Visit Prison Island
Located in the Indian Ocean, Prison Island (also known as Changuu island) is a small island that lies 5.6 kilometers northwest of Stone Town, Unguja. The First Prime Minister of the former state of Zanzibar, Majid bin Said, bought the island but never reclaimed it. Then, in the 1860s, he decided to sell the island to two Arab slave owners. Since then, the island has become a prison for slaves and is called "Prison Island". The remnant of the former prison becomes a historic site and a guesthouse for tourists to visit.
As soon as you approach Prison Island, you will see a small island covered with trees, appearing like a green carpet in the middle of a smooth sea. The clear and turquoise water makes it an ideal dive site for divers. As you go away from the shore, you'll come across a route that is surrounded on either side by vegetation. You will arrive at a building complex after a short distance; some of the structures have red domes and fancy wooden railings and verandas, while others are austere structures with tall, solid walls and aged blue doors. That is the ruins of the former prison where you can enjoy the spectacular view of the island. A highlight of Changuu is the population of giant tortoises. It is the home of Aldabra tortoises, one of the biggest tortoises in the world. Visitors now have the chance to see these giant creatures and feed them.
