Full-day Private Stone Town +Spice Farm And Prison Island Tour

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Rose was an excellent guide, very friendly and informative. Amina, the guide at the spice farm was also very good. The tour ended up taking 9 hours rather than 8, as we were allowed to do things at our own pace.

I booked the night before my trip and Tripadvisor was great to assist me getting in contact with the agent (Mango). However, there were a few things I wasn't happy about. 1. The company never contacted me regarding the pickup time (luckily Tripadvisor did), but they were still 30 min late. 2. This was booked as a private tour, and when I got picked up, they informed me that I would have to do a shared tour or be left with no tour. The Mango agent kept saying, " Well, I am doing you a favour by picking you up from Nungwi, so you have to do me a favour by going on a shared tour!" (despite me paying the extra fee for private and the other 2 people being picked up in Nungwi as well) - they refused to give a partial refund. 3. SPICE MARKET: They took us to a different Spice Market (not Jambo). This market is FREE - it was very small. What I didn't like was the guides who DEMANDED we left them a tip (even though I didn't have cash). They got very upset with me (even though I explained that I had been scammed and I needed to go to an ATM before) I also felt uncomfortable with the agents kept saying I was very beautiful etc etc I get you want a tip, but maybe not that much. 4. PRISON ISLAND (with Snorkelling): I got a private guide called Cosmo - he was nice but left me wandering alone a fair few times on my own and asked me if I wanted to know anything about the island - which, for a guide, I would have expected him to share without me asking "what I wanted to know". He also told me a few times how beautiful I was and asked if I would date a Muslim guy (like him) - which was a bit weird to ask. I was supposed to go snorkelling after Prison Island, but he didn't know about it and didn't have a mask or fins - He was kind enough to ask around other boats, but the mask was broken, and they didn't have fins, so I only swam 15min and I had to change when the boat was driving back. 5. SLAVE MARKET: This was a free activity as well - After the prison island walk, our boat driver had disappeared, so we waited for him 40 min on the island, which made the Slave Market visit shorter, and I missed the Freddy Mercury museum entry. At the end, the driver kept calling Cosmo to hurry us up and return to Nungwi. I felt rushed, missed a lot of things and didn't gain much information about it. I think with the right timing it would have been great - I would recommend skipping the Spice Market, as it was a tourist trap and they were aggressive towards getting a tip (even if you didn't want anything, no food, no drinks, etc)

Amina was an amazing guide! She was so knowledgeable on the history and culture of Tanzania and Zanzibar. Took amazing pictures and even taught me a few Swahili phrases. I would definitely recommend booking with her!

Amina was delightful and very knowledgeable about Stone Town and Zanzibar’s history. I had a great day and would highly recommend this tour and Amina in particular. Also how cute are the tortoises!

Awesome! The tortoises were very cool

Good way to get to know stone town and prison island! We also enjoy the spice farm Ali our guide made it a very enjoyable experience

Amazing experience! Our tour guide Amina was wonderful and we really enjoyed our time with her. It was perfect — the spice tour was our favorite part! Definitely worth every penny.

Amina was an amazing guide. We learned so much from her. She was so adaptable and was able to navigate us around rain and Eid craziness in town. We thoroughly enjoyed our time on this tour. We felt like we hit all the highlights of Stonetown that we could have in one tour.

This private tour included a visit to the Tangawizi spice farm followed by a walking tour of Stone Town. The Tangawizi “spice farm” was not really a farm in the traditional sense. It was a couple of acres on the outskirts of Stone Town with various plants growing there. That said, we did see examples of nutmeg, vanilla, cocoa, coffee, cinnamon, jackfruit, ginger, turmeric, and lemongrass. It was informative at a basic level, but if you are looking for a true working spice farm experience, I would recommend seeking out a larger, more authentic operation. After the spice stop, we continued with a walking tour of Stone Town. The route through the vegetable, fish, meat, and spice markets was visually fascinating and lively. Unfortunately, the guide’s explanations were fairly perfunctory. He spent more time greeting friends and acquaintances than explaining the history, culture, or nuances of what we were seeing. Our guide (Mr. P) was knowledgeable but not very enthusiastic. He had difficulty making eye contact and made little effort to engage with us personally or to learn anything about us, which made the experience feel transactional rather than “private.” Several practical aspects could have been improved, especially given the heat. Water was not offered (we had to ask), restroom breaks were not proactively suggested, and there were no suggestions to rest during the walking portions. The van itself was adequate and nicely air-conditioned. The driver’s English was limited, but he eagerly—perhaps a bit too eagerly—engaged us about an upcoming football match. Once football topics were exhausted (and so was his English), he turned on music. We met the guide at the spice farm, and he returned with us to Stone Town. During the drive, the guide and driver spoke to each other and made no effort to include us. They asked to play “Swahili music,” which turned out to be about 30 minutes of techno rap in Swahili accompanied by videos of gangsters throwing money around. One song featured women singing “who the f*** is the master?” This felt like a poor and somewhat jarring representation of Zanzibar and Tanzania. Overall, the tour covered interesting places, but the delivery, engagement, and attention to guest comfort significantly detracted from the experience. With more thoughtful guiding and better logistics, this could be much stronger.

Both our tour guys were great. Abraham was awesome!! Super knowledgeable and very patient. He made sure we were well taken care of and even went over his time to accommodate us. Would highly recommend

Fantastic day picked up by Ibrahim and Ali who made our day special, safe and informative, I'm not a great come and buy some products guy but the Spice Farm was very informative and the Prison Island Tour was made by the zaniest boat trip ever where we virtually bounced off four walls.. ....awesome!!! Saw lots of old Tortoises 🐢 😕 ha ha and then walked around a mainly inaccessible Stone Town where we had hoped to visit the old Fort...shut and Museum shut etc but we walked around and soakedup the atmosphere in a very very safe environment. Fantastic tour guides, brilliant information but let's just say a lot of areas advertised are inaccessible then you know what you are getting!! Great value though and a great day !!

This tour is not wheelchair accessible in any reasonable sense of the phrase, though the guide did his best and got us to all the listed stops. My wife was lifted, in her wheelchair, into and out of the boat by four men. I feared for both my wife and the chair! Prison Island was possibly not worth such an effort, but that’s only our opinion. The tortoises were interesting and plentiful. Stone Town was good, though the limitations of wheelchair accessibility were obvious in that internal visits were off the agenda. We had realised this beforehand, as it’s almost impossible to make a historic place like this accessible. Our favourite stop was the spice farm. We both enjoyed the fruit tasting and being shown the various spice plants and trees. The paths around the various plantings are just about accessible with the chair, though there are multiple roots to be negotiated. As other reviewers have said, there are various people other than the main guide who expect tips along the way, so have some small dollar bills to hand. Overall it was enjoyable, but I believe we were lucky to have a guide who made it work.

This tour was advertised as wheelchair accessible with flat surfaces, which is completely inaccurate. While we genuinely enjoyed the Spice Farm, describing it as accessible is a stretch. My husband uses an electric wheelchair and another passenger had significant mobility issues. We clearly advised the operator of these needs prior to the tour, yet the experience was anything but smooth. Our guide was friendly and helpful at the Spice Farm, however navigating the site was very difficult for both my husband and the other passenger. Thankfully there were occasional places to sit and rest. We were also told to tip two workers USD $5 each, which we did, but this was an unexpected additional cost on an already expensive tour. Before heading to Stone Town, we specifically checked with our guide, Ali, about Prison Island and Stone Town accessibility. He advised Prison Island was not accessible due to many steps, meaning two members of our group would not be able to participate. We asked if an alternative could be arranged — he repeatedly said he would check, but never did. By the time we arrived in Stone Town and walked to the Slave Museum, it had already been a long walk for our less mobile passenger. We then asked how far it was to walk back to the port through Stone Town and were told 30 minutes, despite being told it was 5 minutes just moments earlier. There was absolutely no way our friend could manage that distance. Unfortunately, the driver had already been dismissed by the guide. We had to insist he be called back so we could return to the ship. At that point, we were done with a tour that let us down. To say we are disappointed is an understatement. I contacted the operator to express our concerns and have received no response. We have requested a 50% refund directly from the operator and have now escalated the matter through Viator. In all my years of travelling, I have never felt the need to request a refund — until now. Tip for operators: Do not advertise tours as wheelchair accessible or suitable flat surfaces when they are not. People with disabilities rely on honesty when booking experiences. What makes this worse is that our accessibility needs were communicated in advance and still could not be met.

Everyone knew the weather was bad but they still confirmed the Prison Island Tour, but that was then cancelled and replaced with a cooking class! The cooking class sounded ok but it was just peeling of vegetables rather than cooking, so it was an expensive let down! No offer to refund the Prison Island Tour!

We had a great guide- Amina- who was super knowledgeable and empathetic. We travelled with our son, who’s 2, she adapted the tour to our needs and we managed to have a comfortable full day out. Thanks!

DO NOT GO ON This tour organised by DELIGHT EGYPT TOURS. They take your money initially and then later charge you extra fees without your say so. They also do not inform you of anything before the trip I had to email and contact then days before and they got back to me a couple of hours before the tour was to begin only for him to try and persuade me to pay so much more extra without consulting me beforehand. GO TO LOCAL GUYS FOR TOURS. STAR BOY TOURS IS BRILLIANT.

Amina was great! I learned a lot about the island and the history. I totally recomented if you want to visit the main historical sites in one day and learn more about Zanzibar's history

We had an excellent tour of Stone Town, the spice farms, and Prison Island with Ibrahim (Ibu) and his team, Rashid and Hamisa. From start to finish, the experience was outstanding. Ibu guided the tour at our pace, making sure we were comfortable throughout, while sharing fascinating knowledge and history about the island. His passion and professionalism really stood out, and his team was equally fantastic. I would highly recommend Ibu and his team to anyone visiting Zanzibar.

Great taste of zanzibar. Our guide was informative and a pleasure to spend the day with. Whole team made sure we had a great day.

The most amazing, refreshing experience. Our tour guide was beyond patient, very informative, friendly and a breath of fresh air

Loved our tour. Our driver Simba and our guide Amina were excellent. Really friendly, helpful and knowledgeable. Really enjoyed and would definitely recommend.

This was an enjoyable experience. Our guide, Amira, spoke excellent English, was very knowledgeable, and shared so much information about Zanzibar and its fascinating history. And our driver Simba did an outstanding job of navigating the traffic as we traveled around the island. We only had one full day in Zanzibar and this was a great tour to show us places beyond the beach!

The tour itself didn’t really align with the description. There was no snorkeling and the guide didn’t have the same itinerary from the company that was on Viator. In Stone Town he asked what we wanted to see and didn’t have a prepared tour. We also had to share the itinerary with him to be able to make the stops at the church and old dispensary. He wasn’t aware those were supposed to be stops. Also, it would have been good to know that at each stop, a local guide would take you instead of the main guide you’re with. Each of these local guides also expect a tip, so we ended up having to tip 4-5 additional people we didn’t expect to. A set lunch time also wasn’t part of the full day tour. We knew it wasn’t included, but assumed there would be a set time to stop for an opportunity to get lunch. We ended up not eating until almost the end of the tour when we had to ask to be taken somewhere. Overall, the tour was informative and we did see all the main attractions mentioned. It just wasn’t the smoothest and not quite as expected.

Loved the Spice farm experience. The farm provides a guide which was very knowledgeable. Loved smelling and seeing all the spice plants. Got to see someone climb up the coconut tree and drank/tasted fresh coconut. Also we were treated to fresh fruit and teas. There's also a store in which you can purchase. For the farm though it is CASH only and the spice guide, assistant spice guide, coconut guy, and fruit/tea shack people primarily work on tips so that caught us a bit off guard. Recommended bringing extra small bills for tips and additional cash if you want to buy spices. Stone town was neat and loved the architecture and slave market history. There's plenty of souvenir options. Prison island and seeing the tortoises and peacocks was cool.

Spice farm tour was nice. Prison island is OK, there is no scheduled time for snorkeling as advertised and even though they tried to accommodate us, there is no good snorkeling spot nearby. Stone town tour was average. Was expecting more history from guide. No water offered had to buy my own.

Very OK. Do it if you have time to kill and are bored. The guide was also very dis engaged and did not care to show much.

We booked through Viator; the local tour company was Mango Travel. Travel agent was Armenia - she was excellent. She had a driver with her to take us to the spice farm and transport us to Stonetown. Then she hired a boat to take us to Prison Island. Explained things well. She spoke English fluently. We had a great time and recommend this tour.

Avoid Mango Tours at all cost. Whilst the guides are ok the management back up is non existent. We were left marooned on Prison Island beach for over an hour in 35 degrees with no shade - our return boat never turned up and we had to hitch a lift on another boat. The management of Mango did nothing to rectify the situation when they eventually answered their reps call after 30+ minutes.

We had an amazing day with our unforgetable guide Amira. It was great to see and hear lot of information about Zanzibar history , but also prezent. We manage to interact with local people and have a glimpse of real life and thoughts. That was priceles experience. Thank you Amira. It has been a long day, but we enjoyed every minute. I would recomend this tour to everyone who has a limited time to spent in Stone Town but still want to see something else nearby and are not afraid to get a little bit tired.

Very pleased we choosed this trip, there were four of us, one was a toodler under two , it is tailored to your needs, timetable of sightseeing as you prefer. Can’t thank enough our quide Amina, so much information in such a short period of time. Would definitely recommend

Really good day tour with a lot packed in. Starting off early in Prison/Changuu Island was great, as it was so quiet at that time, I got to enjoy the natural beauty and giant tortoises almost all to myself. This was perfect for me and I got to take lots of beautiful photos with no one in the frame. However, there were some nice looking amenities there (food and bar), which were too early for me to make use of. The views are incredible and it would be a fun backdrop for a drink or lunch if you went later in the day (flipside would likely be very heavy tourist traffic, though). As part of the tour, the guide organized for a driver to take us to a Spice Farm next. Driver was great and the car was large, comfortable and air conditioned. The Tangawizi Spice Farm was great, so informative and interactive there was a good guide on site there, too, and opportunities to buy products. I also enjoyed the Stone Town tour, which was the last part of the day tour. Even though I was staying in Stone Town and had walked around the area the day before, I learned new things on the tour and we explored the food market, too. I left the day feeling like we'd done a lot; it was really well organized and well paced. The final thing I'd add, is if you're staying in Stone Town, try to do the tour on your first day or so. I went around Stone Town myself the day before the tour and could have benefited from the guide's local knowledge on where to buy the best gifts etc., as the options are vast.

Amina [sp] was our guide and she was excellent. Very knowledgeable, very personable, and great company for the day. It was a full on day and definitely worthwhile.

Our tour guide iebraham was excellent. Very knowledgeable, patient and polite. The spice farm was amazing. Learning about the culture of Zanzibar was very interesting.

We did this tour on Tuesday 3 Dec. Our guide Amina was exceptional and is a valuable asset to the tour company. She was extremely informative, chatty and easy to get along with. The highlight of this tour was the Spice Farm as we learnt a lot about how the spices we use a lot for cooking are actually grown. Tony and Fiona Cullen

Lovely island but now having to purchase an expensive insurance policy per person when already g holding a better worldwide policy is killing tourism and not forgetting the expensive visa and additional costs. Cheaper to go elsewhere ….ALSO TAXES PER NIGHT! MAD MOVE BY THE TOURISM DEPT….HOW TO KILL TOURISM IN ONE EASY GO….

Fantastic trip from start to finish Amina was a wonderful tour guide and was full of useful information Our driver (can't remember his name) was lovely and very professional Can highly recommend doing this tour

Amina was a wonderful guide, she was very patient and knowledgeable with all of our questions. The tours of all locations was a bit long for me as we did a 9 hour day and we ended before seeing everything scheduled. Amina found us a delightful restaurant for lunch and was constantly checking in with us to make sure we were looked after .

Our tour guide Ibrahim had no interest in providing tour services. I asked him how long he's been a guide and if he likes giving tours. He said he didn't enjoy providing tours and that this job was only temporary. Such a disappointment. He merely checked the boxes on the list of sites and provided very little information. He asked me several times where I wanted to go, as if I were a native to Zanzibar. This is most likely the worst tour I've done in my travels to 50+ countries.

This was a great experience! I learned a lot of history. Our tour guides were very knowledgeable and answered all our questions.

The guide was fairly new and a bit shy so I had to work to open him up with time he'll be great-- nice kid. Spice farm was very informative no pushy sales probably the best part of the tour. Prison island lots of build up for a quick 10 min walk. Beware boats were a bit scary. Stone town was overwhelming, busy at and had good information however they walk you through tons of markets and you feel like you can't shop because your on a timed tour bit you in a heavily crowded area so you're dodging people and motorbikes. Very overwhelming. Overall we got the tour we paid for but do some research there may be parts you want to miss.

The tour was phenomenal! We learned so much about Zanzibar from eating, to stone town, prison island and just being with the locals! Without question, book the tour!!

Great tour! Had a great time learning about the history of Zanzibar. Take extra cash to tip your local guides and driver

Had Amina as my guide and joboy as my driver. Made me feel very comfortable as a solo female traveler and had great personalities and knowledge that made a long tour very fun and chill.

Had a wonderful day with our guide Amina She was full of fun and information, gave us time when we needed it and was appropriately respectful when she should be. Stone town was great but falling apart. The Slave market was emotionally difficult but well worth it . Enjoyed Prison Island and the Spice farm was great fun If you get Amina, you'll have a great day. Thisbis a well structured and timed trip. Simba, our driver was safe and very competent in ludicrous driving. You do not want to drive yourself here!!!

Great tour to experience the culture in Zanzibar. Very informative and eye opening. Our tour guide was very helpful and patient. Didn’t mind answering all of our questions and waited whenever we decided to stop and look around.

We got to do everything we wanted to do on the tour. The description said there is snorkeling but there is not but we didn’t want to snorkel anyway and let our guide, Abraham, know that. He said there was no snorkeling on the tour. The spice farm was awesome. Very interesting. Also shaded. We got to try lots of different fruits and teas. We asked if we could get lunch somewhere and he said we could at prison island or stone town. We chose prison island and the food was delicious! The tortoises and peacocks were awesome. The boat ride to the island was a little scary for us. Very rough ride and scary getting off the boat at the island. Just very crowded and lots of boats. Stone town was fun. We let the guide know we just wanted to shop and he obliged. The shopping is crazy but fun.

Amini my tour guide is the best on the Zanzibar. She is knowledgable about the island culture, history and way of life and educated me quite a bit. She plans very well and provides the best experience. We visited the Prison island, the spice farms, stone town slave market and the fort. She even organized a price music concert with a local Swahili music group. I give her 10 stars for being the most hospitable host. Also our driver Giga Boy was amazing and took us us to all these places. Very courteous and professional in a luxury vehicle. Thanks to both of them for the pleasant experience and I want to come back to the island. Nandha, USA

We have recently returned rom our 12 night stay in Zanzibar and had encountered the Raw tourism which was to be expected, however this experience whilst very good made for some very uncomfortable experiences. The tour itself is well worth undertaking, cautionary note, do not go on it if you have any mobility or neck/ back concerns; the boat trip is a neck jarring and back testing experience with high impacts of the boat against waves, the landing at Prison island is chaos and dangerous. We met our guide Amina who was excellent and very professional throughout, she is a very rare lady working as a guide. It is very important to say she has not instigated my concerns which were upsetting to both my wife and I on her behalf. We accept cultural differences and do our best to remain impartial and non judgemental, however what we witnessed during out trip was corrupt and unacceptable. The Tourist Police demanded money from her before allowing her to board our boat trip to Prison island, on landing she was met on the approach path by a person who was clearly demanding money from her and acting as a thug, when I approached he walked away and it appears he was demanding money to allow our guide to pray, because of her gender. She was not allowed to go into certain areas where other male guides went with their clients, she was subject to disapproving looks for all other male guides form other companies. She is a credit to the company and provides excellent information in a non intrusive manner, the final straw was on arrival back at our hotel where she was stopped from entering while I changed some money, whilst this was quickly resolved by my wife, it was unnecessary. As visitors we are obliged to recognise and ensure we do not cause offence through not recognising cultural differences, I cannot with good conscious ignore what happened and hope that women like Amina are left to do the job they love and are gifted in delivering.