Dear travelers,
Quick Zanzibar facts
Location: An archipelago in the Indian Ocean off mainland Tanzania. Our trip focused on Unguja, the main island commonly called Zanzibar.
Currency: Tanzanian shilling, abbreviated TZS.
Languages: Swahili is the main local language; English is commonly used in tourism.
Time zone: East Africa Time, UTC+3, with no daylight-saving changes.
When to go: June to October is generally a drier period; January and February are also popular. The long rains usually fall around March to May, with shorter rains around November.
How long to stay: We would allow seven to ten full days for a first visit with both sightseeing and beach time.
Plugs: Bring a universal adapter covering types G and D; check that your devices support the local 230V supply.
Internet: Ask about Wi-Fi in your actual room and consider mobile data as a backup, however, it isn’t reliable everywhere.
Entry requirements and Zanzibar travel insurance
This is the part to sort out before getting distracted by beach clubs.
Visa rules depend on the passport you travel with. Tanzania offers an eVisa system, but some nationalities are visa-exempt and others require a referral process. Check your nationality through the Tanzania Immigration Department.
Your passport should have at least six months’ validity from arrival and at least one blank page. Keep your return or onward ticket and accommodation details accessible. Health screening and vaccination documentation can depend on your route, including transit countries; the current entry guidance is a useful cross-check alongside Tanzanian authorities.
Zanzibar also requires its own inbound travel insurance from the Zanzibar Insurance Corporation. An existing international travel policy does not replace this requirement. ZIC currently lists the standard adult price as US$44, with reduced rates for certain categories. Purchase through the official ZIC insurance page and save your policy confirmation offline.
Review the cover and exclusions before deciding whether you need additional insurance for your activities and wider journey.
Our tip: Put your essential documents in one offline folder on your phone. Airport Wi-Fi should not be the thing standing between you and your booking confirmation.
Where to stay in Zanzibar
Choosing your area matters almost as much as choosing your accommodation. A gorgeous room will not make the location right if the beach experience is completely different from what you wanted.
Paje
Paje was our base. We stayed at Hakuna Matata, a small guesthouse with a pool close to Paje Beach, and mixed organised excursions with quieter days around Paje. And yes, the name Hakuna Matata makes it almost impossible not to hear The Lion King soundtrack in your head.
For a similar trip, it offers a useful combination of a beach base and access to the southeast coast. Research the exact location of your accommodation: being near restaurants, beach access and evening activity can make a difference to how much transport you need.
Kendwa
Put Kendwa on your shortlist if easy access to the sea is a priority. Its beach is generally less affected by the dramatic retreat of water you see on the east coast, although tides and sea conditions still matter.
Nungwi
Nungwi is another option in the north, particularly if you want a developed tourist area with a choice of restaurants and accommodation. Check the precise stretch of coast before booking, because beach access varies between properties.
The biggest decision is whether you prefer an east-coast base like Paje or the swimming-focused appeal of the northwest.
Our experience: Having a pool at our guesthouse gave us another option on days when we wanted to stay close to our accommodation.
Zanzibar is bigger than your itinerary makes it look
Paje, Stone Town, Nungwi and Kendwa are spread around the island. They can sit very neatly beside each other on a written itinerary while involving a substantial amount of driving in real life.
Avoid planning by distance alone. Ask your accommodation or tour organiser about realistic journey times, including traffic and collection stops. An excursion advertised as a morning activity can take up considerably more of your day once transfers are included.
Group nearby places where it makes sense. We visited Nungwi and Kendwa on the same day, rather than making separate journeys north from Paje.
Our tip: Ask what time you will leave your hotel and what time you can reasonably expect to return. Those two answers are often more useful than the length of the activity itself.
Understand the tides before booking your beach hotel
If you take one beach-planning tip from this guide, make it this one.
On the east coast, including Paje, the water can retreat a long way at low tide. The same stretch of beach can look completely different a few hours later. That lovely photo of turquoise water beside a sunbed captures a moment, not a promise for every hour of your holiday.
Kendwa generally offers easier swimming access through more of the tidal cycle. Neither beach style is automatically better, but they suit different expectations.
What to wear in Zanzibar
Pack for both beach days and visits to local communities.
Swimwear belongs at the beach or pool. For Stone Town and villages, bring lightweight clothes that cover your shoulders and knees. Loose trousers, longer skirts and airy shirts are useful because they offer coverage without feeling unbearably warm.
Zanzibar is predominantly Muslim, and dressing more modestly away from tourist beaches is an important way to respect local customs.
Our tip: Keep a light shirt or wrap in your day bag. It takes up very little space and saves you having to rethink your outfit when plans change.
Money in Zanzibar and why older advice can be misleading
You will find plenty of older articles telling you to bring dollars and use them everywhere. That advice needs updating.
Under Tanzania’s 2025 foreign-currency regulations, ordinary local goods and services must be priced and paid for in Tanzanian shillings, subject to specified exceptions.
For day-to-day planning, carry some shillings for smaller purchases and check card acceptance before ordering or booking. Ask your accommodation where to find a suitable ATM or authorised exchange service, and check withdrawal and conversion fees with your bank.
Keep smaller notes for modest purchases and tips, rather than expecting everyone to have change for a large banknote.
Internet and SIM cards
If you create content, work remotely or simply like having a map available, plan your connection before arriving.
“Free Wi-Fi” on a hotel listing does not tell you whether you can upload a video from your room. Ask about coverage where you will actually use it, and look for recent reviews mentioning connection quality.
Compare a local SIM with an eSIM that explicitly covers Tanzania, checking device compatibility, network coverage, data allowance and hotspot rules. Package details change, so choose based on your actual dates and needs.
Download your bookings and maps before setting off on excursions. Even with mobile data, being offline for a few hours should not stop you finding your meeting point.
Our tip: If you have work to finish, do the essential uploads before a boat day. The Indian Ocean is a lovely backdrop, but a poor deadline-management strategy.
Getting around Zanzibar
Our trip was organised through Jungle Tribe Serbia, and our experience was mainly with arranged transfers and excursions. That suited a holiday where we wanted to see several parts of the island while keeping Paje as our base.
If you travel independently, ask your accommodation about reputable taxis or private transfers. Confirm the full fare, pickup point, waiting time and return arrangements in advance.
The dolphin tour was something we would skip
The dolphin excursion was not the peaceful swimming experience we had imagined.
There were many boats gathering around the dolphins, and actually swimming with them was difficult. The atmosphere felt crowded, and it is an experience we would not personally repeat.
That is worth saying clearly because a beautiful tour description can leave out the part that changes how you feel about the day.
Would we do it again? We would use that time for another beach day or a different excursion.
Food and drinking water
Leave room in your plans to try food beyond your accommodation. Look for opportunities to try grilled fish, tropical fruit and local dishes such as pilau, a spiced rice dish, or urojo, often called Zanzibar mix.
Menus, availability and preparation vary, so ask locally and choose places with good food-handling practices.
For drinking water, use sealed bottled water. Choose freshly cooked food served hot, peel fruit yourself where practical, and only have ice when you are confident it was made with safe water.
Mosquitoes and sun deserve space in your suitcase
A beach holiday packing list needs a few practical items alongside the swimwear.
- High-SPF sunscreen, a hat and sunglasses.
- Effective mosquito repellent, used according to its label.
- Lightweight clothes, including longer layers for evenings and local visits.
- Comfortable walking shoes or sandals.
- Swimwear and a light beach cover-up.
- Water shoes.
- A dry bag and waterproof phone case for boat trips.
- A universal adapter and power bank.
- Regular medication, essential documents and a small day bag.
Our tip: Keep sunscreen and your hat accessible on excursion days. They are not much help at the bottom of your suitcase back in Paje.
If you are planning your own trip, start with the kind of days you want to have. Choose a base that suits them, sort out the practical details, and leave some room between the excursions.
The beach photos can stay in your saved folder. Just make sure there is a tide timetable and an afternoon with nothing booked in there, too.
Happy planning.
Truly yours,
The Creation of Us
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