for your trip and we will take care of you from your arrival to the day of departure at a price that won't jeopardise the quailty of services we provide.

We love and are to passionate of what we do, we will comfort you and take care of anything that bothers you to let you have a stress free experiences. Come as a guest and join our family cause we will make unforgettable memmories together.

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