The 15 Best Nakupenda Sandbank Trips

1.Prison Island and Nakupenda Boat Trip with Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.1 · 882 reviews · 6 - 9 hours · from $39Our pick

Review of Zanzibar's Prison Island and Nakupenda boat trip, covering tortoises, snorkeling, seafood lunch, timing, cost, and practical tips.

“We had a fantastic time visiting Nakupenda Sandbank and Stone Town Island. The sandbank was stunning—crystal-clear water, soft white sand, and perfect for swimming. We enjoyed a delicious seafood lunch right on the beach, which made the experience even more special.”

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2.Prison Island & Nakupenda Boat Tour with BBQ Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 554 reviews · 3 - 8 hours · from $35Best value

Cruise from Stone Town to Prison Island and Nakupenda Sandbank for giant tortoises, snorkeling, fresh seafood BBQ, and tropical fruit.

“The trip combined the highlights in front of Zanzibar’s stone town and was well organized. The food was very yummy!”

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3.Prison Island, Nakupenda, StoneTown Tour with BBQ

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 457 reviews · 7 - 8 hours · from $71

Visit Prison Island, swim at Nakupenda Sandbank, explore Stone Town, and enjoy a seafood BBQ on this full-day Zanzibar tour.

“The portion of food was disappointed..I had one dried piece of chicken when I asked for more I was told it was finish mind you I do not eat sea food and have stated that when I booked so was not happy about that. The adventure was good but the time we spend at Nakupenda Sandbank was very short 30mins to enjoy the water.”

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4.Prison Island & Nakupenda Sandbank Tour with Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.2 · 265 reviews · 6 - 9 hours · from $83

Review of Zanzibar’s Prison Island and Nakupenda Sandbank tour, with giant tortoises, snorkeling, seafood lunch, costs, timing, and practical tips.

“it was a day well spent. Great host and food on the sandbank”

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5.Prison Island and Nakupenda Sandbank With Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.2 · 208 reviews · 7.5 - 9 hours · from $75

Review Zanzibar’s Prison Island and Nakupenda Sandbank tour, with giant tortoises, snorkeling, seafood barbecue, transport, and practical tips.

“The tour was absolutely amazing, and the value for money was outstanding. Our guide Milano (I called him Dr. Milano) was incredibly friendly and knowledgeable. He helped in every situation and even went above and beyond by offering tips and assistance beyond the tour, which I’ve never experienced on my many travels before. The organizer Jeff (Mulele) was also extremely helpful and assisted us for free with transportation after the tour. We had plenty of time on Prison Island to see the giant tortoises—an unforgettable experience since these animals are so rare to encounter in other countries. The sandbank was breathtaking, and I had never seen anything so beautiful before.…”

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6.Nakupenda Sandbank and Prison Island Tour & Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★3.9 · 89 reviews · from $42

Review of Zanzibar’s Prison Island and Nakupenda Sandbank tour, with tortoises, snorkeling, seafood lunch, costs, tips, and honest drawbacks.

“The activity was just a visit to the prison island, and the 'lunch' on the sandbank while it disappeared was the best part. We were the last to arrive on the island, and the little island vanished into the sea while we were eating. The food was really disappointing, I think we would have eaten better in prison back in the day.”

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7.Nakupenda Sandbank & Prison Island Trip with Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 69 reviews · 7 hours · from $75

Review of Zanzibar’s Nakupenda Sandbank and Prison Island tour, with tortoises, swimming, seafood lunch, transport, tips, and value advice.

“I had the best experience with Big Mir - from the pick up at my hotel, the exercusion, to the drop off. I was truly taken care of! The exercusion was wonderful together with the lunch of seafood made on the spot at Nakupenda. Asante Sana for a top class experience!”

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8.Prison Island Tour with Lunch on the Sandbank

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 66 reviews · from $99

Visit Zanzibar’s Prison Island, meet giant tortoises, snorkel clear waters, and enjoy a seafood BBQ lunch on a nearby sandbank.

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9.Private/Sharing: Snorkeling with Dolphins Sandbank in Mnemba

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 62 reviews · from $120Top rated

Review of Zanzibar’s Mnemba snorkeling dhow trip, with dolphin spotting, coral reefs, BBQ lunch, a sandbank stop, and sunset sailing.

“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”

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10.Super Zanzi, Nakupenda, Prison Island & Stone Town – Zanzibar

★★★★★★★★★★3.5 · 47 reviews · from $42

Zanzibar day tour combining Nakupenda Sandbank, Prison Island, snorkeling, seafood lunch, and Stone Town sights for $42.

“My family and I really enjoyed our experience on this tour. We learned a lot and was able to enjoy one of the most beautiful beaches in Zanzibar along with some great food.”

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11.Prison Island and Nakupenda Sandbank

★★★★★★★★★★4.1 · 40 reviews · 6 hours · from $58

Review of Zanzibar’s Prison Island and Nakupenda Sandbank tour, with tortoises, snorkeling, seafood lunch, timing, value, and practical tips.

“L’activité était incroyable ! Notre guide était adorable et nous laissait le temps qu’il nous fallait pour visiter, apprécier le banc de sable et ses espèces de poissons (il y en a beaucoup surtout du côté où les bateaux s’amarrent), le repas servi était délicieux et bien cuisiné ! Merci encore”

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12.Private Stone Town, Nakupenda Beach and Prison Island Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 40 reviews · from $147

Review of Zanzibar’s private Stone Town, Nakupenda Beach, and Prison Island tour, with history, tortoises, snorkeling, lunch, and practical tips.

“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”

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13.Private Guided Tour to Prison Island, Nakupenda Beach, Stone Town

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 38 reviews · from $135

Review of Zanzibar’s private Prison Island, Nakupenda Beach, and Stone Town tour, with giant tortoises, snorkeling, lunch, and practical tips.

“Stone Town was very good at the slave museum we was given a guide from there that was very informative . Did not think much of prisoner island,was not really told enough information about the history. Lunch on the sandbanks was very tasty”

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14.Nakupenda Beach Day Tour in Zanzibar

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 38 reviews · from $98

Review of Zanzibar’s Nakupenda Beach and Prison Island tour, with seafood lunch, snorkeling, hotel pickup, costs, timing, and practical advice.

“This trip was a disaster! Would not recommend. The weather was stormy which delayed the day - which I appreciate is beyond anyone's control. Our guide took us to prison island and said that we could not go to nakupenda due to the weather ... then he said when the weatRead more”

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15.Full-Day Blue Lagoon and Sandbank Boat Tour from Zanzibar ( Safari blue)

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 35 reviews · from $100

Review of Zanzibar’s Safari Blue boat tour, with Kwale Island, snorkeling, seafood lunch, sandbanks, costs, timing, and practical advice.

“Completed this tour back in December and had a wonderful day! Sunnia was my guide and she did a really good job explaining the locations we were in and how the day would play out :)”

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