Zanzibar: your first hour after landing
You have just landed on Unguja, the island everyone calls Zanzibar — 15 minutes from the runway to Stone Town's carved doors, then an archipelago of reef, spice farms and tidal beaches beyond. This guide covers the arrival paperwork Zanzibar checks and other islands do not, where to sleep, the Forodhani night market, a first day from slave market to tortoise island, and the forest and reef days that fill the week.
In this guide
You just landed in Zanzibar. The airport is small and Stone Town is 15 minutes north — the move is a taxi for about US$12 with the fare agreed before you set off, a Saily eSIM live from the arrivals hall, your ZIC insurance certificate and eVisa ready for the two checks Zanzibar adds, and the boat days that sell out first worth booking ahead through GetYourGuide.
Quick facts
Airport
Getting in
Currency
Languages
Time zone
Emergency
Plugs
Tap water
Tourist tax
Best months
Map
Stays, sights, and landmarks in Zanzibar — live hotel prices plus the key places from this guide.
Settle in
Land at ZNZ and the island starts gently: Terminal 3 is small, the taxi rank sits outside arrivals, and Stone Town is 15 minutes north. Do the paperwork in order — Zanzibar checks two things other islands do not: your Tanzania visa and the mandatory ZIC insurance certificate.
Set up your data before you leave the terminal: a Yesim eSIM loads a Tanzania plan in minutes, so maps and the insurance QR code work from the kerb. For a longer East Africa trip, compare Saily and Airalo.
Run the arrival checklist in this order:
- Buy or show the ZIC insurance (US$44 per adult) and clear immigration with your eVisa grant or visa on arrival
- Agree the taxi fare before you set off — about US$12 to Stone Town, paid in dollars or shillings
- Drop your bags, then walk Stone Town end to end to the Forodhani waterfront to get your bearings
Check the tax line when the hotel quotes your rate: the infrastructure tax rides on top, and many online quotes leave it out.
If a delayed or cancelled flight wrecked the arrival, AirHelp checks whether the airline owes you compensation — worth five minutes before you write the day off.
Getting around
Times are airport to city centre.
Taxi
Rank outside arrivals; agree the fare before you set off — about US$40 to US$50 to Nungwi or Paje; pay in dollars or shillings
Dala-dala minibus
Leaves from the main road just outside the airport fence to Darajani in Stone Town; crowded, no luggage room — a backpack option, not a suitcase one
Pre-booked private transfer
Driver waits in arrivals with a name board; hotels and transfer firms both sell it — worth it for late arrivals and beach resorts an hour away
Rental car
Local hire desks at the terminal; you need an international driving permit plus a temporary Zanzibar permit, and traffic drives on the left
Abeid Amani Karume International Airport sits about 7 km south of Stone Town, and the transfer is short and simple: a taxi from the rank outside arrivals, about 15 minutes to any Stone Town hotel. There is no airport bus into town, but dala-dala minibuses pass the main road just outside the airport fence. The airport rides are these:
In town, Stone Town is walked, not driven: the lanes are too narrow for cars, and everything sits inside 20 minutes on foot. For the beaches, dala-dalas run from Darajani to Nungwi, Paje and Jambiani for a few thousand shillings, leaving when full. Taxis cover the same runs at agreed fares — about US$40 to US$50 — and every hotel desk will call a known driver.
Prefer to be met? A Kiwitaxi transfer or a Welcome Pickups driver puts a name board in arrivals at a fixed price. Driving yourself, price the pickup on AutoEurope first — you need an international driving permit plus a temporary Zanzibar permit, and traffic drives on the left.
In the city
Start where the town starts. Darajani Market opens early — arrive before 09:00 for the fish auction and spice pyramids at their busiest, then walk to Christ Church Cathedral and the former slave market beside it, the essential history stop, its altar standing over the old whipping post.
Walk the waterfront from the Old Fort to the House of Wonders, still scaffolded after its 2020 collapse, and read the town in its carved doors — over 500 survive. Lunch where locals lunch, then take the boat from the Forodhani shore to Prison Island for the giant tortoises.
End the day at Forodhani Gardens as the night market fires its grills — Zanzibar pizza, grilled octopus and sugarcane juice on the seawall.
Book the headline days before you arrive, because the boats sell out first — browse the Zanzibar City listings on GetYourGuide for the island days, and compare Klook when stacking attractions.
Do this, skip that, in one line each: do Stone Town first and the beach second, not the reverse; do the spice farm with a guide who cooks lunch on site; skip the pushy beach-boy tour offers on the Stone Town shore and book licensed operators instead.
After you land in Zanzibar: Bookable experiences
Where to stay your first nights
Park Hyatt Zanzibar.
Best for the grand splurge on the Stone Town beachfrontThe grand address on Shangani Street: 67 rooms in and around the 17th-century Mambo Msiige mansion on the beachfront — oceanfront pool, Anantara Spa and sunset over the dhow harbour. Check-in from 15:00.
Maru Maru Hotel.
Best for a rooftop-terrace base two minutes from Forodhani GardensA well-run 51-room hotel on Gizenga Street, two minutes from Forodhani Gardens: rooftop terrace restaurant, outdoor pool and free parking — rare in the old town. Check-in from 14:00, shuttle about US$20 per vehicle.
Zanzibar Coffee House.
Best for budget character in an 1885 townhouse with its own roasteryAn eight-room bed and breakfast in an 1885 Mkunazini townhouse run by a coffee roastery: four-poster beds, rooftop breakfast over the lanes, the cathedral two minutes away. Check-in from 14:00; stairs only.
Split the stay. Stone Town takes the first night or two — history, food and the airport run are easiest here — then move to a beach base: Nungwi and Kendwa in the north for all-tide swimming, Paje for kitesurfing, Jambiani for the quiet end. The three picks below are all in Stone Town, where a first landing belongs.
Book any of the three early for July, August and the Christmas peak. Confirm whether the quoted total includes the infrastructure tax.
Where to eat first
Eat the island on night one. Zanzibar cooks Swahili with Arab, Indian and Persian layers: coconut curries, cloves in the rice, seafood landed that morning. The signature first supper is the Forodhani night market, its grill stalls firing from sunset. Around it: urojo soup, mishkaki skewers and Zanzibar pizza, a crepe-folded parcel of meat, egg and cheese. Three first stops:
Forodhani Gardens night market.
The open-air classic on the Stone Town waterfront. Point at the octopus, prawns and kingfish, agree the price before anything hits the grill, and finish with a Zanzibar pizza and fresh sugarcane juice.
Lukmaan Restaurant.
The beloved local canteen on New Mkunazini Road, a few minutes from Darajani: pilau, biryani, coconut fish curry and fresh juices at local prices. Go at lunch, queue with everyone else, and expect to share a table.
The Tea House at Emerson Spice.
Rooftop dinner in the heart of the lanes: a set tasting menu built on the day's spices and seafood, taarab music drifting up from the town. Book days ahead — the rooftop seats few.
For spice farm tours, market walks and Swahili cooking classes, browse the Zanzibar City listings on GetYourGuide and book a slot for your first free day.
Day trips and more
Three escapes define a Zanzibar week: the classic Stone Town triple, the forest of the south, and the reef at Mnemba. Carry reef-safe sunscreen and a dry bag — two of the three end in the sea.
Prison Island, Stone Town and spice farm tour
A full-day guided tour with hotel pickup: boat to Prison Island (Changuu) for the Aldabra giant tortoises and 1893 prison ruins, a walking tour of Stone Town's alleys and slave market, then a spice farm to smell, taste and buy cloves and cinnamon, with a spiced-rice lunch. Check availability →
Jozani Forest, reptile park and Mtende Beach
Eight hours south with a private guide: track endangered red colobus monkeys in Jozani Chwaka Bay National Park, cross the mangrove boardwalk, meet tortoises and chameleons at the reptile park, then swim at Mtende, the beach hidden between cliffs. Check availability →
Mnemba Island dolphin swim and snorkel
A half-day boat from Muyuni Beach: look for wild dolphins around Mnemba Atoll, then snorkel the protected reef among coral gardens, fish and turtles, gear included, with fruit on board and an optional seafood lunch ashore. Check availability →
When to go and what it costs
June to October is the main season: the kusi trades cool the island to around 28°C and the sea clears. January and February bring a shorter, hotter dry season — the best water of the year at Mnemba. The long rains of March to May close some beach hotels; the short rains of November and December are lighter and cheaper. Note the east-coast tides: at low tide the Paje and Jambiani lagoons retreat for hundreds of metres, while Nungwi and Kendwa swim at almost any hour.
A backpacker in a guesthouse or beach bungalow, on dala-dalas and market lunches: US$40 to US$90 a day. Mid-range — boutique hotel, regular tours, seafood dinners: US$120 to US$250 a day. A splurge day with the Park Hyatt and a private boat passes US$400.
Stack the fixed costs first, because Zanzibar front-loads them: visa US$50 (US$100 for US citizens), ZIC insurance US$44, infrastructure tax US$2 to US$5 a night — roughly US$100 per person before the first dhow sails.
What to pack
Tap items to check them off — your list is saved on this device.
Pack for heat, sun and a conservative town — Stone Town dress codes differ from the beach. This is the full list:
- Comfortable walking shoes Shop walking shoes on Amazon →
- Sunscreen Shop sunscreen on Amazon →
- Reusable water bottle Shop water bottle on Amazon →
- Phone charger and power bank Shop power bank on Amazon →
- Daypack Shop daypack on Amazon →
- Sunglasses Shop sunglasses on Amazon →
- Light rain jacket Shop rain jacket on Amazon →
Add the Zanzibar extras: reef-safe sunscreen, a modest cover-up for Stone Town and villages — shoulders and knees covered — and a dry bag for boat days. Dollar notes should be clean and recent; torn or old-series bills are refused.
Language, visa and entry
! Check visa requirements before you fly
Swahili first for warmth, English for business — both work island-wide. Lead with jambo, or shikamoo to elders, and haggle friendly and smiling. Zanzibar is predominantly Muslim: dress modestly in Stone Town and villages, ask before photographing people, and note that in Ramadan many local restaurants close by day while hotel dining continues.
Four phrases do most of the work:
Sort your entry paperwork before you book anything non-refundable. One Tanzanian visa covers the island and the mainland. Most visitors apply on the official eVisa portal before travel: US$50 single-entry, and US citizens take the US$100 multiple-entry visa. Visa on arrival remains available at ZNZ for most nationalities, but the eVisa queue is shorter. Your passport needs six months of validity.
Buy the mandatory insurance separately. Since October 2024 every foreign visitor entering Zanzibar must hold the Zanzibar Insurance Corporation (ZIC) inbound policy — US$44 per adult, US$22 per child aged 3 to 17, valid up to 92 days — bought through the official Visit Zanzibar portal, and checked on arrival. Your own travel insurance does not replace it. From October 2026 mainland Tanzania runs the same scheme through the NIC; one policy bought at your first port of entry covers the whole trip, so do not buy both.
Yellow fever is route-based only. A certificate is required if you arrive from, or transit through, a country with yellow fever transmission risk; arrivals direct from Europe or North America do not need one, and travel from mainland Tanzania to Zanzibar asks for no certificate.
Safety and health
Malaria is present — take it seriously
Zanzibar is low but real malaria country: ask your doctor about prophylaxis, sleep under the net provided, and use repellent from dusk. Any fever during or after the trip is malaria until a test says otherwise.
Dress and behave for a Muslim island
Shoulders and knees covered in Stone Town and villages, swimwear only at the beach and pool, and no public drinking outside licensed bars and hotels. Public displays of affection draw complaints; penalties for drug possession are severe.
Use licensed boats and agree every fare first
For Prison Island, Mnemba and sunset dhows, book operators with life jackets aboard and check the weather — the channel roughens fast in the kusi season. A fare quoted at the hotel desk is the fare you pay.
Mind the water and the sun
Do not drink the tap water, be wary of ice away from hotels, and treat the equatorial sun as a midday hazard even under cloud. East-coast low tides expose sea urchins on the walk to the reef — reef shoes earn their space.
Related destinations
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Frequently asked questions
The things travellers ask in the first 48 hours: the insurance certificate immigration checks, the taxi fare to agree, and the tax that lands at checkout.
Entry rules checked against Tanzania Immigration and the Zanzibar Insurance Corporation, October 2026; fares against Zanzibar taxi operator fare sheets and dala-dala route guides.
Take a taxi from the rank outside arrivals: about 15 minutes and about US$12 to any Stone Town hotel, fare agreed before you set off. A pre-booked transfer costs about US$20 per vehicle, and dala-dala minibuses leave from the main road outside the airport for 500 TZS.
Yes — one Tanzanian visa covers Zanzibar and the mainland. Apply on the official eVisa portal: US$50 for the single-entry ordinary visa, US$100 for the multiple-entry visa US citizens take. Visa on arrival is available at ZNZ for most nationalities; your passport needs six months of validity.
Yes. Since October 2024 every foreign visitor entering Zanzibar must hold the Zanzibar Insurance Corporation (ZIC) inbound policy — US$44 per adult, US$22 per child aged 3 to 17, valid up to 92 days — bought through the official Visit Zanzibar portal and checked on arrival. Your own insurance does not replace it. From October 2026 the mainland runs the same scheme through the NIC, and one policy bought at your first port of entry covers the whole trip.
Only if your route triggers it: a certificate is required if you arrive from, or transit through, a country with yellow fever transmission risk. Direct arrivals from Europe or North America do not need one, and travel from mainland Tanzania to Zanzibar asks for none.
US$2 to US$5 per person per night by hotel category — US$2 at budget stays, US$4 at mid-range hotels such as Maru Maru, US$5 at five-star hotels such as Park Hyatt Zanzibar. The hotel collects it, and many online quotes leave it out until checkout.
Split it. Stone Town first for one or two nights — the history, night market and boat trips all start there, and the airport run is 15 minutes. Then the beach: Nungwi and Kendwa in the north swim at almost any tide, Paje is the kitesurf base, and Jambiani is the quiet east-coast end.
Fares change — your hotel desk and the official ZIC and eVisa portals always win.
Zanzibar, in your pocket
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Sources and last verified
Entry rules against Tanzania Immigration eVisa guidance and the Zanzibar Insurance Corporation (ZIC policy, US$44, in force since 1 October 2024; mainland NIC scheme from 1 October 2026). Infrastructure tax against Zanzibar Revenue Board reporting and the properties' Expedia fee pages (US$5 at Park Hyatt Zanzibar, US$4 at Maru Maru Hotel). Transfers against taxi operator fare sheets and dala-dala guides (taxi about US$10 to US$15, dala-dala 500 TZS). Hotel details against the properties' Expedia listings opened October 2026. Tour titles against the GetYourGuide product pages opened October 2026. Yellow fever rules against Tanzania Ministry of Health guidance. Photo credits as in the guide data. Last verified October 2026.
Affiliate disclosure: hotel names, transfers, experiences, and products linked in this guide may earn After You Land a commission at no extra cost to you. Prices and times were checked in Oct 2026 and change often — confirm before you book.