Zanzibar
Covers Phuket, Koh Samui, Koh Lanta, Koh Phi Phi, Bali, Palawan, the Maldives, Mauritius, the Seychelles and Zanzibar, with visa and park rules checked at the source.
UpdatedThis page carries dated prices, schedules or seasonal facts checked on the date above, and that window has now passed. Re-check the sources at the foot of the page before you book.
Zanzibar is two islands' worth of trip on one. Unguja, the main island, has Stone Town, a UNESCO World Heritage old town of carved doors and narrow lanes, and a coastline of white beaches. The north, around Nungwi and Kendwa, is where you can swim at any tide. The east coast is beautiful but the sea pulls far out at low tide.
It is also the cheapest place on the Indian Ocean list. The cheapest 3-star room we found in Nungwi was $36 in January and $41 in July, taxes in. What you save on rooms you partly spend on entry: a $100 Tanzania visa and $44 Zanzibar insurance. Zanzibar's statistics office recorded 917,167 international visitors across the 12 months of 2025, a sharp rise from 638,498 in 2023.
At a glance
- Best for
- Budget travelers, solo travelers and couples who want culture with the beach
- Skip it if
- You can only travel in April or May, the long-rains slump
- Getting there
- Fly to Zanzibar (ZNZ) via Doha, Dubai, Istanbul, Addis Ababa, Nairobi or Amsterdam; or ferry from Dar es Salaam
- Hotel, mid-January
- $36 in Nungwi on January 13, 2027 (cheapest 3-star, taxes and fees in, Kayak)
- Island size
- Unguja, the main island, is about 608 sq miles (1,575 sq km)
- Visitors in 2025
- 917,167 international visitors, sum of the 12 official monthly releases
In this guide
How Zanzibar scores
Six factors, scored 0 to 10 the same way for all 64 islands. How we score
- WeatherData · 20%9.5
- Beaches & seaEditors · 25%7.5
- Things to doEditors · 25%8.0
- Getting there from the USData · 10%2.1
- ValueData · 10%10.0
- Room to breatheData · 10%7.0
Weather month by month
Best months by our weather score: July, August, September. Daytime highs, rain and sunshine are 2016–2025 averages at Abeid Amani Karume International Airport (Open-Meteo historical weather archive); sea temperatures are 2022–2025 averages for the nearest sea area (Open-Meteo marine archive).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High °F | 89 | 90 | 89 | 83 | 82 | 82 | 81 | 82 | 83 | 85 | 86 | 87 |
| Sea °F | 85 | 85 | 86 | 84 | 83 | 82 | 80 | 79 | 80 | 81 | 83 | 85 |
| Rain (in) | 2.5 | 1.7 | 4.1 | 15.4 | 8.2 | 2.8 | 1.9 | 1.7 | 1.8 | 3.7 | 4.5 | 4.1 |
| Weather score | 9.4 | 9.5 | 8.7 | 6.0 | 7.0 | 9.6 | 9.9 | 10.0 | 10.0 | 9.2 | 8.9 | 9.0 |
The numbers behind the score
- Gateway airport
- Abeid Amani Karume International Airport (ZNZ)
- US nonstops
- None. No US nonstop to ZNZ. Usual connections via Doha (Qatar Airways), Dubai (flydubai, Air Tanzania), Istanbul (Turkish Airlines), Addis Ababa (Ethiopian), Nairobi (Kenya Airways), Amsterdam (KLM) or Paris (Air France); or via Dar es Salaam, then a short flight or ferry.
- Distance
- 10,047 mi from Los Angeles, 7,699 mi from New York
- Passport
- Needed for US citizens
- Hotel, one night
- $36 on Jan 13, 2027 · $41 on Jul 14, 2027 (Nungwi (north coast, Unguja))
- Visitors a year
- 917,167 overnight visitors (2025)
- Bringing a dog
- Possible: Import permit from Tanzania's Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries (Veterinary Investigation Centre) plus a health certificate from a USDA-accredited vet, endorsed by USDA; no quarantine is mentioned. Ask whether Zanzibar adds its own requirements.
Hotel prices: Cheapest 3-star-or-better double, 1 night, 2 adults, Kayak 'Nightly total - including all taxes + fees' view, checked 2026-10-20. January: Kassandra Beach Hotel. July: Nungwi Roses (a Kendwa property was $36, outside the area named).. Visitor figures: Office of the Chief Government Statistician (OCGS) Zanzibar, Monthly Tourism Statistical Releases January to December 2025, summed.
Where Zanzibar ranks
Who Zanzibar suits, and who should skip it
Pick Zanzibar if you want beach days broken up by markets, history and boat trips, and if a guesthouse with a fan does not bother you. It is a strong pick on our cheap islands list and works for solo travelers, with hostels in Nungwi and Stone Town and tours sold everywhere.
Skip it if you need calm, deep water right off every beach, or a polished resort experience: Mauritius does that better. LGBT travelers should read the State Department's Tanzania page first; it warns that LGB travelers may be denied entry.
Where to stay: Stone Town, the north or the east
- Nungwi and Kendwa (north). The swimming beaches, sunset dhow cruises and most of the budget rooms. On Kayak, the cheapest double rated 3 stars or better in Nungwi was Kassandra Beach Hotel at $36 on Wednesday, January 13, 2027 and Nungwi Roses at $41 on Wednesday, July 14, 2027, taxes and fees included.
- Stone Town. Spend one or two nights for the old town, the food market and day trips, then move to a beach. It is the base for Prison Island, the sandbanks and the spice farms, and the ferry port for Dar es Salaam is here too. The lanes are a maze, so a guided walk on your first morning saves time.
- Paje, Jambiani and Matemwe (east). Wide beaches, kitesurfing and quieter villages, but check the tide tables before you book.
Beaches: choose by the tide
The big difference between coasts is the tide. In Nungwi and Kendwa the water stays deep enough to swim through the day, which makes them the easy pick for families and swimmers. On the east coast, at Paje, Bwejuu and Jambiani, the sea retreats a long way at low tide, uncovering sand flats, seagrass and village seaweed farms. That is good for walking and kitesurfing on the flood, frustrating if you want a swim at noon.
For the best water, go out by boat: sandbanks off Stone Town, the reef around Mnemba Atoll off the northeast, and Safari Blue days in Menai Bay to the south.
Things to do beyond the beach
- Stone Town: carved doors, the old fort, and the Forodhani night market on the waterfront for grilled seafood.
- Spice farms inland, where guides show you cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla.
- Jozani Forest, the place to see the endemic red colobus monkey.
- Prison Island, a short boat ride from Stone Town, with its giant tortoises.
- Sandbank, snorkeling and dolphin trips, plus sunset dhow cruises from Stone Town and Nungwi.
All of these are on the official Visit Zanzibar activities list. Prices are set by operators, so compare two or three. Many visitors also add a mainland safari; that is a separate trip with its own costs. If you have only four or five days, spend one in Stone Town, one on a boat and the rest on a north-coast beach.
When to go: two rainy seasons
The Tanzania Meteorological Authority puts Unguja and Pemba among the areas with two rainy seasons a year. The short rains, called Vuli, usually run October to December. For 2026 the authority forecasts average to above-average Vuli rain on both islands, starting in early October and lasting into January 2027, longer than usual.
The long rains come in spring, and the visitor numbers show it. Zanzibar's statistics office counted 37,137 visitors in April 2025 and 37,038 in May, against 105,506 in August. The busy, drier months are July to September and the December holidays. Rain, not storms, is the planning issue here; see our storm season guide for the wider region.
Getting there from the US, and entry rules
There is no nonstop from the US to Abeid Amani Karume International (ZNZ). One-stop options include Qatar Airways via Doha, flydubai or Air Tanzania via Dubai, Turkish Airlines via Istanbul, Ethiopian via Addis Ababa, Kenya Airways via Nairobi and KLM via Amsterdam. You can also fly into Dar es Salaam and take a short flight or a ferry across.
Entry has two parts. The State Department says US tourists need a one-year multiple-entry visa for $100, by e-visa before travel or on arrival, and a passport with six months' validity and a blank page. Yellow fever proof applies only if you come from, or transit 12 hours or more through, an endemic country. Then Zanzibar adds its own rule: mandatory inbound travel insurance from the Zanzibar Insurance Corporation, $44 per visitor, valid up to 92 days. The corporation says proof of other international insurance is not accepted. Our passport guide covers the rest.
Bringing a dog, and what a trip costs
A dog needs an import permit from Tanzania's Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries, Veterinary Investigation Centre, plus a health certificate from a USDA-accredited vet endorsed by USDA. Ask the ministry whether Zanzibar requires anything extra; the USDA page does not say.
For two adults, the fixed entry costs come to $288 before you land: $200 in visas and $88 in insurance. Rooms are the cheap part. Excursions are where costs add up, so budget for a Stone Town tour, a spice farm and a boat day.
Tickets and tours you can book
From Kendwa: Mnemba Boat Trip and Dolphin Snorkel Adventure
Boat, guide, snorkel gear and the Mnemba conservation fee are included; pickup is only from Nungwi and Kendwa. Dolphin sightings are not guaranteed, and boats should not chase them.
Rating as shown on GetYourGuide
Zanzibar: Stone Town, Spice tour & Prison Island with Lunch
Pickup, boat, lunch and guide are included; Prison Island entrance is only included on the matching option. Three sights in one rushed day.
Rating as shown on GetYourGuide
Zanzibar: Safari Blue Lagoon Trip with Snorkeling and Lunch
Pickup, snorkel gear, the seafood lunch and soft drinks are included.
Rating as shown on GetYourGuide
Booking through these links supports this site at no cost to you. Prices move by date, so we do not print them here; the official prices we checked are in the page above.
Frequently asked questions
Do US citizens need a visa for Zanzibar?
Yes. Zanzibar is part of Tanzania, and US tourists need the $100 one-year multiple-entry visa, available as an e-visa or on arrival, according to the State Department.
Is travel insurance mandatory for Zanzibar?
Yes. Every visitor must buy inbound travel insurance from the Zanzibar Insurance Corporation. It costs $44 per visitor, covers up to 92 days, and other policies are not accepted as a substitute.
Which beach in Zanzibar is best for swimming?
Nungwi and Kendwa in the north, where the water stays deep enough through the day. East-coast beaches such as Paje and Jambiani have a large tidal range and the sea goes far out at low tide.
When is the rainy season in Zanzibar?
There are two: the long rains in spring, when April and May arrivals drop to about a third of August's, and the short Vuli rains from October to December. For 2026 the Tanzania Meteorological Authority expects the Vuli rains to last into January 2027.
Are there direct flights from the US to Zanzibar?
No. Connect through Doha, Dubai, Istanbul, Addis Ababa, Nairobi or Amsterdam, or fly to Dar es Salaam and cross by plane or ferry.
Further reading
Official sources
- Office of the Chief Government Statistician, Zanzibar - Monthly Tourism Statistical Releases, January to December 2025 – Monthly international visitors, January 84,069 to December 100,729; April 37,137, May 37,038, August 105,506; summed to 917,167 for 2025; Americans 2,820 in December 2025; checked October 20, 2026
- Office of the Chief Government Statistician, Zanzibar - Annual Tourism Statistics 2023 – 638,498 international visitors in 2023; the 2025 annual report link returned an error on October 20, 2026
- US State Department - Tanzania International Travel Information – $100 one-year multiple-entry visa, e-visa or on arrival; passport six months and one blank page; yellow fever rule; LGB entry warning; checked October 20, 2026
- Zanzibar Insurance Corporation - Mandatory Inbound Travel Insurance (official), FAQs – $44 per visitor, up to 92 days, non-renewable, other insurance not accepted; checked October 20, 2026
- Visit Zanzibar (Zanzibar Commission for Tourism) - Activities – Official activities list: Stone Town, Safari Blue, Forodhani Night Market, sandbanks, Jozani Forest, spices, dolphin tours, sunset cruises; checked October 20, 2026
- Tanzania Meteorological Authority - Vuli 2026 rainfall outlook (October to December) – Average to above-average Vuli rains for Unguja and Pemba, starting early October 2026 and ending in January 2027; checked October 20, 2026
- USDA APHIS - Pet Travel From the United States to Tanzania – Import permit from the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries, VIC, plus USDA-endorsed health certificate; checked October 20, 2026
- Wikipedia - Abeid Amani Karume International Airport, Airlines and destinations – No US destinations; Doha, Dubai, Istanbul, Addis Ababa, Nairobi, Amsterdam and Dar es Salaam links; page edited October 16, 2026; checked October 20, 2026
- Kayak - Nungwi hotels, January 13-14, 2027 – Kassandra Beach Hotel $36, nightly total including taxes and fees; checked October 20, 2026
- Kayak - Nungwi hotels, July 14-15, 2027 – Nungwi Roses $41, nightly total including taxes and fees; checked October 20, 2026
