PRISON ISLAND TOURS

Prison Island, also known as Changuu Island, is just a 20-minute boat ride from Stone Town. The island was first used as a fortress, then as a quarantine station for the British Army. Despite the fact that a newer prison was later constructed on the island, it was never used. The island has sandy beaches and lush vegetation, making it an ideal environment for island and sea biologists. The surrounding sea offers some lovely snorkelling opportunities with beautiful coral formations for the visitors. The island is perfect for nature lovers.

The island’s most famous inhabitants are the giant tortoises. These endangered animals are not native to Africa, but to the Seychelles and Galapagos Islands. Originally the Prison Island tortoises were brought from Aldabra in the Seychelles to help increase the conservation efforts by starting a new breeding population. Tortoise populations started to reduce many years ago when sailors started to collect them on the ships as a fresh protein source – as the tortoises could survive many weeks or months without food. These days the tortoise decline is due to habitat destruction and poaching. Tortoises fetch a high price on the black market to private collectors.