Zanzibar spice tour, Stone Town & Prison Island: small groups

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Free cancellationTravelers' pick

1/14

Duration7h–8h

GroupPrivate

LanguagesEN · AR +7

PickupAt your hotel

Walk through clove plantations, then stand in front of centuries-old tortoises on an island that was once a prison.

A 7- to 8-hour guided tour of Zanzibar combining three distinct stops: spice farm plantations where you taste and touch cloves, cinnamon and vanilla; Stone Town's landmarks including the House of Wonders and Old Slave Market; and Changuu Island (Prison Island) to see giant Aldabra tortoises and explore the ruins of the former prison. Small groups and a local guide in your language ensure you move at your own pace and get individual attention, with lunch and hotel pickup included around Stone Town.

7h–8h

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Stone Town, Spice Farm, Prison Island

Visit Old Fort and handcrafts
See House of Wonders exterior
Tour Old Slave Market and cathedral
Pass by Freddie Mercury House
Explore People's Palace museum
Tour spice plantations and taste spices
Visit Prison Island and see tortoises

The Experience

The tour opens at a working spice plantation where you walk through rows of clove, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla plants. A guide explains the history and uses of each one, and you taste fresh tropical fruits grown on the island. Lunch is served here, flavored with the spices you've just seen — not a restaurant meal but something tied to what you came to understand. You can buy spices to take home if you want them.

Stone Town fills the middle of the day. You'll see the Old Fort, a structure that once held prisoners and now stands as a reminder of the island's layered past. The House of Wonders, originally built as a ceremonial palace for Sultan Barghash in the 19th century, is currently under renovation, but your guide shares its story from outside — how it was the first building in East Africa to have electricity and an elevator, and what its Omani and European architecture says about Zanzibar's role as a trading hub. You also visit the Old Slave Market and the Anglican Cathedral built over it, a powerful and sobering part of the island's history. A quick pass by the Freddie Mercury House adds a lighter note, and the People's Palace (Beit al-Sahel) shows you the former residence of Zanzibar's Sultan, now a museum with original furnishings and royal artifacts.

The afternoon moves to Changuu Island, also called Prison Island. It was built as a prison but now holds giant Aldabra tortoises, some over a century old, that you can walk among and photograph. The island's paths are lush and the water around it is blue. You can snorkel if you want to, or simply walk the grounds and see the remains of the old prison structure. Your guide is there to explain what you're looking at and answer questions as you move.

Hotel pickup and drop-off are included for accommodations around Stone Town. The group stays small, which means your guide can adjust the pace and answer questions without rushing. Guides speak English, Spanish, Italian, French and several other languages — you'll know which one when you book. Children from age 1 are welcome, though infants sit on an adult's lap.

What’s included

Professional guide in your chosen language.
entry fees to all sites.
spice farm tour with tropical fruit tasting.
lunch and drinks at the plantation.
snorkeling opportunity on Prison Island.
hotel pickup and drop-off around Stone Town.
shopping time in Stone Town.

Good to know

Easy physical levelPublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Zan Archipelago Tours & Safaris

Is this one for you?Move through Zanzibar's spice farms, Stone Town's layered history, and Prison Island's giant tortoises in one day—your guide adjusts the pace to your questions instead of rushing through a fixed itinerary, and handles all transport between stops.