The Cost of Travel in Zanzibar: My 2024 Budget Breakdown


Zanzibar is one of my favourite destinations in Africa.

This beautiful island is the definition of paradise and home to some of the best beaches in the world.

My name’s Lauren and I’m fortunate to have spent the past 13 years exploring this planet as a travel writer, specifically focusing on world-famous paradise islands. Bora Bora? The Maldives? They have nothing on Zanzibar. Trust me: these really are some world-class stretches of sand.

It’s kind of unbelievable, then, that it’s still so affordable to visit.

You may have noticed that prices — and especially the prices of travel — have been skyrocketing post-pandemic. Zanzibar hasn’t been entirely insulated from these increases, but it has only been lightly touched so far. So don’t worry: this is an island where you can still get by on $50 a day without having to make too much of an effort.

I’ve been recording every single dollar, peso, and baht that I’ve spent on my travels since 2011 (I now have over 65 budget breakdowns on the site!), aiming to give you an accurate picture into how much you can expect to spend in every country around the world. Today, it’s Zanzibar’s turn and I’m so excited to start sharing.

Let’s take a look at how much it costs to travel to Zanzibar.

Stone Town Zanzibar kids
I loved strolling along the historic streets of Zanzibar

The Cost of Accommodation in Zanzibar

It’s not often I choose to stay in a hostel these days, let alone a dorm room, but after I spotted Lost & Found Hostel online, I was enamoured. THEY HAVE DORM ROOMS WITH DOUBLE BEDS! Double beds for solo travellers, I should add.

On top of that, you had curtains around your bed to give you tons of privacy, power sockets for every person, and your own light, too. I was super-impressed with this modern hostel, and I’d rank it as one of the best I’ve ever stayed in. Great staff, fun atmosphere, central location in Stone Town, and the rooms were silent at night. I can’t believe I slept in a dorm room for a full week and didn’t get woken up once! Even better: it was pretty damn cheap.

My total cost for my accommodation came to: $11 a night.

Nungwi beach in Zanzibar

Transportation

From the airport, I booked a transfer to my hostel with Lost & Found for $10, and walked the 10 kilometres to the airport when I needed to leave. I realise that sounds absurd, but I’m going to be hiking across the width of the U.K. in a couple of weeks, so I needed to get in some practice.

I don’t usually include flights in my total budget breakdown, because they vary so much from trip to trip, but have included them below to help you with your planning.

To get to Tanzania, I snagged return flights from London with Rwandair for $491. As always my recommendation is to keep an eye on Secret Flying for flight deals to Africa. In the past couple of weeks, for example, there have been deals for $678 return from Chicago and €397 return from Milan, so getting to Tanzania doesn’t have to break the bank. If there’s nothing listed on Secret Flying, head to Skyscanner next — it’s what I use to book my flights.

If your flight takes you into Dar es Salaam rather than to Zanzibar, you can opt to take a ferry or flight to the island. I opted for a flight with FlightLink, who were the cheapest providers I could find. At just $40 each way, it was only $5 more than the ferry, but over 90 minutes faster, so is definitely worth going for. Other flight companies, like Coastal Air, are popular because they’re said to be more reliable, but you can pay up to $100 each way with them.

When it comes to getting around the island, keep in mind that Zanzibar is reasonably large, so taxis are going to be pretty expensive. To get from Stone Town to Nungwi, in the north, for example, you can expect to pay around $50 for the 40 mile journey.

Fortunately, the Zanzibus exists, running shuttles to the main tourist attractions on the island. You’ll be looking at around $6 between Stone Town and Nungwi/Kendawa, $5 for a trip from Stone Town to Paje, and $8 for a ride between Nungwi/Kendawa and Paje/Jambiani. This is easily the simplest and cheapest way to get around Zanzibar.

My total cost for transportation came to $10 for my on the ground costs in Zanzibar; $90 if you include my return flights to Zanzibar from Dar es Salaam; and $581 if you include my return flights from London. 

Zanzibar red colobus monkey

Activities

After spending so little money on accommodation, transportation, and food, I splurged when it came to activities in Zanzibar. You’ll be able to grab a discount if you’re travelling as part of a group, rather than solo like me, and you’ll save more money if you rock up to a tour company in person and bargain them down rather than booking online. Although this’ll be pretty hard to do if it’s just you taking the trip, so try to get a group of people together to split the cost.

My biggest highlight was the spice tour I booked through GetYourGuide. At $57, it was more expensive than I could have bargained companies down to in Stone Town, but it was the amazing reviews of this particular company — and the mentions of how ethical they are — that hooked me in. On the tour, you get to check out a local village, take a cooking class in a local’s home, then tour the spice plantation and sample as many of the spices and fruits you can handle. Most tours just take you to the plantation for around $25 for a solo traveler. You can read about my experience on the tour in my spice tour review.

I knew I couldn’t go to Zanzibar and miss out on the spectacular beaches of north, so I signed up for an action-packed day with Eco & Culture Tours, who designed an itinerary for a private tour for me. Eco + Culture tours have a huge focus on contributing ethically to the communities and environment of Zanzibar, so I was thrilled to discover they had availability. For $135, I spent 12 hours with my driver, wandering through the slave caves on the island (intense), skipping along popular Nuangwi Beach (gorgeous), and spotting the mega-rare Zanzibar red colobus monkeys (incredible) in Jozani Forest. It sounds pretty pricey, but when you take into account the fact that just a taxi from Stone Town to Nungwi is $50, from Nungwi to Jozani Forest is $50, and from Jozani to Stone Town is $20, it worked out to be a great deal.

The total cost of my activities in Zanzibar was: $176.

Zanzibar pizza at the night market

The Cost of Food in Zanzibar

The food in Zanzibar was incredible and I couldn’t get enough! I visited during Ramadan, and while that meant that most restaurants with tables out on the street and on terraces were closed, I didn’t struggle to find budget eats. In addition, several of my meals were covered on my tours, which helped keep my costs down.

One of my favourite hangouts in Stone Town was the Foradhani Gardens night market, where you could grab dinner for a couple of dollars. My favourite dish was the Zanzibar “pizza”, which is pictured above: it’s like a cross between a crepe and chapati and it’s stuffed full of your choice of meat, vegetables, and an egg, with chilli sauce smothered on top. I may have eaten it practically every night that I was in Zanzibar, washed down with a refreshing sugarcane juice, of course.

Drinking-wise, it was Ramadan while I visited, which meant that alcohol was off the cards in Stone Town. I used my Grayl water purifier bottle that kills 99.999% of all viruses, bacteria, and cysts in tap water, making it totally safe to drink. I drank the tap water everywhere in Zanzibar, didn’t get sick, saved money on water bottles, and didn’t pollute the country with my plastic waste. I highly recommend grabbing one of these for your trip, as it helps you stay hydrated and travel responsibly in countries with unsafe drinking water.

My total cost of food in Zanzibar was: $45.

Spice plantation tour in Zanzibar

The Cost of Miscellaneous Stuff in Zanzibar

Tanzanian SIM card: I don’t know about you, but one of my least favourite aspects of arriving in a new country is having to figure out how to get connected. Specifically: buying a local SIM card so that I have data to use while I’m in the country.

There’s locating a store that will sell you one, language barriers to deal with, various forms of ID you might need to bring, scams to navigate, and… well, it’s a headache. In Zanzibar, I actually got scammed when I tried to buy a local SIM card! I ended up being charged five times the actual price by the store owner and didn’t realise until after I’d left.

This year, I started using Airalo, which sells local e-SIM cards for travellers. What that means is that you can buy your SIM card online before you arrive in Tanzania, and then as soon as you land in the country, you can switch on your data and start using it. It’s worked flawlessly for me and I’ll never go back to physical SIM cards. You’ll pay $5.50 for 1 GB of data or $20 for 10 GB in Tanzania, and can top-up with your phone using the Airalo app.

Travel insurance: You know I’ll always yell at you if you’re dumb enough to skip out on travel insurance, so don’t make me yell at you, okay? While most visits to the island are trouble-free, anything could happen in Zanzibar, from your ferry sinking to getting robbed to having acid thrown in your face. Rare, but not something you’d want to deal with without insurance. I use SafetyWing, which costs just $1.50 a day for coverage.

Bradt Zanzibar Guidebook: $18. If you’re planning a trip to Zanzibar, you need this guidebook over any other. The lengthy guide covers the history of the island, how to travel ethically, where to eat, how to save money, and how to get away from the tourists. An incredibly comprehensive guide, especially if you’re going to spend a significant amount of time there.


My Total Expenses for One Week in Zanzibar

Accommodation: $77
Transportation: $10
Food: $45
Activities/Entrance Fees: $176
Miscellaneous: $52.72

Total amount spent over one week: $360.72.

Average daily amount spent: $51.53 per day.

Dhow construction in Nungwi, Zanzibar
Building dhows in Nungwi

Zanzibar: Super Easy to Visit on a Budget!

Zanzibar has a reputation for being super-expensive, but I didn’t find this to be the case once I was there. If you want to be a super-budget-backpacker, you can skip out on the activities and average $25 a day once you’re there; if you want to explore as much of the island as possible, you can do it while still keeping your costs low. And especially if you’re travelling with other people, as you can split the costs of the tours between you.

Related Articles on Tanzania

🇹🇿 The Cost of Travel in Tanzania (2023): A Detailed Budget Breakdown
🏖 22 Incredible Things to Do in Zanzibar, Tanzania
🌶 Why You Must Take a Spice Tour in Zanzibar
✈️ A Ridiculous Introduction to Travel in Tanzania

Have you been to Zanzibar? If not, is it one of your dream destinations?

A detailed guide to visiting Zanzibar on a budget
About the author

Lauren Juliff

Lauren Juliff is a published author and travel expert who founded Never Ending Footsteps in 2011. She has spent over 12 years travelling the world, sharing in-depth advice from more than 100 countries across six continents.

Lauren's travel advice has been featured in publications like the BBC, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Cosmopolitan, and her work is read by 200,000 readers each month. Her travel memoir can be found in bookstores across the planet.

91 Comments

  1. B
    July 7, 2017
    Reply

    Wow one more place to visit is on the list now . It’s ZANZIBAR :)

  2. July 7, 2017
    Reply

    Okay, Zanzibar looks amazing, but that hostel!! I’ve never come across one that nice, either. That’s a real gem.

    • July 7, 2017
      Reply

      DOUBLE BEDS!! It was so amazing!

  3. July 7, 2017
    Reply

    Thanks for the great guide and all the details, Lauren! One thing though: do you really get travel insurance for each trip? Isn’t it much more cost efficient to have permanent travel insurance?

    • July 7, 2017
      Reply

      Yup. I don’t travel permanently, so I no longer get travel insurance for a year at a time. It works out to be cheaper to insure myself for each individual trip.

      • Kat
        July 8, 2017
        Reply

        Have you ever needed to claim through World Nomads? If so, how was it? I’ve been stung before by cheap insurance not paying up (bought a camera for a trip, it fell in the sea and they offered me about 1/3 of what I bought it for.

        • July 18, 2017
          Reply

          I haven’t. I’ve gone through the claims process a couple of times when I’ve been sick and thought I might need to be hospitalised, and they’ve always been lovely over the phone, but my medical expenses have always ended up being such small amounts that I’ve never been bothered to actually complete my claim. I’ve heard great things from people who have needed to claim from them, which is what keeps me with them.

  4. I would definitely love to visit Zanzibar one day! I think diving there will be pretty good too, and I’d like to give that a shot! I like this breakdown, because I always thought Zanzibar would end up pretty expensive and I’m happy to see that it’s not as bad as people make it sound!

    • July 8, 2017
      Reply

      Yes! I’ve heard the diving is great there, although a friend of mine was talking about how there were sea lice in the waters and that sounded unpleasant.

  5. July 7, 2017
    Reply

    I had no idea that Zanzibar would be so cool and relatively easy to visit, especially on a budget.

    • July 8, 2017
      Reply

      It’s a really cool destination to explore, especially if you love the combo of history and beaches!

  6. Atanas
    July 7, 2017
    Reply

    Please, yell at me! I never do travel insurance :)

    • July 8, 2017
      Reply

      That’s really fucking stupid. What happens if you end up in a serious accident and end up bankrupting your family when they need to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to get your body airlifted to a hospital? Or you’re hospitalised in the U.S., where the bills are out-of-this-world expensive? It’s more common than you think. It happened to one of my travel blogging friends and a couple of non-travel blogging friends. Most recently, in Rwanda, someone I was travelling with had their travel buddy end up with a six figure bill after suffering a brain haemorrhage overseas. Not having travel insurance is a seriously, seriously, unbelievably dumb decision.

      Let’s hope nothing terrible happens to you when you travel, because making the decision to not buy insurance will land you with little sympathy, or money, from anyone, and could be the difference between life or death.

      • Atanas
        July 9, 2017
        Reply

        Yeah, makes sense. But that`s the last I think about when going abroad. Maybe the fact nothing serious (bar a small car accident in LA) ever happened to me, made me not cautious enough.

        • July 11, 2017
          Reply

          I mean, I’ve never had cancer, but that doesn’t mean I’ll never get it so shouldn’t bother to have healthcare.

  7. July 8, 2017
    Reply

    I’m obsessed with the idea of visiting East Africa lately and this post is just adding to that! That ‘pizza’ sounds incredible too. That alone is enough to make me start searching for flights!

    • July 8, 2017
      Reply

      The pizza was so delicious! They did dessert options, too, where you could get Nutella, banana, and Mars bars chopped up in your pizza!

  8. Ash
    July 8, 2017
    Reply

    Hi Lauren, Great you had fabulous time in Zanzibar. I am sure you will go back some day.I grewup in Zanzibar during British time and it was like Heaven. I was in Zanzibar in January, 2017. Great place and lovely people. Is it possible to text me the photo you took inSokomohogo st. My home is in that picture. I also bought a Penthouse overlooking Indian Ocean in Fumba project. When I retire, I will spend 6 months each yr. in Zanzibar. Thanks. Ashwin.

    • July 9, 2017
      Reply

      Oh, that’s amazing! I can’t send you a text but if you drop me an email through my contact form on the site I’d be happy to email the photo to you.

  9. July 9, 2017
    Reply

    Hi Lauren,
    A great article. We live at the moment in Zanzibar and I was keen to see your tip about cheap flights. Unfortunately the gateway times out after clicking on the images on the links on Secret Flying.com. I would love to know if you have any other flight gems to share.

    • July 9, 2017
      Reply

      Ah, maybe try loading them again? I’ve never had any issues loading the site, and it’s totally legit. Otherwise, try http://www.theflightdeal.com/ — you can’t search the site and it’s kind of annoying to use, but they normally have the same deals on there.

  10. Laurie
    July 9, 2017
    Reply

    Wow. Now I want to visit Zanzibar as another blogger I follow is currently there as well and it looks amazing. I think I’d go for half the time in Stone town and the other half on the beaches. I’m currently recovering from knee replacement surgery (yeah I am old, but only in body – not spirit) so my international travels are on hold for now…which sucks. Sri Lanka is at the top of my to do list with flashing lights but guess Zanzibar has just been added to the list somewhere just below Cape Town! (which is #2)

    Are you and Dave doing the coast to coast in England?

    • July 9, 2017
      Reply

      Yes! We’re walking from the east to west coast :-)

  11. Rehlat
    July 12, 2017
    Reply

    Looks like such a fascinating place, one I would LOVE to visit someday! Useful tips for first time visitors, will be sure to pin this for future travels

  12. Remi
    July 12, 2017
    Reply

    I love, love, love your budget guides, Lauren! They’re always so detailed and comprehensive. Thanks for showing it’s possible to visit Zanzibar on a budget.

    • July 18, 2017
      Reply

      That’s so kind of you to say, Remi :-)

  13. Will
    July 12, 2017
    Reply

    Zanzibar pizza! Thanks for bringing back memories of my first trip to Zanzibar. I think I had ZNZ pizza every night I spent in Stone Town.

    • November 17, 2017
      Reply

      It’s so, so, so good! :-)

  14. Clive
    July 13, 2017
    Reply

    Helpful for an upcoming trip. Where would you stay if you hadn’t stayed in Stone Town?

  15. July 14, 2017
    Reply

    Oh, this looks absolutely amazing. I have only visited South Africa so far and I am reall curious to see other African destinations. Whenever I hear people visiting Zanzibar, they just go to a resort…. and I always figured there’s just so much more to explore.

    • July 18, 2017
      Reply

      Zanzibar is so much more than its beaches! Although its beaches are pretty great :-)

  16. Timothy
    July 15, 2017
    Reply

    This is perfect! Thanks so much for this guide. Wasn’t sure where to base myself in Zanzibar, but I’ve decided on doing the same as you — basing myself in Stone Town and using my time to explore the rest of the island via tours.

    • August 23, 2017
      Reply

      Sweet! It worked out well for me, so I hope it does for you too :-)

  17. Olivia
    July 17, 2017
    Reply

    Obsessed with Zanzibar! Visited last year as part of a tour and spent every night dancing beneath the stars. No idea it could be done so cheaply, so you’ve inspired me to look at returning for my own little solo trip sometime. Just need to find the cheap flights to get there and back! x

    • November 17, 2017
      Reply

      Good luck! Check out Secret Flying to score inexpensive flights to the island :-)

  18. Uri
    July 17, 2017
    Reply

    Wonderful reading Lauren. I’ve wanted to visited Zanzibar for years as a die-hard Queen fan. Did you see Freddy’s old house while you were on the island?

    • August 23, 2017
      Reply

      Yes! Actually, the Lost and Found Hostel I stayed at was opposite his house!

  19. Lucy
    July 17, 2017
    Reply

    I’m planning on taking my honeymoon in Zanzibar in next March, so thanks so this inspiration! I’m going to book in for the same spice tour as the one you did!

    • July 18, 2017
      Reply

      Yay! You’ll love it, Lucy. The spice tour was such a fantastic experience.

  20. Uma
    July 17, 2017
    Reply

    Would you recommend heading outside of Stone Town if you have a week to spend on the island then? I’d like to keep my expenses under $50 a day, but want to make sure I see as much of the island as possible.

    • July 18, 2017
      Reply

      It really depends on what you’re looking for! If you’re a beach person, head outside of Stone Town, because the beaches are much nicer outside of there. If you’re all about the history and want to save money, Stone Town is a fantastic option.

  21. Shirli
    July 17, 2017
    Reply

    Woow! Zanzibar is on my bucket list but I thought you would only be able to access it if you had a lot of money. Thank you for the post and information.

    • July 18, 2017
      Reply

      Easy peasy to visit on a budget! :-)

  22. Craig
    July 18, 2017
    Reply

    Gteat post Lauren! And agree with everything you said about travel insurance up there. I had a mate almost break his back whilst travelling and the hospital bills were insane. Fortunately he had travel insurance otherwise he would have been begging us all for money to fund it! He makes sure we always get travel insurance now.

    • July 18, 2017
      Reply

      Eeeek! That’s such a relief that he was covered, and I’m happy to hear he made it out okay!

  23. Olivia
    July 21, 2017
    Reply

    I love how detailed this post is, Lauren! You cover absolutely everything I could need to know about visiting Zanzibar on a budget. Now it seems like an attainable destination for me and my husband.

    • July 29, 2017
      Reply

      Yay! I’m happy to hear that, Olivia! I hope you manage to make it there :-)

  24. Thomasbef
    July 30, 2017
    Reply

    Fabulous. Always dreamed of going to Zanzibar on my honeymoon – now I know it’s possible to do so without breaking the budget! How do you track your expenses when you travel?

    • August 1, 2017
      Reply

      Because my site is my business, my travel expenses are my business expenses, so I have to keep track of them for tax purposes. I usually keep receipts of everything and take photos at the end of the day/trip. And then I’ll plug those details into my accounting software.

  25. Babbette
    August 2, 2017
    Reply

    Dang, yet another place to visit to add to the ever growing list. Your story is impressive and your posts even more so. Thanks for making me feel like I was there with you (and I wish that I had been…) It sounds wonderful and the food delicious. Thanks!

  26. Elizabeth Ziegler
    August 3, 2017
    Reply

    Awesome place! Actually Zanzibar has been one of the places I want to visit and now I’ve made up my mind. However, I didn’t get travel insurance before for my each travel and is it necessary?

    • August 3, 2017
      Reply

      Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes! Get it now.

  27. kirti thakur
    September 21, 2017
    Reply

    Thanks for the great guide and all the details. I always wanted to go to Zanzibar, but due to budget problem I could not go. Your tips are very helpful to me. Thanks for sharing.

    • October 21, 2017
      Reply

      Glad to hear that, Kirti! ;-)

  28. Helen
    October 7, 2017
    Reply

    Hi
    Really really loved your blog on Zanzibar. My daughter and are going en oct. Hotel is all inclusive. We want to do some exploring and tours and have 5 days. Aloof course buy souvenirs. So will €1000 be enough? She wants to visit the cheetah/ leopard sanctuary as well.

    Kindest regards
    Helen

    • January 2, 2018
      Reply

      Yes, definitely enough. Have an amazing time on the island! :-)

  29. Lilly B
    December 4, 2017
    Reply

    I am looking to visit Zanzibar and all the travel sites I visited are quoting me thousands of $ so I am already buying a ticket to travel to Rwanda to go hiking and figured I should make my childhood dream of visiting Zanzibar a reality but my budget is really not up to par and I remembered it is 2017, ask google how to travel for cheap and voila! Thank you so much for all your tips, I am going to convince my sister to come along since she is more adventurous than I am if not, I will go alone and fulfill my dream ahhh! I am excited. I need to calm down and plan this out. Thx a bunch for sharing.

    • January 2, 2018
      Reply

      Yay! I’m so happy you stumbled across this post then :-) Have an amazing (and cheap) time in Zanzibar!

  30. Rahul
    January 13, 2018
    Reply

    Once again a great article!

  31. February 12, 2018
    Reply

    Hey Lauren! Loved the article, really helpful. I’m planning on taking advantage of a super flight deal I found recently to Zanzibar in a couple of weeks. I will probably be going alone. How did you find Zanzibar in terms of solo female travel safety? Did you have any problems at all? Anything I should pay special attention to? Thank you!

    • March 22, 2018
      Reply

      Really safe! I never felt in danger at any time. I was more annoyed by people constantly trying to sell me boat trips haha.

  32. Tanzania and Zanzibar beach
    May 30, 2018
    Reply

    Wow, what a piece!. Nice that you found Zanzibar that nice and inexpensive.
    We welcome you again to Tanzania and Zanzibar:-)

  33. Aadila Batenga
    June 26, 2018
    Reply

    Wow very beautiful post, Really Zanzibar is very attractive place.

  34. Enzo
    July 2, 2018
    Reply

    Hi Lauren,

    we are planning our trip to Tanzania in September but the prices and the robbery stories are discouraging us. Is it safe to leave your camer and stuff in the hostel? What about if you are on the beach, can you go swim or will your stuff vanish as soon as your are in the water?
    My wife was reading a travel book and she is totally against travelling to Tanzania now :s
    What about the costs? you did a really extreme budget travel, if we want to travel around the Island, with budget hotels, how many €€ would we need for a week?

    Thank you for such blog, maybe it will convince my wife to reconsider Tanzania for vacation.

  35. Winnie
    July 8, 2018
    Reply

    Very detailed and helpful. Awesome post, now I can start my plans and head to Zanzibar.

    • July 9, 2018
      Reply

      Hope you have an amazing trip!

  36. lolly
    July 16, 2018
    Reply

    hi Lauren i want to travel with my brother to Zanzibar soon …should i take a lot of clothesbor they are cheaper there
    also which recommend for someonr who likes beaches and isban outdoor person. i have been confused as to ho to nungwi ..jambiani or kendwa ???
    please help

  37. Cath McManus
    September 30, 2018
    Reply

    This is great info Lauren. I would never have guessed that you could visit somewhere so exotic for such a low price. I’m planning a Tanzania safari, so everything except the safari needs to be low budget, and this article will be a great help.

  38. Lauren
    October 21, 2018
    Reply

    I’ve been following your blog for awhile and I was happy to see your posts about Zanzibar, as I’ll be there in December! Thanks for this helpful information, as I’ll be a solo female traveler in Zanzibar, too. Good to get the perspective. :)

  39. Manyowa Gande
    December 14, 2018
    Reply

    thank you Lauren, Iam oneof those wishing to visit Zanzibar and was wondering about costs. I find your article very helpful.

    • January 7, 2019
      Reply

      No problem! Hope you have a wonderful time :-)

  40. Anonymous
    April 30, 2019
    Reply

    Hi Lauren
    I am visiting Zanzibar ar in July, so excited
    Hope to make use of all your info you posted.

    • May 4, 2019
      Reply

      Hope you have an incredible time! :-)

  41. john marrone
    May 18, 2019
    Reply

    Did you come across any really good guides or travel agencies who do walking tours of Stone Town please?

  42. Gabi
    May 31, 2019
    Reply

    Great article i’m going to Zanziba on the 4 to 8 June would love to do activities and and your article has great content.How do you suggest I take as person who love adventure must I change my money in USD or rather TZS.

  43. Samantha DANDO
    June 20, 2019
    Reply

    Hey Lauren! Just booked my flight to Zanzibar and I’ll be staying at the same hostel you recommended. Just wondering about vaccines? I read that it is recommended but not necessary to have the vaccine for cholera and typhoid… do you already have those or do you think it’s necessary? Thanks so much!

    • June 21, 2019
      Reply

      Recommended but not super-necessary is probably what I’d say, too. I’ve been vaccinated against typhoid, as the travel clinic I went to recommended that I get it for my round-the-world trip.

      Funnily enough, I actually contracted cholera last year while I was in Borneo! It was the absolute worst.

      Overall, the chances of you contracting either disease are very low. But, if you want to be safe, get the vaccines. I wish I’d been vaccinated against cholera, as knowing I could have prevented the hell I went through was kind of annoying. At the same time, I travelled continuously to developing countries for seven years straight before I got sick, so yeah, the chances are still low.

      I’d probably get the vaccines to be safe.

  44. Andrew Archer
    August 13, 2019
    Reply

    Dear Lauren,

    Thank you very much for your informative post. So far, I have been to Zanzibar once. I stayed in Clove Island Villas & SPA and it was simply awesome (I really recommend this place for the luxurious holiday!) and I want to go back there one day, However, there is a part of me dreaming about exploring Zanzibar in a different way. Thanks to your post, now I know how to make my dream come true.:)

  45. Dim
    October 6, 2019
    Reply

    Hey, my girlfriend and I are planning on going to Zanzibar in January 2020. Thanks a lot for your helpful article.

    Unfortunately, the website of Hakuna Matata Bus doesn’t work anymore. Do you know if this company still exists and how/where we could buy tickets once in Zanzibar.

  46. October 15, 2019
    Reply

    Great reading and extremely comprehensive post – pretty much covers everything…

  47. mats silversund
    December 15, 2019
    Reply

    U visit under the low season and the longest rainy season. Of course it will be cheaper! I plan a trip on my own in jan/feb in backpacking style but no dorms but still simpel and cheap. Really hard to find anything under 30$ for 2 people. And if u wanna stay at some of the beaches (most people want that) it will be more expensive. I would say this is zanzibar at it most extreme budget.

    • December 16, 2019
      Reply

      If it was budget travel at its most extreme, I wouldn’t have spent $135 on a private tour, would I?

  48. February 20, 2020
    Reply

    Hi Lauren,
    I am going for 8 nights to Tanzania from Zambia. Wanted to spend 3 nights in Zanzibar and 3 nights doing game viewing. Would you suggest tours and a budget for a basic trip…no frills but clean comfortable time.

  49. Loved Zanzibar. I would love to go back for Zambiani beach though! Loved the Zanzibari pizza as well. I also bought a Chinese make type C charger at the airport which was USD 7. I know the boy charged me extra. I did not bargain. he was a bit taken aback at his own price and arranged a taxi for us preemptively :D Loved Zanzibar so much!

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