3-Day Prison Island, Jozani Forest, Salaam Cave & Nungwi Beach — Zanzibar

This is our wildlife-focused 3-day package, with three animal encounters and a relaxed pace. Day 1 combines the giant tortoises of Prison Island with the red colobus monkeys of Jozani Forest, with lunch included. On Day 2 you swim with sea turtles at Salaam Cave in Kizimkazi, and the afternoon is free. Day 3 is a free beach day at Nungwi or Kendwa. You spend two nights in our private villa with breakfast. Prices run from $310 per person for groups of four or more to $580 for a solo traveller.

Prison Island (Changuu) is a 15–20 minute boat ride from Stone Town and home to a sanctuary of Aldabra giant tortoises. Jozani Chwaka Bay National Park, Zanzibar's only national park, is the best place to see the Zanzibar red colobus, an endangered monkey found nowhere else. Salaam Cave adds a very different encounter: swimming alongside sea turtles in a clear cave pool.

It suits families, wildlife lovers and photographers. It builds on our 2-day Prison Island, Jozani and beach package by adding the turtle swim, a free afternoon and a second villa night.

Salaam Cave is a natural cave at Kizimkazi, a fishing village on Zanzibar's south coast, with a pool of clear turquoise water. Its highlight is swimming with sea turtles: you swim and snorkel alongside them and tropical fish, then explore the cave's rock formations. It is one of the most memorable wildlife experiences on the island, and families and photographers especially enjoy it.

This package is built around three animals you can't see together anywhere else: giant tortoises, red colobus monkeys and sea turtles. You may see several other species along the way.

For more on Prison Island and Jozani, see our Prison Island and Jozani tour page.

Day 3 is spent on the north coast, at Nungwi or Kendwa. Both beaches are on the north-west tip of the island, about an hour's drive from Stone Town, and both have a small tidal range, so the sea stays close enough to swim at almost any time of day.

After breakfast your driver takes you to the beach, and the day is yours until your departure transfer. Water sports, boat trips and meals on the beach are paid locally. Our Zanzibar beach guide compares every coast.

Pack light: your luggage stays at the villa for both nights, so you only need a day bag on the excursion days. Day 2 is a swimming day, so keep swimwear and a towel to hand.

• Closed shoes or trainers for the Jozani forest trail
• Light, breathable clothing and insect repellent
• Swimwear and a towel for Prison Island, Salaam Cave and the beach
• Reef-safe sunscreen, a sun hat and sunglasses
• A camera with a zoom lens if you have one, for the monkeys
• Some cash in US dollars or Tanzanian shillings for snorkel hire, Day 2 lunch, beach meals and tips

Good to Know

• Don't touch, chase or hold the turtles at Salaam Cave, or feed or touch the monkeys in Jozani
• Swimwear is for the beach, the cave pool and the villa; cover up in villages and towns
• Ask before photographing people, and during Ramadan avoid eating or drinking in the street in daylight

The package runs all year, and the tortoises, monkeys and turtles can be seen in every season. June to October is cooler and drier, which makes the forest walk most comfortable, and December to February is hot with calm, clear water for swimming. In the long rains of April and May the forest trail can be muddy, so closed shoes are important.

Our Zanzibar travel guide covers the seasons month by month.

All four of our 3-day packages include two nights in our private villa with breakfast, swimming with turtles at Salaam Cave and a free beach day on Day 3. They differ in the Day 1 excursion and in whether Day 2 continues to Jozani Forest or leaves the afternoon free.

The lower price applies to groups of four or more and the higher price to a solo traveller. Compare every option on our 3-day Zanzibar packages page, or see the shorter 2-day packages.