Most travellers require a Tanzania visa. Because Zanzibar is part of the United Republic of Tanzania, the same visa is used for mainland and island travel. We can help you understand the available options; the final decision remains with Immigration.

Fees above are indicative, based on current Tanzania Immigration guidance, and may change. Confirm on visa.immigration.go.tz. Use only the official portal — ignore paid look-alike sites in search ads.

• Apply online about 2–4 weeks before travel.
• Visa on arrival remains available for many nationalities at major airports; eVisa usually reduces waiting time.
• Some nationalities follow referral procedures with longer processing.

Since 1 October 2024, foreign visitors entering Zanzibar (Unguja, Pemba and associated islands) are generally required to purchase inbound travel insurance issued through the Zanzibar Insurance Corporation (ZIC). This is separate from the Tanzania visa and from any personal international travel insurance. A private policy does not replace ZIC.

Amounts and categories are subject to confirmation on the official portal: inbound.visitzanzibar.go.tz.

• Purchase before travel where possible and save the QR code (phone and print).
• Immigration scans the QR on arrival by air or sea.
• Does not normally apply when travelling only to Mafia Island.
• ZIC is a required inbound policy. Comprehensive personal travel insurance is still recommended.

Requirements depend on nationality, route and individual circumstances. As a general preparation list:

• Passport valid for at least six months, with blank pages
• Tanzania visa or approved eVisa, where required
• Zanzibar inbound-insurance QR code, when entering Zanzibar
• Return or onward ticket
• Confirmed accommodation or supporting itinerary / travel documents where applicable
• Any health certificates required for your route
• Comprehensive personal travel insurance

Children

Minors should travel on their own passports. Additional documents — such as a birth certificate or a parental consent letter — may be requested depending on nationality, airline and routing. This is not a single rule for every family; check with your airline and the authorities on your route.

Health

• A yellow fever certificate may be required if you arrive from, or transit through, an endemic country. Zanzibar often checks this carefully.
• Malaria is present on the mainland and islands. Seek medical advice on prevention.
• Drink bottled or filtered water.

Tanzania sits near the equator. European or American "summer" (June–August) is the long dry high season here. "Green season" is the long rains: lush landscapes, quieter parks and often softer rates.

Zanzibar and Pemba stay warm year-round. Monsoon winds change sea conditions for diving and dhows. We match itineraries to weather, not only calendar labels.

Uhuru Peak is 5,895 metres. It is a trek rather than a technical climb; altitude is the main challenge. Allow 6–9 days depending on route. Longer itineraries generally improve acclimatisation.

• Stronger weather windows: January to mid-March, and late June to October.
• Most demanding: April–May long rains.
• Shoulder: November short rains.
• Pack for rainforest heat and a summit night that can fall well below freezing.

We work with licensed mountain partners and can combine Kilimanjaro with a short safari and Zanzibar recovery days.

The most reliable snorkel encounters in Tanzania are off Mafia Island (mainland Tanzania, not Zanzibar), near Kilindoni.

• Main season: October to February, often strongest November–January.
• These are filter-feeding gentle giants. Snorkel only; do not ride or hold the animal.
• Humpback whales pass the Pemba Channel and Mafia area roughly July–September.
• Pemba and Unguja offer excellent reefs; Mafia remains the dedicated whale-shark add-on.

Zanzibar is the historic Spice Islands. Pemba produces the large majority of the archipelago's cloves. During harvest, villages can smell of drying buds for weeks.

• Two harvest rhythms are commonly described: a main mwaka crop (roughly July–November) and a vuli crop (December–March). Yields vary year to year.
• A working farm visit is a cultural encounter — clove, cinnamon, pepper, nutmeg — not only a photo stop.

Seaweed farming is a signature coastal livelihood and part of Zanzibar's blue economy. Most farmers are women working the intertidal zone on Unguja and especially Pemba.

• Red seaweeds are dried and exported for carrageenan used in food, cosmetics and pharmacy.
• Work follows the tide. Guests who join a Sea & Seaweed experience learn the lines and hear how climate and prices shape households.
• Value-added oils, soaps and lotions connect the same story to The Soul of Pemba products.

Coastal Tanzania is Swahili: African, Arab, Indian and European histories, lived through family, faith, food and the sea.

Zanzibar is a Muslim-majority society. Visitors are welcome and are not required to fast. Public respect is expected and may be guided by the Zanzibar Commission for Tourism.

During Ramadan

• Avoid eating, drinking or smoking in public view during daylight fasting hours in towns, streets and markets.
• Hotels and resorts generally continue to serve registered guests on the property.
• Restaurants outside hotel compounds may remain closed until sunset (iftar).
• Alcohol is typically available in licensed tourist hotels for guests; it is not part of local street life.
• Dress more modestly in public. Keep beachwear on the beach and inside hotel grounds.
• Evenings after iftar are communal and often beautiful.

Year-round reminders

• Illegal drugs carry severe penalties.
• Drones often need prior permission; do not launch over Stone Town or people.
• Do not stand on coral or take shells and starfish.
• Public affection is discreet. Tanzania's legal and social environment is conservative.
• Polite bargaining in markets is normal.