Transportation to Zanzibar airport is mainly provided by taxis or transfers from hotels or travel agencies.

Public transport in the form of minibuses (called "dala-dala") stops about 500 meters from the terminal.

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Taxi

Regular taxis are always plentiful outside both terminals. There are no taxi meters in Zanzibar, but prices from the airport are fixed and the price list is posted on a board just outside the terminal.

This is where the official taxi drivers are waiting. You can pay in US dollars or euros (always the same denomination), but also in Tanzanian shillings.

Taxis can only be paid in cash.

The price of ordinary local taxis should not exceed the following amounts:

• Stone Town - 15 usd / 36 000 tzs
• Nungwi or Kendwa - 65 usd / 156 000 tzs
• Jambiani - 65 usd / 156 000 tzs
• Pongwe or Uroa - 50 usd / 120 000 tzs
• Paje - 50 usd / 120 000 tzs
• Pwani Michangani - 55 usd / 132 000 tzs
• Kiwengwa - 50 usd / 120 000 tzs
• Dongwe - 65 usd / 156 000 tzs

On the way back to the airport, taxi drivers often try to negotiate a higher price. We recommend taking a picture of the price board at the airport on arrival in Zanzibar and then showing it to the taxi drivers on the way back to the airport.

Mobile apps like Uber, Grab or Careem don't work in Zanzibar and local mobile apps are not reliable either.

Bolt works here, but for now you can only order a motorbike ride (called a boda) through the app.

Hotel transfer

If you bought a tour to Zanzibar through a travel agency (flight + accommodation + airport transfer), you pick up your luggage and walk out of the transit zone.

The stands of the various tour operators and delegates are right outside the departure hall.

A bus will take you to your hotel at no extra charge. The tourist bus stand is approximately 50 metres to the right of the terminal.

Car rental

There are no car rental companies located directly at the airport, however, international car rental companies such as AutoUnion, Europcar and Green Motion are located in the centre of Stone Town.

These car rental companies do not have direct branches in Zanzibar, but have contracted local rental companies to provide you with a car.

Always specify your arrival time when booking, as a car rental company will be waiting at the airport to provide you with a car.

Due to weak competition, prices are relatively high and a week's rental of a small car in high season works out at around 250 eur.

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When renting a car in Zanzibar, you must pay for a local driving licence at 20 usd (it will be issued on request).

From personal experience, we do not recommend using AutoUnion car rental, as communication with their contractor was extremely slow and difficult. For a more detailed description of travelling by car, see our article Car rental in Zanzibar.

Dala Dala

There are also open vans called dala dala that run to the airport from the bus stand near Darajani market in Stone Town.

These vehicles are the only form of public transport in Zanzibar, as regular buses do not run here.

Line 505 runs between Stone Town and the airport, stopping about 250 metres to the right of Terminal 2 and about 500 metres from Terminal 3 respectively.

Fares cost 500 tzs and are payable in cash and Tanzanian shillings only to the conductor inside the bus when you get off.

You don't need to have the exact amount, the conductor will change larger notes for you.

There are no timetables. Dala dala always leaves when it fills up. So the normal interval is between 5 and 10 minutes.

The dala dala only runs from dawn to dusk and the ride is very uncomfortable, especially with large luggage.

The journey to the centre takes about 30 minutes.

There are other lines to the airport such as 516, 526, 535 and 536, but these only go to the outskirts of Zanzibar Town.