Valid for at least six months beyond your arrival date, with a blank page. No exceptions, and airlines check it at boarding.
Apply online in advance at visa.immigration.go.tz. Most European passports get the ordinary tourist visa.
Compulsory since October 2024. Bought before you fly, shown as a QR code at immigration. See below — this is the one that catches people.
$4–5 per person, per night, set by the Zanzibar Commission for Tourism. We collect it at the hotel. It is not part of your room rate.
Your travel insurance will not do.
Since 1 October 2024, every visitor to Zanzibar must hold a policy from the Zanzibar Insurance Corporation. $44 per adult, $22 for ages 3 to 17, free under 2. You buy it online before travelling at inbound.visitzanzibar.go.tz and present the QR code at immigration.
And the part that surprises everyone: the policy you already have does not count. ZIC says so plainly in its own FAQ, and the UK Foreign Office confirms it — other international travel insurance policies are not accepted. Without the ZIC policy you can be refused entry.
We are not your insurer and we cannot buy it for you. We would just rather you found this out here than at the airport.
The small print that isn't small.
Do I need a yellow fever certificate?
Not if you fly direct from Europe. You do need one if you transit for 12 hours or more through a country where yellow fever is endemic — in practice, a long layover in Nairobi or Addis Ababa. Check your exact itinerary, not just your departure city.
Can I drink the tap water?
No. We provide filtered water in every room and refill your bottle anywhere on the property. Don't buy cases of plastic — see the next answer.
Is it true that plastic bags are banned?
Yes, since 2019, and it is enforced at the airport. Empty your bag of plastic carriers before you pack. Ziplock bags for toiletries are tolerated; shopping bags are not.
What about cash and dollars?
Bring dollars, but printed in 2009 or later — older notes are routinely refused, including by the visa desk. Small denominations are more useful than big ones.
Anything to know about the beach itself?
Only that it keeps a timetable: Paje is tidal, and the sea walks out and back twice a day. Nothing to prepare for — but if you want to see what your days will actually look like, the tide page explains the lagoon's schedule.
Is there a dress code?
On the beach and inside the hotel, wear what you like. In villages and in Stone Town, shoulders and knees covered. This is not only courtesy: Zanzibar's tourism regulations set fines of $700 to $5,000. Nobody we've hosted has ever come close — but people are surprised it's a law rather than a custom.
Checked on 21 July 2026. We review this page every three months, because entry rules and prices change and a stale number here is worse than no number. Official sources: Zanzibar Insurance Corporation · Tanzania Immigration · UK FCDO. If you spot something out of date, tell us and we'll fix it right away.