Off to Changu Island

The last day of my Zanzibar trip and in store was a visit to Changu Island to see the giant Aldabra tortoises. Reviews were mixed, especially about the boats which take you to Changu Island but I decided to find out for myself. The hotel had arranged a boat exclusively for me and the to-and-fro cost was TSD 55,000. Compared to the other tour operators, the price appeared reasonable.

9 AM in the morning and the boatman reached the hotel, rather he was the Head of all boatmen I gathered later. He was a dark burly man and said he had visited Kolkata and Mumbai during his days as a seafarer. We walked across the lanes and soon we were on the beach. He asked for the total payment and then called out to his men. Two men, one who could speak a smattering of English and the other none at all, turned up in a rickety boat, which was bobbing up and down a little way from the sands. Not a big distance, but I had to remove my shoes, carry it in my hand and then jump on board, with my legs wet with sand. Was quite apprehensive as the boat was rocking unsteadily, when I tried to seat myself comfortably. Looked a rust-bucket with no safety gear on board.

Soon we were on our way across the azure blue waters of the Indian Ocean. The one who could manage English pointed to the distance and said ” Snake Island, no snakes”. Then he pointed to another island in the distance and said ” Changu Island, tortoise very old”. Around 30 minutes and we were at Changu Island. Again, the boat dropping anchor a few meters away and we had to jump down and wade through knee-length water. Wet sand clinging to my feet, walked up the slope towards the ticket counter. There is only one resort on this island and a small unkempt park ( if one may call it that) where the tortoises were.The sun was high up in the sky and my feet were gradually getting scalded. Bought the ticket and quickly moved into the shaded garden/park. As I moved in, I was given a few leaves for feeding the tortoises.

The tortoises were originally gifted by the British Governor of Seychelles and over the years they had multiplied, got hunted for food or sale as pets, had dwindling numbers before the  Zanzibar Government declared them as protected species in collaboration with World Animal Protection. Now we find quite a few old adults, babies and hatchlings. Some tortoises have numbers scrawled on their shells like 135, 160, 195, etc. Was told by my boatman-guide that this number indicated the age of the tortoise. No way to confirm this, but makes for good hearing. Some of the tortoises had cracked/broken shells too. Signs of old age? The place as I said earlier is unkempt and cleanliness should definitely be improved. The USD 4  we pay as entry fee should be put to good use.

Moved a little further ahead and my guide was telling me ” Prison,no prisoners, only sick people”. 

 

The boards spelling out the history of the island mention that it was originally used to house rebellious slaves. Later the Government built a prison here to house hardened criminals but somehow, these prisons were never used for this purpose. Later on, when Yellow fever posed a major threat, those infected were quarantined in these buildings and hence the island is also known as Quarantine Island. There is a small bar-sum-restaurant inside the prison complex, which was totally empty during our visit. Time to return. Back to the beach we went and here I saw an awesome change in weather. One moment, it was bright and sunny and a few minutes, a few feet away on the beach, the weather turned dark and cloudy.

Hopped on to the boat and as we moved away from Changu, it started raining….. a drizzle at first and then heavy showers. I muttered a prayer as the ancient boat literally made rough weather of the return journey. Thanked my lucky stars as I jumped off the boat at Stone Town beach in Unguja and rushed into the large tarpaulin-covered place on the beach where the boatmen rested. As I waited for the rains to subside, I was wondering if Changu Island was really worth a visit. Perhaps not! Will I visit again? Certainly not!