Full Day Private Spice Farm Stone Town And Prison Island

Well organised, friendly guide. Good communication in the lead up to the tour. Spice farm really interesting and stone town full of interesting sites down every little alley

We had an absolutely fantastic day on this tour—it truly packed in the very best of Zanzibar in one seamless experience. Booking through Viator was easy, and the tour was well organized from start to finish. Our first stop was the Tangawizi Spice Farm, and what a sensory experience! They explained how the spices and fruits are used to heal the body, and we were able to taste the fruit—it was delicious! We saw, smelled, and tasted cloves, vanilla, nutmeg, ginger, pepper, cinnamon, turmeric, and lemongrass, and learned about their traditional and medicinal uses. The traditional coconut climber demonstration was a highlight not to be missed. Next we went to Prison Island, reached by a scenic 30-minute boat ride from Stone Town. Seeing the 100-year-old Aldabra giant tortoises in their natural habitat was magical, and the island's history—including the 1893 prison ruins—was captivating. Our last stop was Stone Town, the UNESCO World Heritage site at the heart of Zanzibar's history. Walking through its colorful streets, the buildings were explained to us—including the former slave market, the local market, the old Arab fort, the House of Wonders, and the Freddy Mercury House—and we admired the stunning Swahili, Arab, Indian, and British-style doors. Our guide's knowledge gave us a much deeper understanding of Zanzibar's past. We also found a great place to eat for lunch, which was the perfect end to the day. The tour was perfectly paced, excellent value with admissions included, and one we'll never forget. Highly recommended for anyone visiting Zanzibar!

Ali was our guide. He was very knowledgeable and provided a lot of relevant information. Overall we enjoyed our experience.

Overall a good day out. Pick up was on time and after a quick introduction we were off to the spice farm where after 90 minutes walking around the farm felt it went on a bit too long. Next stop was Prison Island so into Stone Town to catch a boat over to the island. Saw the turtles on the Island, visited the museum and looked around a few gift shops but not much else to see there. Then back on the boat to go back to Stone Town, the sea was a bit rough going back as the wind got up so something to take into consideration if your a bad seaman. Once back on land we stopped for a drink and snack (not included) then walked around Stone Town with our guide giving us information on what we've were seeing. Probably wouldn't book the full day tour unless you like lots of information on the history of the areas. Also if you do the Spice Farm tours best make sure you have mosquito spray on and be prepared to get footwear dirty and possibly wet getting on and off the boat.

An excellent tour! Our guide Ally was so knowledgeable and was very accommodating to some of the changes we wanted to make to the order of the day. The spice farm was so amazing!! We learnt so much! Stone town and prison island were also great! We were travelling with a wheelchair and although the spice farm was not very accessible, the guide helped tailor it, he was very very helpful! Thank you

This was an amazing experience to start with in Zanzibar, Ali was my guide and he was professional all the time, explaining everything around, looking for my wellbeing and answering all my questions. Great experience.

Complete tour of main Zanzibar attractions with very knowledgeable guide. Our guide knew so much about the history of Zanzibar.

awesome experience! guide was super knowledgeable and whole experience went super smoothly. also very easy to follow up as well with any issues/changes I wanted

Private full day tour with very personable and knowledgeable guide. Did not feel rushed and was able to spend as much time as we wanted at each location. Would definitely recommend to others!

It was a lovely day trip. Enjoyed all parts of it. Tour guide was helpful and explained everything without hesitation.

Make sure that you wear shoes that can pair of gloves because it rained and it’s kind of muddy cause you will be in the farm big bug spray because you’re actually walking through trees and mines inside but it’s very educational and it’s very informative the Stonetown tour and the prison tour were fantastic, and God was amazing

I spent an amazing day with Hamis visiting a spice farm, stone town and prison island. Everyone knew him and we were treated like treasured guests. Ismail confirmed the tour and Hamis arrived right on time. I highly recommend this team!

Led by an experienced guide, with a separate driver for ease in stone town, we travelled from my hotel in the far north east to the three stops. The spice farm was rustic, with a walk through the grounds picking out the plants growing for their aromatics. Stone town, in its chaos, is beautiful, but many of the attractions are undergoing renovation. However, walking through the city gives a great flavour of the islands culture and history. Prison island, other than being a small zoo for a few animals, doesn’t very well showcase its own history, but the guide explained the complex changing of hands the island has experienced. It’s rare I’d commend a driver in Zanzibar, but we had a safe (and courteous) driver who kept us safe when the skies opened up. Fantastic day.

Our guide was knowledgeable and easy going. Did everything he could to please. We changed our mind on one stop and he was flexible. He taught us an incredible amount about the history of Zanzibar and StoneTown.

Loved the spice tour! So interesting and interactive. Enjoyed Prison Island and learning about its history as well. The boat ride was a little rough but otherwise, had a great time and learning experience with Khamis. Walking tour was enjoyable as well. Make sure you bring water with you as it does get hot throughout the day.

Amazing experience, the tour guide Khamis and the driver were thoughtful and kind. I recommend. A very knowledgeable experience. Asante Sana!

We had an excellent day exploring Zanzibar with Guides via Viator, our wonderful guide Khamis, and Jonas the driver. Everything was perfectly organized, and they made the whole experience smooth, fun, and informative. The Spice Farm was such a highlight – we saw and learned about so many different spices, tasted and smelled them fresh, and really appreciated the depth of knowledge our guide shared. At Prison Island, the giant tortoises were simply unbelievable – such gentle giants, and being able to get up close with them was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Finally, wandering through Stone Town was magical. The culture, history, and vibrant colours brought the whole city to life – every corner had something new to see, from bustling markets to beautiful architecture. Overall, this tour gave us the perfect balance of nature, culture, and history. A huge thank you to Khamis and Jonas for making it such a memorable day – highly recommend!

My guide was so full if historical facts which were fascinating. Then he knew all about spices and their uses. The walk around Stonetown was similarly very comprehensive and the final boat trip to Prison Island great fun.

It started at 8:30 with collection from our hotel in stone town. Our guide was helpful and knowledgeable throughout. The spice farm was really fun and interesting and the boat trip to prison island was amazing. The walking tour around stone town was interesting but a sad reminder of the history of slavery. I'd recommend this trip.

The tour was amazing!! The tour guide was so enthusiastic and knowledgeable about the history and culture. Clear and detailed about all the sites.

Amazing!! What a fabulous day we had with our guide. Our guide and driver were on time collecting us from the hotel. Very friendly, nothing was too much trouble at any point and the knowledge our guide had on the history of the island and places was outstanding. He was Enthusiastic the whole. Well worth booking

You don’t see the most luxurious parts of the island. Stonetown is a place with heavy history. But the tour gives you a very good insight in the colonisation period and the real daily life on Zanzibar.

The guide, Ismail, and the driver were both very good. The trip did everything it said it would do and the guide was very friendly and informative. I would have given this 5 stars but the only negative was the boat we went on to Prison Island didn't have any lifejackets which was a bit of a worry.

Amazing experience! A really good way to see the highlights of Zanzibar, if you're pushed for time. My guide was brilliant, he was really knowledgeable and took his time to tell you everything that you needed to know. He was on time, very positive, polite and professional.

Enjoyed the walk through Stone Town and the spice farm. Our guide and driver were both excellent. Sadly we can’t rate this tour higher than 4 stars as the boat ride to and from Prison Island was horrible. The boat was too small for the size of the waves and it constantly pounded our backs against the board seats.

This was a FANTASTIC day ! We were picked up from our hotel on time at 8:30am by our guide Yaya and our lovely driver Yumah (?). Yaya was simply a brilliant tour guide. He ‘self taught’ several languages from YouTube (eg. English, French and Hungarian) and he spoke better English than we did .. with the occasional ‘cockney’ accent … we had such a laugh all day long. First stop after a 30 minute drive was Maganga Spice Farm. Our host took us around the farm sampling various spices and Yaya told us all about them. And to make it more fun, he tested us to see if we could guess what they were. Obviously I got more right than my wife 😉, but Yaya said it was a draw ! 🙄. On our way around we saw some beautiful young children playing on the farm .. they were so inquisitive of us and seemed so happy 😍 .. We were very sad that we had nothing to give them as we’re weren’t expecting to see them, so if anyone takes this tour, please take some sweets/candy with you, the children will very much appreciate it. All in all we sampled Lipstick plant, Turmeric, Lychee, Cardamon, Vanilla (creeper plant), Cotton Tree, Cinnamon .. bark, root, leaves (Queen of the Spice), Black pepper (creeper plant), Coffee, Langilangi flower (for perfume), Clove tree (King of the Spice), Nutmeg & Ginger - Yaya educating us on the plant, harvest and uses of the spices. It was fascinating. At the end of this leg of the tour, one of the farmers climbed up a tree (singing on the way !) and picked a coconut for us the drink the milk from. Whilst our other farmer guide, made headware and ‘jewellery’ for us from leaves. We visited the spice shop on the way out. A great start to the day ! Next stop the port of Stone Town to get a boat to Prison Island. This was great fun too, even though my wife wasn’t keen on the 15-20 minute speed boat crossing. Whilst there, Yaya sorted out all the entrance tickets/fees and then told us all the amazing history of Prison Island .. I would never have thought that despite the name, no convicted criminals were ever ‘housed’ on Prison Island .. it was solely slaves and used as a place of quarantine when Yellow fever and Cholera broke out. After the ‘prison’ walk we had around 30 minutes to enjoy the amazing tortoises on the island .. they were enormous.. and the oldest one is around 200 years old. After the short trip back to the main island, we enjoyed the 3rd and final leg of the tour around Stone Town. Yaya kindly helped us negotiate a price on 2 football shirts. A lesson for us Brits here, as we are not used to bargaining on a price .. but in Zanzibar it’s a way of life ! We stopped at a very old building that Yaya called the ‘wonder’ building .. the building is under significant renovation at the moment .. and if I remember correctly, it was the place of a very very short war ! (Sorry if I got that wrong Yaya, as you shared sooo many amazing facts, that it’s sometimes difficult for old people like us, to remember everything 🙏). From there we visited an area that was previously a ladies tennis court (of all things !), and then through the narrow streets of Stone Town, passing Freddie Mercurys birthday place/museum, onto the market area (vegetable, meat and fish) before finishing at the humbling Slave Trade Market .. where an amazing Christian Church sits alongside a mosque and both religions respect each other and happily co-exist. A lesson for the rest of the world ! Our drive back to Kiwenga took around 1-1.5 hours, getting out of the hustle and chaos of Stone Town.. through quieter/remote farm towns and villages. We saw so many things that humbled us and made us value and appreciate the simple things in life, a lot more than we did previously. Yaya didn’t stop talking or sharing information the whole day long, as well as making us laugh with his ‘international’ impressions. He even helped us out to pay for a couple of small items when we only had $20 bills (we obviously paid him back !). He was ‘Simply The Best’ and we are so grateful to Yaya for making it a special day. Thank You.. Asante ! 🙏

The tour was awesome. Our tour guide was so friendly and well-informed. My friends and I felt safe and taken care of for the entire tour. Our time at the spice farm was so interesting and we got the opportunity to participate in cultural activities and learn about how they cultivate and grow spices. Prison island and Stonetown are sooo beautiful and worth the trip. I highly recommend this tour guide as well -- he made this tour such a wonderful time!

The guide was awesome and adjusted the tour to what we wanted. The pick up/drop off was super smooth and the entire experience with the company was great

Yaya was absolutely the most amazing tour guide ever !! He was so detail oriented and really made us feel at home. I would definetig come back and do more tours with him as a guide !!

We were really statisfied with everything. Ismail is punctual, reliable and a great tour guide. We would choose him again.

We had 4 trips and 2 transfer between the airport and our hotel. Everything was really well arranged. Ismail and his crew was punctual, we never had to wait for anything. Everything went smoothly and we saw everything, that we wanted. We wouldn't notice so much monkey, corals etc if he wasn't with us. The car was always clean and the air conditioner was set in a great temperature. All of the drivers was also really nice and polite. Ismail speaks English and other languages in a very great level and he can also know some Hungarian words, which was really surprising. His pronunciation of words was like he is native,even if it is a hard language for foreigners. He really put effort in his work, so I would recommend to book tours and transfers with him.

We had an amazing time with Ismail! He was very attentive, and always made sure we had a great and comfortable time. Besides, he gave us great and useful tips for our trip, and was ready to assist us with anything at any point. Totally recommend! 🙌🏽

We booked this tour as a family and travelled with our 2 years old little girl. Our guide Hassim was amazing from the very start. Him and the driver were punctual and helpful. Hassim was very knowledgeable and made our experience great. He took care of us and was also very patient since we had the baby with us. The trip to the spice farm was the best activity for me, they showed us the spice plantation and at the end of the tour we got to taste teas (made fresh from these spices) and fresh fruit too! The turtle island also did not disappoint, turtles are actually roaming free and can be seen really up close. We couldn’t recommend this tour more!

Worth every penny. Our guide was extremely knowledgeable and spoke very good English. Driver was very experienced.

Ismail was an excellent guide. He (and his driver) collected us promptly from, and back to, our hotel. He provided a very interesting day of sight seeing. Now, this makes for a long day, but as Ismail advised us it would be (and was!) at our own pace ("pole pole"). A great day out and well worth it.

Said was an awesome driver and Alhamisi was a great tour guide. I didn’t feel rushed and enjoyed my time.

Ismail was the best guide ❤️ He teach us lof of things. He show for us all fruits and palantation. This trip was the best. He have experience. Thanke you Ismail. 🙂🙌

Great day in the company of Abra! I recommend it 1000%

Very nice tour. Our guide Khamin picked us up with a driver and has been with us all day. He was also our guide and knew a lot about stowntown, on spicefarm and on prison island.

Hamis was a great guide! He speaks Spanish very well, and he is very patient and kind. There was a lot of rain and they closed the port, so we couldn't go to Prison Island; he gave us other options we could do, and we decided on a broader tour in Stone Town, and we were happy! It was a very nice day, and I highly recommend it. Learning about the plants at the spice farm was an amazing experience.

Day tour to three of the highlights in Zanzibar. Everything went perfectly. Our guide Hasan conveyed so much valuable information in very good German. The first destination was a spice farm. We were explained about fruits, spices, cultivation methods, and so much more. The second destination was Prison Island. After a short boat tour, we experienced the island's history up close, and the giant tortoises are simply enormous; some are over 150 years old. Tip: Lunch directly on the dock at the restaurant. Stonetown is hard to put into words, with such stark contrasts, and in every corner, you can feel the tumultuous history. Summary: everything was great! We were picked up on time, taken care of all day without stress, and the price/performance ratio was also okay, Top-notch!

The driver and guide were great. They adapted superbly to our wishes. Spice Farm was the highlight. At the end we even had fresh pineapple. I can recommend the tour.

Ich habe meinem Mann überrascht mit eine private Tour und war die beste Entscheidung. Unser Guide, Hassani, hat sehr gut Deutsch gesprochen und hat uns sehr viele Infos gegeben über alle Orte die wir besichtigt haben. Danke auch für die tollen Bilder.

Grandiosa! La fattoria delle spezie magnifica. Ismail è stato competente e gentilissimo. Stone town e prison. Island valgono la visita. Mezzo comodo, guidatore bravissimo, puntuali e squisiti. Consigliatissimo.

This tour was memorable . Hassan is a great guide, patient, full of knowledge and polyglott. I highly recommend! Full eyes and especially we learn a lot from the plantation. Spices.