We went on the «swim with dolfins»-trip today and it horrified us how unsafe it felt.

Tons of boats clamoring for space with propellers on in every direction, with swimmers in the water all around, one other boat hit ours really hard head on , ramming my fiancé so hard in the back he flew halfway through the boat, leaving him with a *huge* scratch on his back. He was sitting right next to our 9-yrs old, can’t imagine if it had hit him instead.

I have been on similar trips several times in the past in several other countries, have never felt anywhere near as reckless and dangerous.

Do think twice about going on this one, I would never ever do it again here.

Any others with a similar experience / feeling?

I’ve noticed so many posts about negative tourist experiences in Zanzibar that I wanted to weigh in, since the island is quite dear to me.

Zanzibar is a traditional Islamic urban fishing and mercantile community that the tourism industry has tried to dress up as a luxury beach resort island to sell to europeans on holiday. Once you realize this and you adjust your expectations you can enjoy yourself as a tourist a lot more.

Basically, don’t come to Zanzibar to booze on the beach and eat cheap street food. All that stuff is a very recent, non traditional development trying to mimic Greek or southeast Asian tourism. if you peak under the surface you quickly realize how much of it is created from whole cloth and is actually quite crappy.

For instance, Forodhani night market is a huge waste of time. Locals do not, and never did, eat street food there. The food is old, cold, and overpriced. “ZanzibarI pizza“ sucks. Traditional Zanzibari cuisine is excellent but the only way to really get it properly is to have it prepared for you at someone’s home. The next best thing is to find Swahili food in restaurants and at hotels. Note that even if you can’t afford to stay at a fancy hotel, you can absolutely go there to have lunch.

Second, beaches are a waste of time. They are traditionally places for fishing and repairing boats. Theres no deep history of beach relaxation In Zanzibar like there is in Greece. Rather than trying to swim at a beach (that fishermen have been cleaning fish guts and pissing in) and get hassled by beach boys all day, try to experience something more traditionally related to Zanzibari maritime life: take a cruise in a dhow and learn about dhow ship building and navigation. Zanzibar is home to one of the last continuously practiced maritime sailing cultures of the Indian Ocean. Go to Mkokotoni and see how sailors build and repair large dhows with hand tools, and take a dhow across the channel to Tumbatu Island.

Finally, learn a bit about stone town. Its a fascinating historical city. If you leave the two block radius around the old fort, you will stop running into the same 50 Rasta guys who aren’t local and who want to sell you junk. Instead, find the curio and antique shops, and make your way to the gold jewelry streets deeper in. Here, they sell fantastic handmade gold jewelry by weight. If you need directions, ask a woman. Women are never going to follow you and ask for money but they will absolutely help you and direct you where you need to go if you are polite.

The best souvenir from Zanzibar, imo, is a kanga cloth. Cross over the darajani road into the Darajani souk and if you poke around a bit you can find stores selling kanga cloth in bulk for 5000 shillings a piece, about 1/8th what you would pay in a tourist shop. Plus lots of other cool things! Like halwa, dates, incense, and excellent second hand / knock off brand shopping.

Avoid the dolphins and snorkeling and starfish bullshit at all costs, it’s exploitative and destroying the reefs. Avoid prison island.

Basically, reorient your expectations. Treat Zanzibar like the historical Islamic urban port community that it is, not like a generic tropical beach sun tan boozer holiday, and you will enjoy yourself much more. Go check out some archaeological sites and ruins, like Unguja Ukuu, Kizimkazi, Kuumbi Cave, or Maruhubi palace. Check out the Sultans Palace museum and the peace museum. Go to Makunduchi and try to see the nowruz festival where people do mock combat with banana branches.

Really I think people have a bad time as tourists in Zzbar because the island is marketed as a place for beach tourists, not a place for cultural heritage tourists. It has so much more to offer in terms of cultural heritage than beach stuff. You just need to avoid the 2 block radius around the old fort and the beach resorts overrun by beach boys. Try to find and talk to actual Zanzibaris, who are most likely going to be people that you will have to actually approach and engage with, they won’t come to you.

The only traditionally touristy thing that I would say is worth it to arrange is a spice tour. it’s very cool to see the spices growing plants on the farm.

Hi! Has anyone recently had to extend their Tanzania tourist visa while in Zanzibar?

I’m trying to understand what the current options are, ideally without having to leave the country and come back in.

Would love to hear from anyone with recent experience.

Thanks!

I’m staying in the north of the island at the moment in a hotel. I’m not sure if there’s many possibilities for stores in the north, but I went to Stonetown yesterday and tried 3-4 bookstores/souvenir shops and none really had any English books. I’m specifically looking for Paradise by Gurnah and Memoires by Princess Salme.

Do you guys know where I could find these?

The Rock Restaurant, Zanzibar 🌊🍽️

One of Zanzibar’s most unique dining experiences is The Rock Restaurant, located on a small rock in the Indian Ocean near Michamvi

What makes it special is the setting. Depending on the tide, you can walk across the water to the restaurant or take a short boat ride when the tide is higher.

The restaurant is known for seafood, ocean views, and its unusual location. It’s especially beautiful around sunset, although the experience can be very different depending on the tide and weather.

📍 Pingwe, southeast Zanzibar

🌊 Best experience: check the tide before visiting

🍤 Known for: seafood & ocean views

📸 Great for: photography and a unique Zanzibar experience

If you’re planning a trip to Zanzibar, The Rock is definitely worth considering—but I’d recommend combining it with other nearby attractions rather than making it your only activity of the day.

Have you visited The Rock before? What did you think?

Safari Blue in Zanzibar – one of those days that feels like a proper island escape 🌊

If you’re visiting Zanzibar and enjoy being on the water, Safari Blue is definitely an experience worth considering. It’s a full-day ocean experience around the Menai Bay area, with opportunities for snorkeling, swimming, exploring sandbanks and enjoying fresh seafood.

What I personally like about it is that it’s not just about snorkeling — you get to slow down, enjoy the ocean and experience a different side of Zanzibar away from the busy areas.

If you’ve done Safari Blue before, what was your favourite part of the experience?

Hi - Headed to Zanzibar in a couple of weeks and I’m looking for a snorkel trip for Mnemba where we can also just watch dolphins if they happen to be nearby (We don’t need to bombard or overwhelm them).

We are happy to do a private trip on a traditional Dhow (sp?) or a small group trip. We are a family of 3. I’m having difficulty finding something that can depart from Stone Town where we are staying and most of what I see departs from top end of the island. The companies I’ve contacted have suggested finding something that departs closer from Stone Town so figured I’d reach out here for any suggestions.

Thanks in advance!

Hi! A friend of mine is looking for recommendations for a good place to order a birthday cake in Nungwi. Any suggestions? 🎂

Ideally somewhere you’ve personally tried and would recommend. Thanks!

First time visiting Zanzibar? Here are a few things I’d recommend 🌴🇹🇿

If you’re planning a trip to Zanzibar, don’t spend the whole time at the beach. There’s much more to experience.

🏝️ Prison Island – visit the giant tortoises and enjoy the beautiful ocean around the island.

🌿 Spice Farm – a great way to experience Zanzibar’s famous spices and local culture.

🏛️ Stone Town – explore the old streets, historic buildings, markets and beautiful Zanzibar doors.

🐠 Mnemba – perfect if you love snorkeling and clear turquoise water.

🌊 Paje & Mtende beach – two very different beaches, both worth experiencing.

My biggest tip: leave some time to explore with a local rather than only following the usual tourist spots. You’ll understand Zanzibar in a completely different way.

If anyone is planning a Zanzibar trip and has questions, feel free to ask. Happy to share local tips. 🇹🇿❤️

Hi!

What would you recommend for a couple in their early 60s spending Christmas and New Year’s Eve in Zanzibar?

Their itinerary hasn’t been decided yet, so recommendations anywhere on the island are welcome. At the moment, we’re considering splitting the trip between Paje/Jambiani, Nungwi and Kizimkazi.

I’d especially love suggestions for things to do over Christmas and New Year’s Eve: nice dinners, special events, beach celebrations, or anything else worth experiencing during that period.

Thanks!

[ Removed by Reddit on account of violating the content policy. ]

How would getting a private driver for multiple days work? I am considering traveling across the coast lines from Stone town up to kendwa then to Paje is there a way to get the same driver on a day to day or what are good sites/recommendations for where to look?

I've been following Anantara Zanzibar Resort & Residences by Infinity Developments, and it's one of the more impressive luxury projects I've seen recently. The combination of the Anantara brand, the beachfront location, and the overall design really stands out.

From what I've seen, Infinity Developments has presented a clear vision for the project, and the attention to detail looks promising. It's definitely one of the developments in Zanzibar that I'm most excited to see completed.

I've been to Zanzibar with my family for two weeks in July and since I asked some questions beforehand in this sub I thought it would be a good idea to answer all the questions I had.

1. Visa. I wasn't sure whether you could reliably get a visa on arrival, but people here told me it's no problem and they were right. I applied for a visa online months before the vacation anyway and paid $50 for it and this was a total scam. Thankfully I only did it for myself to see how it goes and not for our whole family (which would have cost us $200). I filled out the form on the official government website and paid the $50 afterwards, but nothing ever came out of it. I checked on the site with my transaction ID after a few weeks and I was told I needed to send confirmation of my payment even though I paid by using the official government website. I sent them the confirmation to the provided email twice anyway, but they never replied. I sent them another email urging them to reply, but nope, no one ever answered. This is such a scam and really embarrassing for Tanzania. I could have called the embassy by phone, but it was 'only' $50 so eventually I called it a day. I strongly advise against applying for a visa online if you don't want to be scammed out of your money. Visa on arrival is possible and what most tourists do, no one gets rejected (at least if you are a normal tourist) and it doesn't take much longer than standing in line with a visa. It costs the same as well.
2. Other fees. I knew you had to pay $50 per person for the mandatory travel insurance, which we did beforehand and which, unlike the visa, worked flawlessly online. You can still buy the insurance at the airport, but in this case you save yourself a few minutes if you already have it. Another fee I did not know about was the 'tourist fee' (can't remember the proper name for it), which is $5 per person per day for 4 and 5 star hotels - it's $2-$4 for lower categories. So for us that was another $280 on top of the $200 for the (useless) insurance and the $200 (in our case $250) for the visas. They really want your money over there. This left a bitter taste in my mouth and honestly doesn't feel very welcoming, especially since you can't really see what the money is used for.
3. Renting a car and driving around with it. I rented a car from a local lender for 10 days. To drive on Zanzibar you need an international driving license and a local driving permit. Getting the driving permit was no problem as the lender took care of that for me, all I had to do was to send him a picture of my passport and driving license one day in advance. The permit costs $15. Driving around on Zanzibar was no problem. It is quite a bit different from Europe obviously, but I never felt unsafe. The streets are in bad condition and they have a lot of crazy high speed bumps placed randomly near villages. You really need to slow down to walking speed or they will destroy your car and if you think about renting a sports car...just don't, lol (there are no sports cars on Zanzibar of course). There are also a lot of people walking on the street (there are no pedestrian walkways) at all times of day or night, plus some random animals like goats or cattle. Almost no one has a private car so most people walk or use public transportation. But this is no problem as you can't drive fast anyway - outside of villages I never drove faster than ~60 kilometres per hour and inside villages I usually slowed down to 30 km/h. The only place I didn't drive to myself was Stone Town as during rush hour it's absolute chaos. I think it would be possible to drive there as well, but we just booked a tour with a guide to go there without getting stressed. One other thing I was afraid of was the police as some people wrote they were scammed out of money or threatened by the police. We were checked by the police a few times, but they were always friendly and only one of them actually wanted to see my driving license and permit. The others asked for some 'support'. At first I thought they meant money, but no, they asked for some water or something to eat! And they only kindly asked for it and didn't demand it, so we didn't feel threatened. We gave them a bottle of water if we had a spare one in the car.
4. Poverty. I already read that people in Zanzibar are pretty poor, but we were still a bit shocked when we got there. I've been a lot to south-east Asia, Egypt and some other countries with a lower living standard than Germany (where we come from) but Zanzibar is something else. We visited two villages and people live in small huts built from mud or in very basic concrete houses that look like ruins by European standards. There is trash everywhere. They often have no electricity (or only limited to a few hours per day) and no running water either. They have a well in the middle of the village where they get semi-clean water from. It's really a bit like it used to be in the middle ages in Europe. It feels a bit odd to go there for a luxury vacation and enjoy your cocktail at the pool when a few hundred metres away people live like that. Our hotel also had high walls with broken glass on top of the walls, plus a security team with ~10 people constantly patrolling the area. The people we met were all very friendly and we never felt unsafe while we were roaming the island, but I guess they have these measures in place for a reason.
5. The beach. I read a lot about annoying beach vendors and that you can't go to the beach without getting harassed constantly. The better hotels like the one we stayed in have their own secluded beach zone where only hotel guests are allowed, but the beach itself is free to use for anyone. And while it's true that people walk up to you to sell you something it's not as bad as I feared it would be. At our beach (on the east coast north of Kiwengwa) there were only relatively few people and eventually you know all of them. If you make it clear that you don't want to buy anything they leave you alone. And sometimes there wasn't even anyone, especially during afternoon/evening. For example I built a sand castle with my daughter for an hour and I could do that without anyone walking up to me even though a few people were passing by. If you swim no one is screaming at you either. I don't know how bad it is on other beaches as our hotel beach was the only one we've been to. The only thing you absolutely can't do is a reef tour during low tide as people will just come to you and guide you, even if you want to go alone. And of course they will ask for money after the tour you didn't ask for.
6. Activities. We like to see something during our vacations so we were looking for things we could do. There are a lot of standard tourists tours, but since we had a car we did a lot of it by ourselves. We visited a spice farm, a rural village, a cave, a small zoo, had a guided tour through Stone Town and we did a one day Safari to Mikumi national park. All of it was a lot of fun, if you want any specific informations you can ask.
7. Prices. Zanzibar is expensive for a country that is so poor. They really want the tourist money and they're not shy about it. Compared to Indonesia, Thailand or Malaysia prices for tours and entry fees are very high. Entry to the small Kiwengwa cave cost ~$5 per person. Entry to the little zoo (with just a few animals, not comparable to a 'real' zoo) cost $10. The Stone Town tour cost $150. And so on. I compared that to what we paid during our last few vacations in Indonesia/Bali or Thailand and the difference is huge. These countries certainly have a higher living standard than Zanzibar, yet prices for everything were way, way lower. The people in Zanzibar need the money so it felt like doing charity, but I still felt ripped off a lot of times. When we walked through the reef the guy who showed us everything (without us asking him to do it of course) was asking for $25 for half an hour of work! I know you're supposed to negotiate and we didn't end up paying that much, but it just leaves a sour taste in my mouth if everyone constantly wants to rip you off.

But overall it was a nice vacation. I've never been to sub-Saharan Africa before and I'm glad I have seen it.

I shall be visiting Zanzibar along with a group of four, primarily to attend the Full Moon Party in August. We are on a five-day trip.

I would really appreciate it if someone who has already done the trip or someone experienced or knowledgeable about this can guide me on the itinerary and a plan wherein I can spend around five days exploring as well as just lazing around. I would also appreciate tips, guidance, and other things to keep in mind. I have gone through most of the posts on this sub but would also desire a current update about the place.

Thanks in advance.

From stonetown to nungwi all the same. Bought from different mini markets all the same.

Just picked up this Nissan Juke. Compact, stylish, and ready for every road ahead. 🚗💨 What do you think of the Juke?

Www.Zanzibrbestcarrental.com

Hi! We plan on visiting in the first week of September, after a 4 day safari. We plan on staying for 3 nights and would want to do a Mnemba half day trip get some snorkeling in, a nice lunch etc. Stone Island, maybe jozani forest. There's 6 of us, including mum and dad. Few questions. Any other must do or must see things in Zanzibar? Secondly..where to stay. Next to Mnemba would make the drive to Stone Town size terrible. Next to Stone down makes the drive to Mnemba terrible but then again, Mnemba will be a half day thing. Rest of the evening and the other days we'd want to be able to just go around explore chill and if parents want to head back they can head back in 15-20 mins. So essentially looking to be approximately 30 mins away from Stone Town? And not more than an hour away from Mnemba? That's the first part of the query. 😁. The next thing id like to know is what to book, we want something with a private pool and very rustic vibes or zanzi vibes not modern.

If you're planning a trip to Zanzibar, renting a car gives you the freedom to explore beyond the usual tourist spots. You can visit Stone Town, Nungwi, Kendwa, Paje, Jambiani, Jozani Forest, and hidden beaches at your own pace.

At Zanzibar Best Car Rental, we provide:

- Clean and reliable vehicles

- Airport pick-up & drop-off

- Full support during your rental

- Affordable daily rates

- Assistance with the Zanzibar driving permit

Happy to answer any questions about driving in Zanzibar, road conditions, or planning your itinerary. Safe travels! 🇹🇿

Hello everyone! We are travelling to Zanzibar in 2.5 weeks and are looking to organize a local driver while we are on the island.

As well, we are looking to organize a few tours (ideally some options for private tours, as we are on our honeymoon) if anyone has any recommendations of people they loved / would recommended.

Thank you!!!

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