The small island of Changuu is located about three and a half miles northwest of Stone Town. It is one of the smaller islands in the archipelago of Zanzibar, featuring an oblong shape that is only a half mile long and 250 yards wide at its largest point. Before potential guests can understand about the accommodations the island offers as a vacation in paradise, it is important for them to know about Changuu’s history.
For such a tiny island, it has a very extensive history. Changuu – which is also the name of the most common fish in the ocean around the island – was uninhabited up until the 1860s when it was given to two Arabs for use as a detention center to house rebel slaves, although this never happened. When Zanzibar became a protectorate of the British thirty years later, a quarantine station was set up on Changuu to check passengers and cargo before it entered East Africa. The prison that had been constructed on Changuu but never used found new life as a hospital and the island was known as Quarantine Island.
Quite often the island was used as a leisure resort during the late 1890s and guests stayed in the bungalow where Matthew’s Restaurant is located today. A small group of Aldabra Giant Tortoises settled on the island in 1919 and the Tortoise Foundation is responsible for the over 100 specimens that live on the island today. The Quarantine Station was eventually moved and the buildings on the island fell into disrepair.
In 2002 the island was bought by a private company and the Changuu Private Island Paradise was formed. The historical building on Changuu has been given new life as part of the resort while still retaining their original architecture and authenticity. With recreational facilities, shops, a small sports venue with tennis courts, boutique, library, cultural center and café, Changuu offers its guests plenty to do and see while visiting this part of the world.
There are fifteen deluxe cottages on Changuu’s north-west side and they are all along the sea-line, distributed in such a way that they afford guests privacy and seclusion without being far from the main lodge. They have been constructed of local materials with traditional thatched roofs that help keep them cool during the day and warm at night. All of the cottages are spacious and come equipped with the following: mosquito netting; en-suite bathrooms with two outdoor showers and bathtub; veranda; and sea views.
On the south-west side of the island are the sea facing rooms that are located in the recently renovated Quarantine Area building constructed in 1931. There are twelve elegant rooms that offer a great view of Stone Town and they come equipped with en-suite bathrooms and showers and mosquito netting.
Changuu Island offer guests a few dining choices which include international and traditional Zanzibari dishes in the resorts restaurant to pizza at Matthew’s restaurant. Guests can also enjoy Swahili dishes at Matthew’s. Every evening there is a ‘Jailhouse Rock’, a party for the guests on the island that features delicious cocktails.
Changuu Island is just big enough to offer guests plenty of nature activities to enjoy. It is the perfect place to enjoy a day laying on the beach and taking in the sun as well as enjoying the warm waters of the Indian Ocean. There is a fresh water swimming pool at the center of the resort in addition to a floodlit tennis court. In the center of the island, however, there is a tropical forest that is filled with nature trails that allow guests to enjoy the flora and fauna as well as the tortoises that live there. The trails are guided walks and guests can learn about the animals that live on the island.
Guests can also enjoy day trips to the main Zanzibar island and enjoy Stone Town. This is the most ancient working village left in the area and it has been deemed a World Cultural Heritage site. There are many historical buildings here to see as well as shops, cafes, and other activities to enjoy, such as diving and snorkeling trips.
Location: The small island of Changuu is located about three and a half miles northwest of Stone Town, Zanzibar off of the coast of Tanzania.
General Facilities:
•Swimming pool
•Restaurants
•Bar
•Tennis courts
•Sport venue
•Boutique
•Library
•Cultural Center
•Cafe
•Shops
Room Facilities:
•Sea views
•Traditional construction
•Bright decorations
•Locally handcrafted furniture
•Mosquito netting
•En-suite bathrooms
•Outdoor showers
•Bathtub
•Veranda
Activities: Guests can enjoy swimming, snorkeling, diving, nature walks and day trips.
