Prison Island, also known as Changuu Island, is about a 30-minute boat ride from Zanzibar Island, and its prison was never used to house prisoners. Originally, the island was used by an Arab trader of slaves brought from the African continent to keep the most rebellious ones there and prevent their escape before shipping them to Arab buyers or selling them at the Zanzibar slave market. In 1893, Lloyd Mathews built the prison with the idea of sending violent criminals there from the Tanganyika mainland. Instead, Prison Island ended up being used as a quarantine center for the yellow fever epidemics that once raged in the region, instead of as a prison. Today Prison Island remains in government ownership, which has converted the new quarantine buildings into a guest house, and the old prison still stands. The island is a protected environment, a refuge for even 100-year-old giant tortoises that are now found only on this island.

Nakupenda (Swahili for I LOVE YOU) is the name of a spectacular tongue of white sand located off Stone Town. Ideal tour for enjoying snorkeling, sunbathing, and sampling shellfish, seafood and tropical fruits. Off Prison Island, you will see extraordinary colorful corals and tropical fish before reaching our dream spot. Nakupenda is a place of brilliant wildlife, pure white sand, crystal clear water; a nature reserve that is home to natural beauty unique to the Indian Ocean; a tongue of white sand appears and disappears with the tides. Enjoy our seasonal fruits, sand baths and seafood lunch. Relax on the sandy tongue or discover the marine life of the shallows before boarding our speedboat or returning to Stone Town.