Tanzania · NAKUPENDA SANDBANK TRIPS IN ZANZIBAR
The 15 best nakupenda sandbank trips in Zanzibar you can book today, with the price, the length of the day and who each one suits. Number one is there for a reason; start at the top.
From Stone Town, guide Milano Prada or another multilingual guide takes you by boat to Prison Island and Nakupenda Sandbank. Expect tortoises, old prison cells, swimming, snorkeling, fresh seafood, fruit, and a long beach stop. Hotel pickup is optional, and private groups are available.
“Milano was a great guide. We had the best day from start to finish - would highly recommend!!”
Sail from Stone Town to Changuu, known as Prison Island, for colonial ruins and giant Aldabra tortoises. Then spend several hours at Nakupenda Sandbank swimming, snorkeling, and eating a BBQ lunch. Guides such as Salim and Bahama lead friendly, informative small-group trips.
“The activities were great! Very well planned and organized. Very nice tour guides!”
Spend 7 to 8 hours moving from Prison Island to Nakupenda Sandbank and Stone Town. Guides such as Muhammad, Yaser, and Suliman lead the day, with boat transport, a seafood or chicken BBQ, fruit, drinks, and snorkeling equipment included.
“This tour was great. Driver was on time to pick us up to our hotel. The tour was just as described. Lunch was good and enough for everyone. Wish we had some time to walk on our own in old town but other than that everything went well.”
Spend 6 to 9 hours off Zanzibar with guides such as Jeff, Milano, or Mulebe. Visit Prison Island’s Aldabra giant tortoises, snorkel in clear water, then eat seafood, fruit, and drinks at Nakupenda Sandbank. Pickup may be available from your hotel.
“This tour was really amazing. Milano is very fun and nice guide. Really recommend to book with him. Food on Nakupenda Sandbank was delicious! All fresh seafood and a lot of it. And also fresh fruit, yum! Prison Island was a little disappointing and overpriced for 15$. This agency also take care of our backpacks in their office and took care for taxi after tour. Amazing guys.”
Meet your English-speaking guide by Stone Town’s Old Fort, then boat to Prison Island. See its unused prison buildings, feed tortoises over 100 years old, snorkel among fish and coral, and finish with a Swahili seafood BBQ, fruit, cheese, snacks, and water on the sandbank.
Sail from Kendwa on a private traditional dhow to Mnemba Island, with a chance to swim near dolphins, snorkel over coral, enjoy seafood and chicken barbecue, and stop at a sandbank when the tide allows. Crew members such as Matthias, Mbwana, Yusef, and Musa guide the day.
“We enjoyed our trip to Mnemba with Dream Dhow. We were picked up on time and we did the private tour, which we were glad we did. We booked directly with dream dhow through WhatsApp which was easy and efficient. The communication was good which is always iRead more”
Spend about 10 hours visiting Nakupenda Sandbank, Prison Island, and Stone Town. You’ll sail by dhow, snorkel, eat a Swahili seafood lunch, meet giant tortoises, and tour historic landmarks with guides such as Ibrahim, Abraham, Adam, Malcolm, and Isaac.
“C'était vraiment super à refaire ,nous avons découvert de magnifiques lieux et les tortues juste impressionnantes”
Spend 7 to 8 hours with guide Yasco exploring Stone Town, Changuu Prison Island, and Nakupenda Beach. Your private tour includes boat fare, lunch, shopping time, tortoises, historic sites, and snorkeling, with pickup and return at Mizingani Seafront Hotel.
“Yasco, our tour guide was absolutely amazing! Such a kind soul and truly made our experience an unforgettable one. He provided so much information about Zanzibar and its history. Traveling this far away from home with best friends can be Read more”
Spend about eight hours sailing from Zanzibar to Prison Island and Nakupenda Beach. You’ll see giant tortoises, snorkel when sea conditions allow, eat seafood on the sandbank, and travel with a guide such as Juma or Alex in a group of up to 15.
“Expérience assez mitigée car la visite de l'île Island ne nous apport pas grand chose . Un simple batiment pour la prison et l'espace tortue est très sale et abimée. Ensuite 40 minutes de bateau pour aller sur Nakupenda. Le repas est bon mais rien à faire et pas de Snorkeling comme indiqué car il y a des vagues et pas de poissons ! Retour déjà à 15 heures !”
Sail from Stone Town to Nakupenda Sandbank for a four-hour beach outing with snorkeling gear, bottled water, fruit, and a shaded tent. Choose a guided morning trip or a self-guided morning or afternoon option. The boat ride is short, but tides and crowd levels shape the day.
“The whole experience the care the guides take to keep.you safe show you everything. This sandbank is lovely it is surreal the wsters are warm and calm the guide put up a shekter from the sun and cut up loads of fruit for us sat in his boat until Read more”
From Stone Town, cruise by dhow to Prison Island for its old prison, giant Seychelles tortoises, peacocks, and optional snorkeling. Continue to Nakupenda sandbank for swimming, fresh fruit, and optional seafood lunch. English and French guides may include Abu, Abbu, or Ali.
“Il appartient à tout à chacun d'apprécier ou non ce genre de journée... Très bonne organisation même s'il y a eu un petit couac sur l'horaire de prise en charge mais rien de grave... Nakupenda: Une eau transparente, des dégradés de bleu magnifiques... Un peu de monde mais sans plus... Il est possible d'y faire du snorkeling et de se poser un peu... L'île prison et ses tortues XXL des Seychelles... Sans oublier Ali notre guide francophone pour cette demi-journée, encore une belle rencontre, pleine de bienveillance et d'échanges... Merci!”
Join local guides Ali and Fatma for a private motorboat trip from Stone Town to Changuu, known as Prison Island. Visit giant tortoises, snorkel among fish and corals, then relax on Nakupenda Sandbank with seasonal fruit, seafood, and soft drinks.
“We had a wonderful tour with Ali! He took us to prison island and stone town and was very informative and patient with us, he answered all of our questions and had so much knowledge on the history of the place and the culture. We highly recommend him!!!!”
You’ll visit Prison Island’s Aldabra giant tortoises, hear its story from a live guide, then swim and eat seafood lunch at Nakupenda Sandbank. Private groups, hotel pickup, and guides in English, German, French, Spanish, or Italian make this a useful short trip from Zanzibar.
“The pickup was performed as I was told. In Stone Town I took the boat and on the way to Prison Island, the captain said we will be going first to Nakupenda because of the tide. Nevertheless, everything was great, we could see the sandbank in Nakupenda, swim, have lunch there (rice, vegetables, french fries, octopus, prawns) and later we went to Prison Island. There the visit was performed by the tour guide and after that, time to go back to Stone town and the hotel. It’s a great opportunity to see both things in one day.”
Join a private nine-hour boat trip from Stone Town to Nakupenda Sand Bank and Prison Island. Swim, snorkel, eat a beach seafood lunch, and meet Aldabra tortoises. Staff names connected with the operation include Rose, Ibra, Yusuf, Mady, and Mosta, though your assigned team may differ.
“J'ai passé une superbe journée avec Mady et Mosta. Mady est venu me chercher à l'hôtel et nous avons marché 5 minutes pour prendre le bateau. Une fois sur l'ile de Nakupenda, Mosta a préparé un super bon le lunch. On a vraiment paRead more”
From Nungwi or Kendwa, visit Prison Island for giant tortoises and island history, then spend about four hours at Nakupenda Sandbank with snorkeling, swimming, a seafood barbecue, and fresh fruit. Guides may include Sangwi and Piccolo. Hotel pickup, boat transfers, equipment, and drinks are included.
“The tour was really nice. The beauty of the nature at Prison island where we saw the big turtles and learned more about the history of the island and afterwards we visited Nakupenda sandbank which is stunningly beautiful. A perfect seafood lunch with fresh fried potatoes was prepared for us and finished with fresh fruits. Everything was organized very well. Good tour guides which are very helpful and even took a lot of effort to bring us back our belongings after forgetting in the transfer/taxi.”
Pick a park, a reef or a route up the mountain.
