Field note · Tanzania · Unguja, Zanzibar Archipelago

Zanzibar

Almost everyone arrives on Unguja either through Abeid Amani Karume airport south of Stone Town or on the fast catamaran from Dar es Salaam, and both entry points are where the money gets taken. The ferry is a two-tier business: Azam Marine charges residents in shillings and foreigners in dollars, and the terminal in Dar is full of people in lanyards who will sell you the wrong ticket at the right price. Once on the island, transport splits cleanly. Locals use dala-dalas, numbered minibuses and pickups that leave from Darajani market on Creek Road in Stone Town and radiate out to each village, at a couple of thousand shillings a head; they are slow, crowded and awkward with a suitcase. Visitors mostly use taxis, which have no meters and work off a rough tariff everyone knows and nobody prints, or the fixed-price shared shuttle that collects from hotels. Bolt works on the island. There is no coastal road service, so anything north to south goes back through Stone Town. Stone Town itself you walk: the alleys are too narrow for cars. Water transport to the small islands is a beach negotiation with a boat owner, not a ticket office.

Researched: 21 September 2026
Reviewed: not yet
Ways of moving: 8, 30 sources
Not confirmed: 11
Fares seen: 2018–2026

How transport works here

8 ways of moving, each with its rule

We confirmed eight ways of moving to, from or around Zanzibar: two by water, four by road and two hired or on demand, from 30 sources. Six of them run only on demand or when the seats are full, so there is no timetable to show; the rule is written where the timetable would be. One needs a phone call or a message before you turn up.

The fares were seen in 2018 to 2026; a fare from an older year is a floor, not a price. We rate 3 of the 8 high confidence, our own judgement of the sources. The entry was checked on 21 September 2026, and ends with eleven things we could not confirm.

2 ways

By water

boat

Azam Marine and Kilimanjaro Fast Ferries, Dar es Salaam to Stone Town, and on to Pemba and Tanga

Dar es Salaam ferry terminal to Stone Town port, about 75 km across the Zanzibar Channel. The same operator runs Stone Town to Mkoani on Pemba, Dar es Salaam to Mkoani, and Mkoani to Tanga on the mainland

In Dar es Salaam, go straight to the company's own kiosk at the ferry terminal and ignore everyone who intercepts you. Wikivoyage's warning is worth taking literally: touts will tell you the kiosk is closed, that their boat is faster than it is, will charge you for first class and hand you an economy ticket, or sell you a return leg valid only on a cheaper company. Azam itself says to buy at its offices in Dar es Salaam, Zanzibar or Pemba, or from approved agents. Arrive at least 30 minutes early for immigration, luggage checks and a decent seat. You need your passport even travelling from mainland Tanzania, because Zanzibar runs its own immigration and you fill out Tanzanian arrival and departure cards. On the Stone Town side the terminal is at the northern edge of the old town, a short walk from Darajani market

When: Roughly four crossings a day each way in normal conditions: 07:00, 09:30, 12:30 and 15:45 from Dar es Salaam, and 07:00, 09:30, 12:30 and 15:30 back from Stone Town. Extra sailings appear with demand, and sailings are cut in bad weather. Pemba services run only a few times a week and often leave late
Takes: About 2 hours Dar es Salaam to Stone Town, longer in rough seas. Stone Town to Mkoani on Pemba about 5 hours; Dar es Salaam to Mkoani about 7 hours; Mkoani to Tanga about 2 hours
Fare 2026: Azam's published 2026 tariff is two-tier. Non-residents pay in US dollars: economy US$35 adult and US$30 child, business US$40, VIP US$60, royal US$100. Residents pay in shillings: economy TSh 40,000 adult and TSh 30,000 child, business TSh 50,000, VIP TSh 80,000, royal TSh 120,000. Foreigners holding a Tanzanian residence permit or exemption certificate pay the citizen fare in shillings. Pounds and euros are accepted, other currencies are not. Wikivoyage's older figures for Pemba are US$35 from Stone Town and US$75 from Dar es Salaam. Flying Horse runs the Dar crossing for about US$20 in roughly 4 hours 30 minutes, with a slow overnight boat that anchors off and enters port in the morning

SeasonYear-round. Crossings are rougher and slower in bad weather and the boat hands out sickness bags at the start. The long rains from March to May are the worst stretch, and Tanzania Wikivoyage notes many Zanzibar resorts close then. BookingTwo separate online portals, one for residents and one for non-residents, both linked from azammarine.com, plus WhatsApp booking. Walk-up at company offices in Dar es Salaam, Stone Town and Pemba. Baggage allowance 25 kg; cancellation must be notified at least 2 hours before departure and there is no refund for a missed sailing. Run byAzam Marine and Kilimanjaro Fast Ferries, part of the Bakhresa Group. Flying Horse and other operators also run the Dar crossing.

boat

Dhows and small boats to Changuu, Kendwa and the reefs

Stone Town beach to Changuu, the old prison island, about 5 km offshore; Nungwi to Kendwa along the coast; snorkel and dolphin runs from Nungwi, Matemwe and Kizimkazi

For Changuu, walk to the beach by the ferry terminal in Stone Town, where boats are drawn up on the sand, and negotiate directly with a boat owner rather than through a tout on Kenyatta or Shangani Road. The island itself is privately run and charges its own entry on arrival. Between Nungwi and Kendwa you can hire a small boat for the ten-minute hop, or walk the 3 km along the beach at low tide, which becomes impassable at high tide because the coast is rocky. Sunset dhow cruises leave Nungwi in the late afternoon. Diving and snorkelling around Mnemba atoll is arranged through dive shops in Nungwi and the northeast rather than at a boat ramp. Booking a tour by paying cash on the street is a common way to lose the money, and a tout who walks you into an office adds about US$5 to the price as commission

When: On demand during daylight; boats do not run after dark. Sunset dhow cruises go out in the late afternoon
Takes: Stone Town to Changuu about 30 minutes each way, usually sold as a couple of hours including time ashore. Nungwi to Kendwa about 10 minutes. Nungwi sunset dhow cruise about 2 hours. The Kizimkazi dolphin day trip runs 08:00 to 17:00
Fare 2024: Hiring a whole boat with its sailor for a couple of hours to Changuu is about US$15 on your own and a little more for two or more, before bargaining; Changuu's own entry charge is at least US$37. Nungwi to Kendwa by private boat from TSh 20,000. A two-hour Nungwi dhow cruise to Kendwa and back is US$15 a person or US$40 to take the whole dhow. A snorkelling boat trip with equipment starts at US$35 for the boat, and a dolphin trip at US$40

SeasonDaylight and calm water. Crossings stop in rough weather, and the long rains from March to May are the worst stretch. BookingNone for the beach boats, negotiate on the sand. Dive and snorkel trips through a shop with an office, not a tout on the street. Run byIndependent boat owners; dive shops for the Mnemba reefs.

4 ways

By road

dala dala

Dala-dala 116 to Nungwi and Kendwa

Darajani market on Creek Road, Stone Town, north to Nungwi at the top of the island, passing the Kendwa junction on the way

Dala-dalas leave from Creek Road at Darajani market. Every vehicle carries a destination board and a route number, which makes the system easy to use: 116 is Nungwi, 117 Kiwengwa, 118 Matemwe, 502 Bububu, 505 the airport. Pick the one that already looks full, because they leave when they fill and not before. For Kendwa, ride the 116 and ask to be put down at the Kendwa junction, then walk 1.5 km west with no shade, or stay on to Nungwi and take a taxi back for about TSh 10,000. They are hard work with a suitcase and manageable with a backpack

When: No timetable. Departures when full, through the day, thinning out well before dark. There is no north to south coastal service, so a trip from Nungwi to the east coast means coming back through Stone Town and changing
Takes: About 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours to Nungwi, depending on stops, road obstacles and police checkpoints
Fare 2024: TSh 2,500 a person is the normal fare to Nungwi, though the conductor may push a tourist rate of TSh 5,000 (February 2024). Wikivoyage's general rule is that no route on the island should be more than TSh 2,000 a person; the Kendwa junction hop back from Nungwi is about TSh 300

SeasonYear-round. Slower and less frequent in heavy rain. BookingNone. Pay the conductor, usually on arrival. Run byPrivate dala-dala owners under Zanzibar route licences.

dala dala

Dala-dala 309 and 324 to Paje, Bwejuu and Jambiani

Stone Town southeast to the east coast beach strip: Bwejuu on the 324, Jambiani on the 309, both running the length of the Paje and Jambiani sand road. Others on the same side of the island: 206 Chwaka, 214 Uroa, 308 Unguja Ukuu, 310 Makunduchi, 326 Kizimkazi

Two ways. Some east coast dala-dalas load at Darajani on Creek Road with their route numbers on the board. The other way, described for Jambiani, is to take a short dala-dala from the crossroads just south of the market on Creek Road out to Mwanakwerekwe or Fuoni, then pick up the 309 there. Once on the east coast the bus runs the whole length of the village, so tell the conductor your hotel name rather than just the village, because Paje strings out over 5 km and drivers left to choose will stop at the most expensive place. The Paje landmark to aim for is the roundabout by the big red supermarket, about 200 m from the beach

When: No timetable, they leave when full. Get on the one that already has most seats taken or you will sit a long time
Takes: Stone Town to Mwanakwerekwe or Fuoni about 20 to 25 minutes, then 1 hour to 1 hour 30 minutes on to Jambiani. Paje is about 30 to 40 minutes from Stone Town by car and longer by dala-dala
Fare 2018: TSh 2,000 to Paje, TSh 2,000 to Jambiani on the 309, plus about TSh 300 for the short hop out to Mwanakwerekwe. Wikivoyage's island-wide rule of thumb is under TSh 2,000 a person for any routeSeen in 2018: a floor, not a price.

SeasonYear-round. The east coast is the wettest side in the long rains from March to May, when many beach hotels close. Run byPrivate dala-dala owners.

dala dala

Dala-dala 505 between Stone Town and the airport

Abeid Amani Karume International Airport, about 5 km south of Zanzibar City, to Creek Road in Stone Town

There is a bus stop just outside the airport gate, not inside the terminal. The route number is 505 and the boards read Ndege, which is Swahili for aircraft. Coming the other way, the easiest place to catch it is the crossroads just south of Darajani market on Creek Road. The buses run along Creek Road. Fine with a backpack, awkward with suitcases

When: When full, through the day. Not a night service
Takes: About 20 minutes
Fare 2018: TSh 200 (2018). Treat this as the floor rather than the current priceSeen in 2018: a floor, not a price.

SeasonYear-round. Run byPrivate dala-dala owners.

share taxi

The Zanzibus shared shuttle

Fixed runs between Stone Town, the airport, Nungwi, Kendwa, Kiwengwa, Matemwe, Paje, Bwejuu and Jambiani

Booked online only, in advance, at thezanzibus.com. The vehicle collects you from your accommodation and drops you where you ask; you share it with other passengers but everyone gets a seat and there is luggage space, which the dala-dala does not have. Departures are at set times rather than on demand, and the site publishes meeting points for the places where door pick-up is not possible

When: Set departures each day on each corridor rather than a continuous service
Takes: Stone Town or airport to Paje about 1 hour 10 minutes, to Jambiani about 1 hour 20 minutes, to Nungwi and Kendwa about 1 hour 55 minutes
Fare 2026: From EUR 8 on the shorter east coast runs and EUR 10 to Nungwi and Kendwa, quoted elsewhere as US$10 a person island-wide and US$12 from the southeast coast up to Kendwa

SeasonYear-round. BookingOnline in advance; tickets are not sold on the day at a counter. Run byThe Zanzibus, part of Hostel Hoppa LLC.

2 ways

Hired, booked and on demand

private hire

Taxis, private cars and Bolt

Anywhere on Unguja. The common runs are airport or Stone Town to Nungwi, Kendwa, Paje, Jambiani, Matemwe and Kizimkazi

Taxis wait outside the airport terminal and at the ferry terminal, and there are no meters anywhere. The airport rank has a printed list of destination prices, but it is a starting point, not a tariff: prices are negotiable and a little haggling beats the number a hotel quotes. Private cars are the same thing without the official taxi marking, usually 10 to 20 per cent cheaper, and your hotel can call one, though the hotel may add a heavy commission on top. Agree the fare before you get in. Bolt operates in Zanzibar with its standard category of everyday mid-size cars, which gives you an app price to check any quote against. Some Stone Town hotels run a free airport shuttle, so ask before booking anything

When: On demand
Takes: Stone Town to Nungwi or Kendwa about 1 hour 30 minutes; airport or Stone Town to Paje about 1 hour; Nungwi to Kizimkazi about 2 hours
Fare 2024: Sample street prices: Stone Town to Nungwi or Kendwa from TSh 69,789 one way and TSh 62,810 returning; airport to Nungwi TSh 65,000; airport or Stone Town to Paje from TSh 50,000; Nungwi to Kizimkazi from TSh 80,000. A taxi hired at the Stone Town ferry terminal for Nungwi runs TSh 70,000 to 100,000, roughly US$30 to 50. Hotel-arranged private cars and 4WDs are US$50 to 60 each way, and a hotel may charge US$60 for the airport to Nungwi run that costs less on the street. A taxi within Paje is around US$1.30 a head shared

SeasonYear-round. BookingNone needed for street taxis. Bolt through the app. Pre-booking through a hotel is convenient and usually the most expensive route. Run byIndependent taxi owners and private car drivers; Bolt Technology for the app.

private hire

Self-drive car, scooter and bicycle, and the Zanzibar permit

Anywhere on Unguja, and short village-scale trips in Paje, Jambiani and Nungwi

Rental companies deliver to and collect from hotels, so a one-day one-way hire is practical: a small 4x4 dropped in Nungwi and picked up in Stone Town costs about US$30. Before you drive you need a temporary Zanzibar driver's permit on top of your home licence; ask the rental company to obtain it and deliver it with the car, which they will do from a photocopy or emailed photo of your licence. There are many police checks and they want to see the licence, the Zanzibar permit and the insurance sticker on the windscreen. Roads are poor and unlit, with sudden bumps, animals and people, so avoid driving at night. For short distances, bicycles are the sensible choice in Jambiani and Paje, where the roads are dusty tracks unsuitable for cars, and scooters and motorbikes are rented from resorts and beach touts

When: On demand, same day in most cases
Takes: Rented by the day
Fare 2024: Self-drive car about US$50 a day; a one-way small 4x4 Nungwi to Stone Town about US$30; a Vespa in Paje about US$25 a day. The temporary Zanzibar driver's permit is about TSh 16,000

SeasonYear-round; tracks on the east coast get boggy in the long rains. BookingThrough your hotel or direct with a rental firm, ideally a day ahead so the permit is ready. Run byLocal rental firms, hotels and resorts.

Not confirmed

What we could not find out

11 things the researcher looked for and did not find, in their own words, with where to ask instead. None of this goes into the planner; it stays here until someone confirms it.

01
Correction to the brief: Wikivoyage's Stone Town route list gives 309 for Jambiani and 324 for Bwejuu, not 324 for Paje and Jambiani. The Paje article separately names routes 309 and 340. Which number actually runs the Paje strip today is not settled by the sources fetched.
02
Correction to the brief: the Jambiani article routes east coast passengers through Mwanakwerekwe, not Mwembe Ladu. No fetchable source confirmed Mwembe Ladu as a dala-dala terminus, so it is left out rather than invented.
03
No source named Zan Fast Ferries' own timetable or fares. Azam is the only Dar and Pemba operator with published 2026 rates. A reseller site lists a ZanFast 16:00 Dar to Zanzibar sailing and Monday, Wednesday and Friday Zanzibar to Pemba departures, but it is a ticket agency rather than the operator and was not treated as reliable.
04
Azam's own sailing times were not found on azammarine.com; the four daily departures each way come from Wikivoyage. Confirm on the booking portal before travelling.
05
The Stone Town taxi union tariff is referred to everywhere as a known list of prices but no published version could be retrieved. The sample fares given are travellers' figures, not an official schedule.
06
Uber's availability in Zanzibar could not be confirmed. Bolt's own city page for Zanzibar is live and is cited; Uber's global cities listing returned no Tanzanian entry, which is suggestive but not proof.
07
Dala-dala fares to the airport and to Jambiani are from 2018 and are almost certainly out of date. The Nungwi fare is from February 2024 and is the most current figure found.
08
Boat transfers to Mnemba atoll specifically, from Matemwe or Muyuni, were not found with prices; the Matemwe Wikivoyage article is empty. Only the general snorkel and dive boat prices are recorded.
09
The kaskazi and kusi monsoon names used in the brief were not confirmed from any source fetched. What is sourced is Tanzania's two rainy seasons, short rains from late October to late December and long rains from March to May, with many Zanzibar resorts closing during the long rains.
10
Ramadan dates, for planning around reduced daytime service and closed restaurants: 8 February to 8 March 2027, and 28 January to 25 February 2028, per Wikivoyage's Ramadan table on the Zanzibar page. Exact dates depend on local observation.
11
Airport departure taxes are listed as TSh 5,000 domestic and US$30 international, almost always already inside the ticket price, but this figure is undated on Wikivoyage.

In the planner

What the planner can route today

The options above live on the place page, not in the departure board: a boat that comes when you phone has no time to show. What the board can do for Zanzibar is this.

Y: Scheduled flightsZanzibar (ZNZ), 7 km
N: Trains and coachesno timetable feed known for this country
Y: FerriesStone Town ⇔ Prison Island, 2 km; sailings estimated
Y: Driving and taxiOpenStreetMap roads; cab fare from the country band
N: Bike and scooter shareno share feed known
N: Cruisesno open itinerary source anywhere

Y routable now · F found, not yet implemented · N no source known. Nearest place with more: Bagamoyo, 43 km.