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The Stone Town seafront seen from the water to the north, with a large white building with red roofs, palm trees and small boats pulled up on the beach

Where to stay in Zanzibar

Photo: Mangapwani, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Places to stay in Zanzibar

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About Zanzibar

The airport sits about 10 km from Stone Town, and every beach area in this guide lies 47 to 63 km away by road. Every visitor also needs the Zanzibar Insurance Corporation policy. This guide covers Unguja, the main island, not Pemba.

Tanzania. Guide last checked .

Facts and rules

Last checked . Each fact links to its source.

Airport
Abeid Amani Karume International (ZNZ), about 5 km south of Zanzibar City in the airports authority's description and about 10 km by road from Stone Town. Source
Compulsory travel insurance
Every visitor must hold the Zanzibar Insurance Corporation's inbound travel insurance: USD 44 per adult, USD 22 per child. It covers up to 92 consecutive days, is not renewable, and other insurers' policies are not accepted. Source
Infrastructure tax on hotel nights
Per person per day: USD 5 in 4 and 5 star hotels, USD 4 in 2 and 3 star hotels, USD 2 in 1 star hotels and others, USD 10 on a small island or in an underwater room, or the equivalent in shillings. Source
Hotel levy
12% of the value of hotel, guest house and restaurant services, and 15% of the rental value of homes let to tourists, including through online platforms. The operator or owner owes it. Source
Visa for EU and UK visitors
A Tanzanian Ordinary Visa, USD 50, valid for up to 90 days and good for the mainland and Zanzibar. Apply online through the immigration website or on arrival, with a return ticket and a passport valid for six months. Source
Visa for US visitors
US citizens must take the Multiple Visa even for one trip: USD 100, valid for one year, with at most 90 days in the country per visit. Source
Licensed accommodation
The Zanzibar Commission for Tourism regulates tourism under the Tourism Act of 2009. Registration of private homes let to tourists under 2024 regulations is unverified as of September 2026. Source
Parking with a rental car
Cars stay outside the lanes of Stone Town. Parking around it, at Darajani, Malindi, Forodhani and Vuga, is paid by phone app, USSD code or a kerbside agent (via GetCar). Source
Driving permit
Visitors need a local Zanzibar driving permit as well as their licence; the hire company can arrange it. Source
Dress in public
The Zanzibar authorities can fine a visitor USD 700 or more for clothing they consider inappropriate in public, in Stone Town in particular. Source
Currency
Tanzanian shilling (TZS). UK travel advice says US dollars are widely accepted in tourist areas. Source
Emergency number
112 for ambulance, fire and police. Source

Areas of Zanzibar

A row of cars parked along the street beside the walls of the Old Fort in Stone Town, under palm trees, with the House of Wonders tower behind
Photographed in 2017. Photo: Thobani Gumede, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Stone Town

The old part of Zanzibar City on the west coast, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000 for its largely 19th-century Swahili townscape of Arab, Persian, Indian and European influences. It suits the first or last nights, history and the shortest airport transfer, less so a beach holiday. Shorts and sleeveless tops can cause offence in its streets, and the authorities can fine visitors for clothing they judge inappropriate.

Zanzibar airport
about 10 km
Nungwi
about 58 km
Paje
about 50 km

Car and parking

Cars stay outside the lanes of the old town. Parking around it, at Darajani, Malindi by the port, Forodhani and Vuga, is run by the conservation authority and paid by phone app, USSD code or a kerbside agent; the rates are not published (via GetCar).

White sand and calm turquoise water at Nungwi beach, with two small boats out on the sea and a boat pulled up on the right
Photographed in 2019. Photo: ObonyoML, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Nungwi and Kendwa

The northern tip. Nungwi, the second largest settlement on the island, grew from a fishing and dhow-building village into a tourist centre, with resorts, restaurants and bars in West Nungwi and a quieter east side; Kendwa is a village on the west coast about 4 km away by road. It suits a beach week with places to eat on foot.

Zanzibar airport
about 63 km
Stone Town
about 58 km
Kendwa, from Nungwi
about 4 km

Car and parking

The beach hotels have their own car parks and the village lanes are sand. The roads into Nungwi are on the 2026 to 2027 rebuilding programme, so expect works on the last stretch (via GetCar).

The wide white beach at Matemwe with a small motor boat at the water line, a turquoise lagoon and the reef on the horizon
Photo: Mangapwani, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Matemwe and Kiwengwa

The north-east coast. Matemwe is a seaweed-farming and fishing village whose beach, the longest in Zanzibar, changes with the tide; Mnemba, a private island whose reefs are a marine conservation area, lies off this coast. Kiwengwa is about 17 km further south by road. It suits a quiet beach stay and dive trips to the Mnemba reef.

Zanzibar airport
about 56 km
Stone Town
about 50 km
Kiwengwa, from Matemwe
about 17 km

Car and parking

The coast road is sealed (via GetCar). No official parking rules were found as of September 2026, so ask the hotel or host whether a space comes with the stay.

Paje beach at low tide, with ripples of white sand under a thin layer of water stretching towards a line of trees
Photographed in 2008. Photo: Matt Kieffer from London, United Kingdom, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Paje and Bwejuu

The south-east coast. The lagoon at Paje, shallow with a sandy bottom at low tide and sheltered by a reef, is a place to learn kiteboarding, and Bwejuu lies about 4 km north. It suits kitesurfers and a relaxed beach base.

Zanzibar airport
about 51 km
Stone Town
about 50 km
Bwejuu, from Paje
about 4 km

Car and parking

The road from Stone Town through Tunguu and past Jozani is sealed; the Paje to Michamvi road north along the peninsula is on the rebuilding programme (via GetCar). No official parking rules were found, so ask the host.

The beach at Jambiani at low tide, with palm shadows on the white sand and wooden boats resting on the lagoon
Photographed in 2018. Photo: Jonathan Dalrymple, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Jambiani

A group of villages on the south-east coast between Paje and Makunduchi, about 7 km south of Paje by road. It suits a quieter stay within reach of the Paje lagoon.

Zanzibar airport
about 58 km
Stone Town
about 57 km
Paje
about 7 km

Car and parking

The village main road is sand, and the Paje to Makunduchi road through it was newly marked in 2026 (via GetCar). No official parking rules were found, so ask the host.

The historic Kizimkazi mosque at Dimbani, a white building with a green metal roof, with old tombs in front and palm trees at the side
Photo: Mnazini, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Kizimkazi

Fishing villages at the southern tip, where daily boats take visitors out to watch and swim with bottlenose dolphins in Menai Bay, Zanzibar's largest marine protected area. The historic mosque stands at Kizimkazi Dimbani. It suits a few quiet nights and the dolphin trips.

Zanzibar airport
about 60 km
Stone Town
about 59 km
Jambiani
about 23 km

Car and parking

The Makunduchi to Mtende to Kizimkazi road is under construction, so the last kilometres change from month to month (via GetCar). No official parking rules were found, so ask the host.

Guides

Where to stay

Where to stay in Zanzibar with a car: the areas compared

Stone Town sits about 10 km from the airport, and every beach area lies 47 to 63 km away by road. The areas differ in what surrounds the hotel: a World Heritage old town, a lively north, a quiet north-east, a kite lagoon in the south-east and dolphin boats at the southern tip.

Photo: Mangapwani, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Questions

Which part of Zanzibar is best for a first visit?

Stone Town for the old town and the short airport transfer, then a beach: Nungwi and Kendwa in the north for beaches with restaurants, or Paje on the south-east coast for kitesurfing. Both beach areas are about 51 to 63 km from the airport by road.

Is travel insurance compulsory for Zanzibar?

Yes. Every visitor needs the inbound travel insurance of the Zanzibar Insurance Corporation, USD 44 per adult and USD 22 per child, bought on the official portal. It covers up to 92 consecutive days, other insurers are not accepted, and UK travel advice warns that visitors can be refused entry without it.

What tax do hotels in Zanzibar charge per night?

An infrastructure tax per person per day: USD 5 in 4 and 5 star hotels, USD 4 in 2 and 3 star hotels and USD 2 in 1 star hotels and others, set by the Infrastructure Tax as consolidated in 2025. Hotels also owe a 12% hotel levy, and homes let to tourists 15%.

Do EU, UK and US visitors need a visa for Zanzibar?

Yes, a Tanzanian visa, which also covers Zanzibar. EU and UK visitors take the Ordinary Visa, USD 50 for up to 90 days; US citizens must take the Multiple Visa, USD 100 for one year with at most 90 days per visit. Apply on the immigration website; UK travel advice adds that a single-entry visa is also issued on arrival.