Free travel guide to Zanzibar 🇹🇿
ARRIVAL
If you plan on going to Stone Town once you arrive in Zanzibar, get a taxi when you get to Abeid Amani Karume International Airport or book private transportation from your accomodation. This usually costs approximately 15 USD and it should take 10-15 minutes to get to the city.
If you plan to stay at a resort at another part of the island, you can normally book transportation with your accomodation. If not, you can reach your accomodation with a taxi. Taxis in Zanzibar are safe, just make sure you agree on a price before entering.
You can also arrive in Stone Town via the Port of Zanzibar. There is a ferry available from Dar Es Salaam which is a lot cheaper than flying, and the journey is only 2 hours long. You can buy tickets for the ferry in the following link:
GETTING AROUND
There are two options for getting around Zanzibar Island: Using taxis or public transportation (Dala dalas)
Public transportation is extremely affordable, costing under 4 USD, depending on where you want to go. They are quite slow and can be a bit confusing, but the drivers are usually very helpful.
Taxis: Taxis are safe to use in Zanzibar, just remember to agree on a price with the driver before entering the vehicle. There are lots of taxis in Stone Town, but they can be harder to find in the beaches. You can always ask for a taxi at your accomodation and there are reliable transfer companies in the island if you don't want to rely on taxis.
Walking: It is perfectly safe to walk around Stone Town and the touristic beaches. It is a very pleasant experience and one I definitely recommend.
ZANZIBAR'S BEST BEACH SPOTS
Watch the video above to get an idea of what the best beaches are in Zanzibar and what each spot has to offer. You can find more information on each beach below:
NUNGWI
Nungwi is a charming small village at the northern tip of Unguja Island and one of Zanzibar's most popular beach destinations.
Nungwi has the white sand, turquoise water and towering palm trees that make for an ideal tropical beach dream. It's a divers paradise, with plenty of coral reefs, colorful fishes, and if you get lucky, sea turtles and dolphins.
Night life here is excellent aswell. Expect bonfires, cocktails by the beach and great music.
Where to stay in Nungwi:
Where to eat in Nungwi:
What to do around Nungwi:
JAMBIANI
Jambiani is a little village that was virtually inaccessible to tourists for a long time, and because of this has remained largely un-spoilt. There are plenty of intimate places to stay and enjoy the lovely beaches, wildlife and sunshine.
Jambiani is located along a strecth of white sand and a coral lagoon, which makes it a perfect place for snorkeling and scuba diving, but also kite surfing.
Where to stay in Jambiani
Where to eat in Jambiani
What to do in Jambiani
PAJE
Paje is a village in the East of Unguja Island that gets very consistent winds, making it the ideal place for those who enjoy windsurf, wake boarding and kite flying.
The coral reefs here are also excellent, making snorkeling and scuba diving popular activities here aswell.
Where to stay in Paje
Where to eat in Paje
What to do in Paje
KIWENGWA
Kiwengwa is perhaps the most secluded beach destination in Zanzibar. It is a touristy, but quiet area, famous for it's white sand beaches. It is perfect for a calm beach holiday and those who love luxury resorts.
Where to stay in Kiwengwa
Where to eat in Kiwengwa
What to do in Kiwengwa
PONGWE
Pongue is even quieter and more secluded than Kiwengwa, and as such there's not a lot to do here. This is a destination for those who want to relax, and have some peace and quiet.
Where to stay in Pongwe
Where to eat in Pongwe
BWEJUU
Bwejuu is considered by many to have the best beaches in all of Zanzibar. Despite this, it's not an area that usually gets crowded and it can be done on a budget or very luxuriously.
Snorkeling and scuba diving in this area is quite good and Bwejuu is well known for having excellent restaurants offering traditional Swahili cuisine and Tanzanian food.
Where to stay in Bwejuu
Where to eat in Bwejuu
OTHER ACTIVITIES IN ZANZIBAR
Spend a few days in Stone Town
Watch the video above to know everything about Stone Town, from travel tips, safety, and what to see in the town.
Where to stay in Stone Town
Where to eat in Stone Town
I also recommend checkint out the street food market at Forodhani park in the evenings. Here you can try some local cuisine and the ambiance is great.
What to do in Stone Town
Stone Town is a historical and cultural gem, and I highly recommend doing a tour here, walking around the town and enjoying the sunset in Stone Town beach.
Here are some things that you can see and do in the city:
I highly recommend you book a Stone Town walking tour with Ally Jape, an experienced local guide from Zanzibar, who provides a great quality service. You can find him @ally_jape on Instagram.
You can also visit almost anywhere on the island from Stone Town in a day, and there are numerous day trips that you can do from here.
Prison Island
Visit Jozani Forest
Go on a spice tour
Spice tours are very popular activities in Zanzibar. Zanzibar is sometimes called "spice island" because of its great quality spices which are essential to the island's economy.
You can visit a spice farm and learn about all the different uses of plants, and see how spices grow in the soil. They look extremely different in the soil vs when they're sold!
Here I also learned how locals climb palm trees to get coconuts and what types of fruit local women use as make up and medicine. I found it all very interesting and I highly recommend doing this activity.
To book your spice tour click the link below!
Go on safari
You can also go on a safari to mainland Tanzania from Zanzibar. There are two parks I recommend for this since they are close by: Mikumi National Park and Nyerere National Park (formerly known as Selous Game Reserve)
In order to get to these parks you will need to take a charter flight, but no worries because most safaris that depart from Zanzibar include flights, so they're not an inconvenience! They're also not too expensive.
I go into more details about each National Park below, and I also included links to safaris you can book.
If you want to do a safari that lasts more than one day, you can also book this 3 day safari to Nyerere National Park:
Or consider going on a longer safari trip in Northern Tanzania
CURRENCY
The local currency of Zanzibar is the Tanzanian shilling (TZS). The Tanzanian shilling has various banknotes, the biggest being 10000 TZS and the smallest 1000 TZS. There are also 500 TZS coins which are rarely used. The smallest coin is 50 TZS.
1 USD = 2300 TZS
1 EUR = 2600 TZS
1 GBP = 2900 TZS*
*These exchange rates may vary
You will have no problems finding ATMs in Stone Town or other tourist destinations such as Nungwi, Paje or Kiwengwa. However, the best place to get access to financial services is Stone Town.
You can exchange money on arrival at the airport, where CRDB Bank and PBZ Bank are the providers. You can also exchange money in Stone Town at the Post Office in Shangani Street to get the best exchange rates.
I recommend carrying a small amount of Tanzanian shillings just in case (for reference, I exchanged 200 Euro into TZS for a 1 week stay and it was definitely too much. If I had to do it again I wouldn't exchange more than 100 Euro). However, I would also highly recommend you carry USD, since they are also widely accepted in the tourism industry and make things easier.
While it's not compulsory to tip in Zanzibar, small tips are appreciated. Approximately 5% should be added to restaurant bills and tour guides should also be tipped a small amount. It is not common to tip taxi drivers.
In my experience, haggling is not the norm for tourists in Zanzibar and I did not haggle at all during my stay. However, there may be some exceptions.
SAFETY
I traveled to Zanzibar Island as a solo female traveler and I can confidently say that I felt very safe. Although I was approached by men in Stone Town, I never felt disrespected or uncomfortable like I have in other destinations where I have traveled solo.
It is generally recommended that you dress modestly when walking around towns, particularly Stone Town. Bikinis at the beach are okay, but it's advised that you cover your shoulders and knees (whether you're a man or a woman) in other places out of respect for local culture. In my experience, most tourists (and some locals) don't follow this dresscode and it's not a safety issue in any way, but once again, I would suggest following it out of respect.
In my opinion, one of the biggest things you should take into consideration regarding safety in Zanzibar are ocean currents.
I also suggest you visit a health professional regarding vaccinations and other travel advice. In my experience, I would strongly advise taking anti-malarial medication (please consult with a doctor first). I would also strongly suggest not drinking tap water and using bottled water, which is widely available throughout the island. For more travel and health advice for Zanzibar, click on the following link:
For another perspective on solo female travel to Zanzibar, click the following link:
WEATHER
Zanzibar has tropical weather and the average temperature is between 26-32°C (79-90°F). The rainiest months are March, April, May, November, and December.
BEST TIME TO GO
The best time to go to Zanzibar is in the summer months (June to September) or early in the year (January and February). I would personally recommend the second option since there's less tourists and prices are usually a bit cheaper.
It's also possible to travel during the rainy season (March to May and November to December). The rainy season in Zanzibar usually means occasional heavy rains, but it still doesn't rain most of the time. Prices are also cheaper this time of the year, however, because it's not peak tourist season resorts often close down and it's harder to find tours. In my experience, a lot of tour operators stop offering their services by the last week of February.
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
COVID-19 has made travel more complicated than ever, and although the pandemic has less of an impact on our lives in 2023 compared to previous years, entry requirements can still be a challenge. Click on the following link to find up-to-date information on entry requirements for individual countries:
I also suggest you check your government's information on requirements to and from Tanzania.
Please note that you may need a yellow fever vaccination certificate to enter the United Republic of Tanzania. The following NHS (UK National Health Service) link provides more information on this topic as well as other health advice to consider when traveling to Tanzania:
VISAS
The following websites have visa information for many countries around the world:
Click on the following link to obtain information specifically about Tanzania:
The Tanzanian visa is valid for Zanzibar aswell as mainland Tanzania.
I chose to apply and pay online. I recommend doing this since it will save you time at customs when you enter Tanzania. The process was very straight forward and easy. Unlike other visa processes, this one felt like it is made to accomodate the traveler and not make the visa process unneccessarily stressful. On arrival, I went through customs smoothly and without any issues.
Please note that some countries require a referral visa. People from these countries must submit their visa application online at least 2 months before traveling, and should wait until their applications are approved before planning the rest of their trip. The following link provides more information. Please check the "referral cases" category.
For more information on the logistics of traveling to Zanzibar, you can watch the video linked below
FOLLOW MY JOURNEY
Last but not least, thank you for reading this guide! I hope you found it's contents useful and you have a safe and pleasant experience in Zanzibar.
Happy travels!
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