Changu Island

This guide to Changu Island off Zanzibar City opens with a question: what was this barred stone cell built to hold, and why did no one ever spend a night in it. It follows Lloyd Mathews, Zanzibar's British first minister, who bought the island in 1893 and had a prison built for repeat offenders from the mainland, finished in 1894 with locks, bars and thick walls all in place. You'll hear why the cells stayed empty, and what British doctors decided the island was needed for instead. Look closely at the bars before you head out to find the tortoises.