Beautiful beaches and even more beautiful people, Zanzibar is such a unique place with a mix of cultures fused over centuries to become the Zanzibari way. It’s a place that has to be experienced to be fully understood and then, inevitably, loved. But before you go, you need to equip yourself with some very useful and practical information. I’ve put together a list of things you need to know before you go to Zanzibar.
READ MORE: Zanzibar Travel Guide Part One and Part Two
1. Money, Fedha
The national currency is the Tanzanian Shilling (£1 is approximately 3327 shillings and 1 USD is approximately 2648 shillings). If you’re going straight to the villages or beach resorts, I’d recommend changing all the money you think you’ll need at the airport before heading out. If you don’t and run out of money there are no places by the beach to change money and it would be at least a $70 – $90 roundtrip to Stone town. Majority of the island operates in cash so don’t expect to be able to use your card.
Before you go to Zanzibar, you should know about the money situation. Although Shilling is the national currency, USDs are also very widely accepted. It’s a good idea to have some USD with you along with your shillings, so if you do run out of shillings you’re still able to pay for things. It’s cheaper to pay in the local currency, so I would suggest having a mix of the two, with more local than USD.
For a week’s stay, I changed about £200 to shillings and had quite a few dollars as well. This was in 2028, so you would probably need a lot more now.
2. Where to stay in Zanzibar – Hotel vs Airbnb
Honestly, I didn’t even look at Airbnb’s when searching for where to stay in Zanzibar mainly because I didn’t think it would be too practical especially with us arriving pretty late, most hotels offer breakfast included which Airbnb’s don’t. I personally think hotels are the way to go. From the super cheap guest houses to the uber luxury resorts, there’s something for your budget. We kept hotels costs down by staying in a couple different ones, something you could also consider doing. It’s also a great opportunity to experience different parts of the island.
3. Zanzibar Beaches
Not all beaches in Zanzibar are created equal, some are definitely more beautiful than others but all the beaches in Zanzibar are wonderful and have something unique or special to offer.
The north (Nungwi) apparently has some of the most beautiful beaches on the island with crisp white sand beaches but also apparently quite expensive. While Jambiani in the South also has very beautiful beaches, lots of local restaurants and activities to do on the beach. So think about what you want from your holiday and that should help you decide where to stay on the island.
4. How long should you stay in Stone Town
We spent one night in Stone town then flew out the next night. Personally I don’t think you need to spend too much time in Stone town but that does depends on what you want from your holiday. We met two friends that had been there for 5 days and they said they were bored by the 3rd/4th day. I would also suggest getting a local guide for the day, it makes your time more focused because you can pretty much see everything in a day and a half and it makes it more interesting to hear the history as well.
5. Everything Pole Pole
Something to know before you go to Zanzibar is that Island life is slow! Nobody stresses about anything, there’s never a rush and it was such a welcome change to Manchester city life. But be prepared to WAIT at local restaurants for your food after ordering. The longest wait we had for food was an hour; I was ready to start chewing their table that’s how hungry I was! I think it’s because all the food is made fresh as they could probably go a day only serving a couple of customers but it’s definitely worth the wait.
If possible, I STRONGLY advice you to call in advance or order and go back to your hotel to wait otherwise, bruh, its peak!
6. Tours in Zanzibar
There are a lot of tours that locals will try to sell to you at very different prices. I think if you can do a couple of tours while you’re there it allows you to experience other parts and can easily become the highlights of your trip.
The main thing to know before you go to Zanzibar here is to NOT pay for any of the tours up front, we never did and lucky for us none of the tours we booked ever asked for payment upfront. If they are adamant about you paying upfront, DON’T, stand your ground. If they’re being honest they most likely won’t insist on payment upfront. Also, most hotels have people or companies they are affiliated with that offer tours that are trusted.
7. Know some local phrases before visiting Zanzibar
The people here are some of the friendliest people so don’t be surprised if you hear a “Jambo” called out as you walk by. Don’t immediately assume they want something from you, say hi back! Be polite and say “Mambo” back. Or if you hear “Mambo” reply with “Poa”. Stop and have conversations with a few locals and if they do try to sell you something, a simple “No thank you’ will do.
It would be great to know some Swahili before you go to Zanzibar to get you going conversing with locals:
Jambo- Hello
Mambo- How’s it going?
Poa- Cool
Asante- Thank you
Karibu- Welcome
Pole Pole- Slowly
Hakuna Matata- No worries
Nzuri- Good
Ndiyo- Yes
Hapana- No
Bei Gani- How much?
Ninaweza kuchukua picha yako- Can I take your picture?
I hope you’ve found these tips to know before you go to Zanzibar useful and it helps you with planning and preparing for your trip to Zanzibar. If you’ve visited and have any tips of your own, please drop them in he comments and help other people!
Until next time x
16 Comments
Very informative blog!!! I will have it on hand while visiting Zanzibar….
Thank you very much! I’m glad to thought so
Hello Bisola,
You have a beautiful blog. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about your stay in Zanzibar. I too am interested in traveling there, hopefully sometime soon. I know the tickets can be quite expensive. So my question to you is how do you recommend getting to Tanzania keeping in mind the cheapest & most practical options. For example, from an African country or the US/UK. I’m dying to go but idk if I im ready drop that amount at the moment.
Hi Derin! Thank you so much for visiting my blog and I’m glad that you liked it! Yes I was in your same position, I was able to find a great deal on Secretflying.com from Brussels for about £280 return, I just had to get my return flight from Manchester to Brussels in addition! If I lived in London I could have just gotten the train to Brussels. There’s also the option to fly to dar es salaam and get the ferry to Zanzibar or even Kenya and fly to Zanzibar from there. You just have to keep your eyes peeled for these deals and be patient! If you have nay more questions please ask! I’ll be putting out a full travel guide this coming week so come back and check that out!
I love all the practical things you include like basic language and visa information. So many people just don’t think about visas when they travel if they’re from say Europe or the US. Zanzibar looks absolutely beautiful!
Thank you very much! And you’re so right about people not checking about visas, especially EU countries and the US. We just assume tat we can go anywhere lol
Looks beautiful – would love to go to Zanzibar for diving and to learn more about the history of the country in Stone Town. Mind you, the island time might drive me crazy 😉
By the way, I still find it mind blowing that Hakuna Matata is a real phrase and not originally from the Lion King.
It’s absolutely gorgeous! Paradise! Haha it drove me crazy tbh at first because I’d go to a restaurant starving an have to wait. It such a fun phrase that I thought the same too, it was so cool hearing the locals say it!
Jambo! I was in Zanzibar 2 years ago in August and it was a dream come true! Although the island was bigger than expected and I couldn’t visit all I wanted in only 5 days. I need to come back to visit Stone Town and follow your advice! Thank you for sharing!
Yeah I only had about 6 days there, you need much longer to see the entire island, it’s quite big! I need to go back too, had the best time
Love this: Topless sunbathing however is illegal so sister, aunty, keep your top on!
Informative post! Zanzibar remains firmly on my bucket list. 🙂
Haha thank you vert much! I’d definitely go back again and again
Such great advice, Zanzibar looks like an absolute dream.
Thank you! It is beyond a dream, amazing place!
Thank you. This is so practical and covers so much. We are planning our first vacation to y
The continent, so this will be very helpful. You have a lovely blog
Thank you so much Donna! I hope you enjoy your upcoming trip, I’m certain it will be amazing!