Zanzibar for couples: what to know before you go (2026)

Why Zanzibar for two

Zanzibar is an island in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of Tanzania, about 85 km (53 miles) long. For centuries it was a trading post of the Omani sultanate, shipping out cloves, spices and, until the slave trade was banned in 1873, enslaved people. Stone Town, its World Heritage old city, keeps the courtyard houses, the carved wooden doors and the memory: the old slave market is now a place of remembrance. The rest of the island is white-sand beaches, fishing villages, seaweed fields and a forest where red colobus monkeys live.

Couples face a choice few destinations impose: where to sleep, for the sea. The beaches are not equal at every hour, and more than an hour's drive separates each coast. The best trip: two nights in Stone Town, then four or five nights on a single beach, with day excursions.

The three Zanzibars

When to go

The tides on the east coast

At Paje and Jambiani, look up the tide times for your dates before you book: low tide comes about 50 minutes later each day and falls, depending on the moon, in the morning or the afternoon. The lowest tides follow the full and the new moon. In the north, you hardly notice the difference.

Ramadan and holidays

Ramadan moves back about ten days each year. In Stone Town, many restaurants open only in the evening and people avoid eating or drinking in the street by day; beach hotels run as usual. The holiday that ends Ramadan fills the ferries and roads for a few days. The full-moon nights at Kendwa draw a crowd every month.

Formalities: passport, visa and health

The visa

Zanzibar is part of Tanzania: a Tanzanian visa is valid here. You apply online before you go (an e-visa, on the official portal of the Tanzanian immigration service) or, depending on your nationality, on arrival at the airport. Fees, length of stay and rules change, so read the official site before you book, and keep a printout of the visa in your carry-on.

Health

Malaria exists on Zanzibar all year, with a peak after the rains. There is no vaccine: a travel doctor or clinic will tell you, six weeks before you leave, whether a preventive drug suits you and which shots to update (hepatitis A, typhoid, tetanus). On the island: repellent, long sleeves in the evening, a bed net or an air-conditioned room. Check the State Department or FCDO advice for the latest alerts.

Getting there

By air

Times are rough guides: they depend on the layover. Another route: fly to Dar es Salaam, then take a 25-minute flight or a fast ferry of about 2 hours to Zanzibar, handy if you add a safari to the trip.

The time difference is 7 hours ahead of New York in summer, 8 in winter (10 or 11 from Los Angeles; 2 or 3 from London). Tanzania does not change its clocks.

Recovering from the trip

Keep the first day free of plans: a beach, a pool, a dinner near the hotel. The equatorial sun burns even under clouds, and it rises around 6am all year: you will wake early, so put it to use with a walk on the sand.

Practical things to know before you go

Phone

Your US or UK plan will roam at a steep rate in Tanzania; a day pass from your carrier can help. An eSIM installed before you leave is easiest; a local SIM (Vodacom or Airtel) is sold at the airport or in Stone Town, with your passport. Wi-Fi is free in most hotels, slower on the east coast.

Money and tipping

• The currency is the Tanzanian shilling. Hotels and excursions often quote prices in US dollars; the amounts on this page, converted for you, are guides.
• Withdraw shillings at an ATM in Stone Town or Nungwi: not every village on the east coast has one. Also carry dollars in recent, clean notes for excursions and entry fees.
• Cards work at hotels and larger restaurants, often with a fee; in a village or at a stall, you pay in cash.
• Service is sometimes added to the hotel bill. Otherwise, leave 10 % at restaurants, and $5.60 to $12 a day for a driver or guide.

Plugs, water and what to wear

• Plugs are type G (the British three-pin) and D, at 230 volts: bring a British adapter. North American devices at 110 volts need a "100-240 V" charger.
• Tap water is not safe to drink: use bottled or filtered hotel water, and skip the ice at small stalls.
• Closed beach shoes for the lagoon: sea urchins and coral cut at low tide.
• Sunscreen (the sun is strong all year), a hat, mosquito repellent, and a light scarf or sarong for visiting town.

A few words of Swahili

A jambo (hello) or a karibu (welcome, you're welcome) greets nearly every encounter. Asante means thank you, pole pole means slowly: the pace of the island. Answer a greeting before you ask a question.

What to book, and how far ahead

Zanzibar needs little booking, except two things: the hotel in high season, and trips at sea, which depend on wind and tide and are confirmed the day before. The prices below are guides for two.

From the airport to the hotel

© OpenStreetMap contributors

Zanzibar Abeid Amani Karume (ZNZ), 7 km (4 miles) from Stone Town, is the island's international airport and the only one within 60 km (37 miles). Allow half an hour to over an hour between leaving the plane and walking out, for immigration and for the visa if it was not done online.

Taxis have a counter at the exit, at posted fares; the hotel often sends a driver for a similar price, easier after a night flight and essential for the north and east coasts, where roads are dark. Give the hotel your flight number.

From Dar es Salaam, the fast ferries arrive at the port of Stone Town; settle the taxi fare to your hotel before you get in.

Getting around

Driver, taxi, dala-dala

Distances between coasts

Budget for two

On Zanzibar, the hotel makes most of the gap between a tight budget and a luxury stay, followed by the boat trips. Here is what six nights for two cost, flights not included, for a double room in mid-season.

Taxes and service charges are sometimes added to the hotel bill: ask whether the price includes them. Prices rise in July, August and from Christmas to early January.

Benchmark prices

What to taste

The food of Zanzibar is that of the Swahili coast: fish and seafood, rice, coconut milk, and the spices grown on the island. A couple eats in three beats: fruit and chapati for breakfast, grilled fish on the beach at midday, a seafood dinner or the night market in Stone Town.

At the table

• Grilled fish

  Tuna, snapper or barracuda of the day, grilled with a lime and coconut sauce: the lunch to have on the beach, at $6.80 to $14.

• Pilau

  Rice scented with cumin, cardamom, clove and cinnamon, with meat or fish: the dish of feast days, simple and comforting.

• Urojo

  Zanzibar mix, a yellow turmeric broth with fritters, potatoes and herbs: a street breakfast in Stone Town.

• Zanzibar pizza

  A thin pancake filled with egg, meat or cheese and folded on the griddle: the specialty of the Forodhani night market, for under $3.40.

• Octopus and lobster

  Octopus in coconut and grilled lobster at the seaside terraces; lobster is chosen by weight and the price is agreed before it is cooked.

• The fruit

  Mango, pineapple, passion fruit, jackfruit: sweet, sold at Darajani market or at the roadside for a few hundred shillings.

In the glass

• Sugarcane juice

  Pressed in front of you with lime and ginger, at $1.20 to $2.30: the cool break between two visits.

• Spiced tea and coffee

  A tea with cardamom, ginger or cinnamon, or a strong black coffee in a small cup on the squares of the old town.

• Local beer

  Kilimanjaro and Serengeti, light, at $2.30 to $4.50: in hotels, beach restaurants and a few places in Stone Town.

• A drink for two, with measure

  Alcohol is sold in hotels and visitors' restaurants, not in village shops or at the night market: have your drink at the hotel bar or on a terrace.

Customs and rules to know

A greeting before any question, covered clothes in town and a soft voice go a long way here. The island is almost entirely Muslim, and the day follows the call to prayer.

In town and in villages

• Shoulders and knees covered in Stone Town and the villages: light trousers or a long skirt, a shirt or tee with sleeves; swimsuits and bare chests stay on the hotel beach.
• Mosques are not open to visitors unless a sign says so; look from outside, without going in and without photographing worshippers.
• Ask before photographing a person, especially a woman; a smile and an asante are as good as a yes.
• Holding hands is tolerated, kisses are for the hotel; topless sunbathing and nudity are banned, including on the beaches.

On the beach and at the hotel

• On a hotel beach or a tourist beach (Nungwi, Kendwa, Paje), a swimsuit is the norm; walking through a village, slip on a sarong or shorts.
• Beach vendors offer necklaces and excursions: a smiling hapana asante (no, thank you) is enough.
• Drugs are punished heavily: turn down any offer, even from a friendly stranger.

Safety

Violence against visitors is rare on the island; trouble comes from the sun, the mosquitoes, the sea and a few pushy sellers more than from the people.

• The sun: close to the equator, sunburn takes 20 minutes, even under cloud. SPF 50, a hat, and a UV shirt for snorkeling.
• Malaria and dengue, carried by mosquitoes: repellent, long clothes in the evening, a bed net; the preventive drug is decided with a doctor.
• The lagoon at low tide: sea urchins and coral under a few inches of water. Closed shoes, and never step on live coral.
• Boats: refuse a boat without life jackets for everyone, or one that is overloaded. Pick the ferry among the fast services of known operators.
• The touts (the papasi) in Stone Town, at the port and on the beaches: they offer a guide, a trip or a taxi. Agree on the price before following them, or say no and keep walking.
• The beach at night, alone or as a pair, away from the hotel: thefts are reported there; go back by the lit path or ask the hotel for an escort.
• The street food at the night market: pick the busiest stalls and eat what is cooked in front of you.

Mistakes couples make

What spoils a stay on Zanzibar almost always comes down to the coast: picked from a photo, without checking the tide, the season or the distance.

• Booking a week at Paje or Jambiani without checking the tides of your dates: at low tide, the sea is several hundred yards from the terrace.
• Sleeping in Nungwi and seeing everything by excursion: Stone Town, Jozani and Kizimkazi are each 1h15 to 1h45 away; two nights in Stone Town beat three long drives.
• Staying in Stone Town all week: the city has no swimming beach, and the sea starts elsewhere.
• Going in April or May without knowing: the rains are heavy, the sea is sometimes murky, and hotels close.
• Walking around Stone Town or a village in a swimsuit or bare-chested: the swimsuit stays for the hotel beach.
• Picking a dolphin trip with a dozen boats around the animals: choose a dawn departure, one boat per group, and nobody gets into the water to chase them.
• Counting on a bank card at Paje or Jambiani: withdraw shillings in Stone Town or Nungwi, and keep dollars for excursions.
• Bringing home coral, a large shell or a turtle shell: they are protected, and customs will seize them.
• Following a tout in Stone Town without agreeing on the price: the fare is announced before leaving, not on arrival.