5-Day Zanzibar Island Adventure with Prison Island and Dolphin Tour

Arrive in Zanzibar via the airport or harbour, where your tour guide will escort you to your hotel in Stone Town for check-in.

After settling in, head out for lunch.

Then hop on a boat to visit Prison Island. The boat ride to the island takes about 40 minutes. Upon arrival, explore the history of this isolated piece of land, which once served as a prison for slaves.

Meet and pet the giant tortoises on the island, and enjoy spending time cuddling and watering them.

Immerse yourself in sunbathing, swimming, and roaming along the beach line. Marine life enthusiasts can also indulge in snorkelling at the nearby coral reefs around the island.

Return to Stone Town in the evening, where dinner at Forodhani is highly recommended.

After breakfast, your guide will meet you in the hotel lobby and take you to Jozani Forest.

Indulge in the rich flora and fauna of Jozani Forest and take countless photographs of rare creatures such as Sykes monkeys, tree hyrax, and butterflies, which are easily spotted along the pathways. As your guides are also naturalists in the nature reserve, expect to receive plenty of information about the national reserve.

Visit the mangrove swamp and walk through the mangrove forest in Jozani.

After lunch, enjoy some free time as you head back to Stone Town, giving you the chance to take in a few surrounding sights around town.

After breakfast, transfer to Matemwe Beach, where you will take a 15-minute boat ride. As you approach, you will see an island surrounded by more than 10 miles of stunning reefs that create a sheltered lagoon. The boats normally make a short diversion in search of dolphins. If you are lucky, you may see them and even swim with them.

Upon arrival, check in to the Nungwi beach resort.

Proceed for snorkelling, where just a few feet under the water you will begin to see different rare marine creatures swimming around you.

Relax by the beach, then enjoy fruits and water.

In the evening, head back to the Nungwi resort for dinner and an overnight stay.

Head out early in the morning for a dolphin tour to Kizimkazi. Early hours are the best time for dolphin tours because, in the afternoon, as the sun rises higher, the seawater tends to become warm and dolphins dive deep to the sea bottom to escape the heat. Guests staying in Stone Town hotels are picked up at 06:00 am, while guests staying in beach hotels are picked up at 05:00 am. Although dolphin spotting is a popular activity, sightings are not guaranteed 100%. Swimming with dolphins is a rare occurrence. As with other wild animals, spotting dolphins requires time and patience because they are not confined in a cage or zoo; they are in their natural environment. Dolphin trips last two to three hours.

Spend the rest of the day roaming around the hotel, taking pictures, and relaxing with beach views.

Enjoy your last day in Zanzibar by purchasing memorable mementos and souvenirs.