What I Wish I Knew Before Going To Zanzibar

What I wish I knew before going to Zanzibar comes down to a few practical things: the tides swing the beach dramatically, Stone Town runs on modest dress, small notes of cash save constant hassle, and the east-coast beaches differ sharply from the north. Zanzibar is a semi-autonomous archipelago off the Tanzanian coast in the Indian Ocean, long known as the Spice Islands and home to UNESCO-listed Stone Town. Knowing these ahead makes the trip far smoother.

The Tides Change the Beach More Than You Expect

The thing no one warned me about was the tide. On much of the east coast, the sea pulls back hundreds of metres at low tide, leaving a wide flat of sand, seagrass and seaweed where a few hours earlier there had been swimming water. If you picture a beach holiday of stepping straight into deep blue at any hour, the reality needs adjusting.

This is not a flaw, just how the island works, and locals plan their day around it. Low tide is when seaweed farmers walk out to their plots and when you can wade across to sandbars. High tide is your swimming window. Before booking a beach, check whether it is tide-dependent, and if you want reliable deep water, the north around Nungwi and Kendwa holds its swimming depth far better than the east coast villages of Paje or Jambiani.

Stone Town Tours and the Dress Code

Stone Town rewards slow wandering, and a guided walking tour is the best way to make sense of its tangle of alleys, carved doors and layered history. What I wish I had grasped sooner is that Zanzibar is predominantly Muslim, and dress matters away from the resorts. Covering shoulders and knees in town and villages is respectful and spares you unwanted attention, especially for women.

On the beach and inside resort grounds, normal swimwear is fine. The shift is when you leave those areas for a spice farm tour, a village, or the streets of Stone Town. A light scarf or a pair of loose trousers packed in your day bag covers most situations. It is a small courtesy that changes how warmly you are received, and it made my Stone Town experience noticeably easier.

Carry Cash, and Carry It in Small Notes

Zanzibar runs largely on cash once you step outside the bigger hotels. Local restaurants, dala-dala minibuses, market stalls, taxis and small tour operators often cannot take cards, and ATMs are concentrated in Stone Town and a few main hubs rather than out at the beach villages. I got caught short more than once by assuming a card would do.

Both US dollars and Tanzanian shillings circulate, but two rules save trouble. First, dollar notes need to be newer series and in clean condition, since worn or old bills are frequently refused. Second, carry small denominations, because change for a large note is a constant struggle at markets and with taxis. Draw out shillings for day-to-day spending and keep a few clean dollars in reserve for tours and tips.

Choosing Where to Stay: North, East or Stone Town

The island is small on a map but the beaches vary enough that picking the wrong base can shape your whole trip. The north suits swimmers and nightlife, the east suits kitesurfers and quiet, and Stone Town suits culture and history. The table below sums up how I would frame the choice now.

Many visitors split their stay, opening with a night or two in Stone Town for the culture and tours, then moving to a beach for the rest. If you are weighing up holidays to Zanzibar, deciding your priority between swimming, watersports and history early makes the accommodation choice far simpler than trying to have all three in one spot.

Spice Farm and Jozani Forest Tours Are Worth the Time

It is easy to treat Zanzibar as beach-only and skip the inland tours, which I nearly did. That would have been a mistake. The spice farm tours explain the island’s Spice Islands name first-hand, walking you through cloves, vanilla, nutmeg and cinnamon growing in the ground, with plenty to taste and smell along the way. It is genuinely interesting rather than a tourist trap.

Jozani Forest is the other inland trip worth making. It is the main place to see the endemic Zanzibar red colobus monkey, a species found nowhere else, though sightings are wildlife and never fully guaranteed. A short boardwalk through the mangroves rounds out the visit. Booking these as a combined day tour from your beach base is efficient, and both fill a low-tide afternoon well when the swimming is off.

A snorkelling or diving trip out to Mnemba atoll is the third tour I would slot in, especially if you base yourself in the northeast near Matemwe. The reef there holds good marine life and the water is calm on the right day, though conditions and visibility shift with the weather and the season. Booking through a reputable operator rather than a beach tout matters here, both for safety and for a boat that will not leave you baking on a sandbar longer than promised.

Getting Around and Managing Transfers

Distances look tiny on the map, but roads and driving pace mean transfers take longer than you would guess. The drive from the airport or Stone Town to the north or east coast can run over an hour, sometimes more with traffic through town. Arranging your transfer through your hotel in advance avoids haggling with taxis on arrival, which after a long flight is worth the small premium.

On the ground, options range from cheap shared dala-dala minibuses for the adventurous to private taxis and hired drivers for the day. Many visitors hire a driver for tours rather than self-driving, since navigation and local road habits take getting used to. Agreeing the price before you set off, in writing where possible, heads off the awkward end-of-trip disputes that catch out first-timers.

One more transfer tip I learned the slow way. If you land in the evening, arrange the pickup ahead and confirm it the day before, because a late arrival with no plan means negotiating in the dark at the airport gate. Build a buffer around your departure too, since the drive back to the airport from the far beaches can be slow, and Zanzibar is not a place to be counting minutes to a flight.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much money should I bring to Zanzibar?
Budget for cash spending since cards are limited outside big hotels. Bring clean, newer US dollar notes in small denominations for tours and tips, and draw Tanzanian shillings from Stone Town ATMs for daily costs like food, taxis and markets. Amounts depend on your style, but plan for meals, transfers, entrance fees and a spice or forest tour on top of your accommodation.

For routes, timing and cost across the country, see our Tanzania trips.

Do I need to cover up in Zanzibar?
On resort beaches, normal swimwear is fine. In Stone Town, villages and on tours, covering shoulders and knees is respectful in this predominantly Muslim setting and makes for an easier time, especially for women. A scarf and loose trousers in your day bag cover most situations.

Which side of Zanzibar has the best beaches?
The north around Nungwi and Kendwa holds swimming depth through the tides and has more nightlife. The east coast at Paje and Jambiani is quieter and great for kitesurfing but strongly tide-affected. Your priority between swimming, watersports and calm decides the best fit.

Is Stone Town worth visiting?
Yes, for its history, architecture, food and as the launch point for spice farm and Jozani Forest tours. It has no real swimming beach, so most visitors stay a night or two and pair it with a beach base elsewhere on the island.

When is the best time to visit Zanzibar?
The long dry season from June to October brings reliable sunshine and is the most popular window. A shorter dry spell falls around January and February. The long rains from March to May can disrupt beach days, though rates are lower and the island quieter then.