How to Get Around Zanzibar: A Local's Guide to Taxis, Dala-Dalas and Shuttles

Zanzibar looks small on the map. It is about 90 kilometers from top to bottom, and you could drive the length of it in an afternoon. Getting around is a different story. There are no trains, street taxis have no meters, the local buses run on their own schedule, and a road that looks like a 40-minute drive can take twice that once you add traffic, speed bumps and police checkpoints.

We live here and spend our days on these roads with guests. This guide is what we tell friends when they ask how to get from the airport to the beach, from Stone Town to Nungwi, or from one coast to the other: every option, what it is good for, and where it falls short.

The Short Answer

If you only read one section, make it this one.

• Arriving at the airport: book a private taxi before you land. Negotiating a fare after a long flight is nobody's idea of a holiday.
• Traveling on a budget: take a shared shuttle between Stone Town and the beaches, or from one beach to another. You pay for a seat, not the whole car, and you are still picked up at your hotel.
• Families, groups, lots of luggage, or your own schedule: a private taxi, booked in advance.
• Getting around Stone Town: on foot. Cars cannot get into most of the old town anyway.
• Short hops within a beach area: walk along the sand, or ask your hotel to call a local taxi or tuk-tuk.
• For the experience: one ride on a dala-dala, the local minibus. Slow, crowded, and a story to take home.

How the Island Fits Together

Most visitors split their time between Stone Town and one or two beach areas, so it helps to know how they connect.

Stone Town sits on the west coast, 15 to 20 minutes from the airport. It is the hub of the island: the main roads fan out from here to the north, the east and the south.

The north (Nungwi and Kendwa) is around an hour to an hour and a half by road from Stone Town.

The southeast (Paje and Jambiani) is about the same distance, straight across the middle of the island. Further south, Makunduchi and Kizimkazi are quieter fishing villages, and Kizimkazi is where we start our Pungume Island and Dolphin Tours.

The northeast and east coast (Matemwe, Kiwengwa, Pongwe) lie in between, with the island's big resort hotels.

North to south is the long one. From Nungwi to Paje, expect around two hours on the road.

Whichever trip you are making, the map will flatter it. Speed limits through villages are low and enforced, the last stretch to many beach hotels is a sand track, and traffic around Stone Town can crawl at rush hour. Give yourself more time than you think you need, especially on the way to the airport. If you are still choosing where to stay, our guide to the best beaches in Zanzibar walks through each area.

Arriving in Zanzibar

By air. Abeid Amani Karume International Airport is just outside Stone Town. Taxi drivers wait outside the airport building, but every fare is negotiated on the spot, and after a long flight you are in the weakest possible position to haggle. The calmest arrival is a taxi booked in advance: a driver who is expecting you, and a price agreed before you land.

By ferry from Dar es Salaam. The fast ferries take around 1.5 hours and arrive at the port in Stone Town. Stick to the established ferry companies, and buy your ticket at their official office or online, never from someone outside the terminal. When you arrive in Zanzibar, porters will offer to carry your bags. Agree a price first, or carry them yourself. Most Stone Town hotels are a short walk or taxi ride from the port. If you are heading straight to the beach, take a taxi from the port, or spend a night in Stone Town and catch a shuttle the next morning.

From the mainland by plane. Short domestic flights connect Zanzibar with Dar es Salaam, Arusha and Kilimanjaro. This is how most people combine a safari with the beach. We cover it in detail in How to Go on a Safari From Zanzibar.

Dala-Dalas: The Local Way

Dala-dalas are Zanzibar's public transport: minibuses and converted trucks with bench seats, running between Stone Town and villages all over the island. They are by far the cheapest way to get around, and a ride on one is a real slice of island life, with market traders, schoolchildren and whatever someone is bringing home from the market all squeezed in together.

How they work. Many dala-dalas leave from Darajani Market in Stone Town or from Mwanakwerekwe, the big market on the edge of town. The destination is usually written on the front, and the conductor will call it out as well. They leave when they are full, not on a timetable. You pay the conductor in cash in Tanzanian shillings, so carry small notes. When you want to get off, let the conductor know.

The catch. Dala-dalas are slow, because they stop wherever someone wants to get on or off. They are hot and packed, there is no real space for suitcases, and they drop you on the main road, which can be a long walk from a beach hotel. They also stop running in the early evening.

Our take. Try one for a short ride with a day bag, for the experience. Do not use one to move between hotels with your luggage, and do not rely on one to catch a flight. If you are traveling on a budget, a shared shuttle is the better way to get between Stone Town and the beaches.

Shared Shuttles: The Budget-Friendly Way

If you are traveling on a budget, our shared shuttles are the easiest way to get around the island without spending much. You pay for a seat instead of the whole car, so it costs much less than a private taxi, especially if you are traveling alone or as a couple. And unlike a dala-dala, you ride in an air-conditioned van with room for your suitcase, and you are picked up right at your hotel.

Where it goes. The shuttle connects Stone Town, Nungwi, Kendwa, Paje, Jambiani, Makunduchi and Kizimkazi, with departures every day in both directions:

• Stone Town and the north: Stone Town, Kendwa and Nungwi.
• Stone Town and the south: Stone Town, Paje, Jambiani, Makunduchi and Kizimkazi.
• North to south, direct: Nungwi and Kendwa to Paje, Jambiani, Makunduchi and Kizimkazi, with no change in Stone Town.

You can get on and off at any stop along a line.

How it works.

1. Search your route and travel date on our shuttles page, and pick the departure that suits you.
2. Choose your pick-up and drop-off hotels from our list. It covers most hotels in each area, and if yours is missing, message us and we will sort it out.
3. Pay online by card. Your confirmation email arrives straight away, and a reminder follows the day before.
4. Your driver collects you at your hotel and drops you off at the next one.

Good to know.

• Luggage: one suitcase and one piece of hand luggage per traveler are included, and you can add extra suitcases when you book.
• Air-conditioned vans.
• Seats are limited, because the vans are small. In high season (July, August and the Christmas holidays), book a few days ahead.
• Seats close two hours before departure, so you can still book on the day if you are early enough.
• The shuttle does not stop at the airport. For airport transfers, book a private taxi.

Who it suits. Budget travelers, solo travelers and couples who are moving between Stone Town and the beach, or from one coast to the other, and are happy to travel at a set time. If you are a family or a group, compare it with a private taxi when you search. Once there are a few of you, having the car to yourselves can be the better deal.

You will find all prices and departure times on our shuttles page. Search your route and date to see what is available.

Taxis

Taxis are easy to find in Stone Town, at the airport and outside the bigger hotels. Local taxis have no meters, so every fare is agreed between the driver and you.

• Agree the price first. Confirm whether it is per car or per person, and in which currency.
• Ask your hotel reception what a fair price is for your trip before you go out and negotiate.
• Hotel-booked taxis usually cost more than one you find on the street, but the hotel knows the driver.

Negotiating gets tiring on longer trips, such as Stone Town to Nungwi or Paje, and that is also where prices vary the most.

Motorbike taxis (boda-bodas) are cheap and quick for short hops within a village. But helmets are often missing, and many travel insurance policies will not cover you on one. We would not recommend them. Tuk-tuks are the more comfortable choice for short trips. They can be hard to find, so it helps to ask your hotel to call one for you.

Ride-hailing apps such as Uber and Bolt do not work reliably in Zanzibar, so do not plan your trips around them.

Our Private Taxis

We run private taxis too, between the airport, Stone Town and the main beach areas, as well as between the beaches themselves. They are what we recommend for airport runs, early flights, late arrivals, families with young children, and anyone traveling with a lot of luggage.

• Door-to-door, from your hotel or the airport to wherever you are going.
• Any time you like. You set the pick-up time, not a timetable.
• Priced per car, not per person, so the more of you there are, the better value it becomes.
• A fixed price, shown upfront. Search your route and you see the price straight away, with no negotiating.
• Air-conditioned cars, booked and paid online, with a confirmation email straight away and a reminder the day before.
• Same-day round trips are possible too, which makes a day at another beach, or a day in Stone Town from the coast, easy to plan.

Book in advance. Booking ahead makes sure a car is available when you need it, especially in high season. It also makes the whole trip smooth: the price, the pick-up time and your driver are all arranged before you arrive, so there is nothing left to sort out on the day. Private taxis can be booked online from the next day onwards. For something last-minute, message us and we will see what we can do.

To see the price for your trip and book, search your route on our shuttles page.

Renting a Car or Scooter

Driving yourself gives you complete freedom, and some visitors love it. Many others find it very uncomfortable. If you are not used to the roads here, the local driving style can feel chaotic: dala-dalas stop without warning, motorbikes weave past on both sides, and people overtake where you least expect it. The roads can also be hard to navigate, with few signs, unmarked turns, and map apps that are not always reliable once you leave the main roads.

If you still want to drive, here is what else you are signing up for:

• You need a local permit. On top of your home license, you need a Zanzibar driving permit, which rental companies usually arrange for you.
• Traffic drives on the left.
• Police checkpoints are common, and speed limits through villages are low and enforced. Keep your license, your permit and the rental papers in the car.
• The last stretch is often sand. The main roads are paved, but the tracks down to many beach hotels are not.
• Avoid driving after dark. Roads are unlit, and you share them with pedestrians and animals.

Scooters are popular in Paje and Jambiani for getting between the beach and village restaurants. Wear a helmet, and check your travel insurance first. Many policies do not cover riding a scooter unless you hold a motorcycle license at home.

Our take. A rental makes sense if you are a confident driver staying a few weeks and want to explore off the beaten track. On a typical one- or two-week trip, most visitors are much happier letting someone else do the driving.

Getting Around on Foot

Stone Town is a walking town. The old town is a maze of alleys too narrow for cars, and wandering it on foot is the whole point. If you would like a local to show you the stories behind the carved doors and the old trading houses, we run a guided Stone Town tour.

In the beach villages, the sand is often the best road. At low tide you can walk along the shore between neighboring beaches, for example between Nungwi and Kendwa. For anything further, ask your hotel to call a local taxi or tuk-tuk.

Getting to the Islands and the Reef

Some of Zanzibar's best places are not on the roads at all. Mnemba Atoll, Prison Island and the sandbanks off the coast are reached by boat, and the dolphin trips leave from Kizimkazi. The easiest way to see them is on a tour. Most of our tours come with optional hotel pick-up and drop-off, so the transport is taken care of from your door to the boat and back. For the best snorkeling on the island, start with a private boat to Mnemba.

Practical Tips

• Carry small notes in Tanzanian shillings for dala-dalas and street taxis. Large notes can be hard to change.
• Leave early for flights. Traffic and checkpoints can add unexpected time, especially from the north or the south coast. Give yourself a generous buffer.
• Save your hotel's location pin and phone number. Many places here have no formal street address, so a pin and a phone number help any driver find you.
• Agree everything upfront. With any taxi, boat or guide you find on the spot, settle the price, the currency and what is included before you set off.

For everything else to sort out before your trip, from visas to money, see what you need to know before visiting Zanzibar.

So, How Should You Get Around?

For most visitors, the answer is a mix: a private taxi booked ahead from the airport, your own two feet in Stone Town, a shared shuttle between the beaches if you are watching your budget or a private taxi if you would rather have the car to yourselves, a walk along the sand once you are there, and one dala-dala ride for the stories. Book the long journeys ahead, and keep the short ones flexible.

You can search and book our shared shuttles, private taxis and airport transfers on our shuttles page. If you are staying somewhere our shuttle does not stop, or your plans do not fit a timetable, message us and we will help you work it out.

Karibu Zanzibar. We will see you on the road.