Stone Town
The old quarter of Zanzibar City, a tangle of narrow lanes with carved wooden doors, coral-stone houses, mosques and bazaars, shaped by centuries of Swahili, Arab, Indian and European trade.
Zanzibar (Stone Town)
Spice farms, white-sand beaches and Stone Town fill this island; the UNESCO-listed old quarter reflects Swahili and Arab heritage.
Attractive locations
House of Wonders
A grand waterfront palace in Stone Town, built in the 1880s for the Sultan of Zanzibar. It holds a museum on Swahili coast culture, but parts have been closed for repairs, so check access first.
Old Fort of Zanzibar
A thick-walled fortress beside Stone Town's seafront, built by Omani Arabs in the late 1600s. Its inner courtyard now holds craft stalls, a small amphitheatre and cafes.
Forodhani Gardens
A seafront park in Stone Town where locals and visitors gather at sunset. It looks over the harbour, and food stalls set up here in the evenings.
Changuu Island (Prison Island)
A small island reached by short boat ride from Stone Town. Giant Aldabra tortoises roam here, and there are old stone buildings and clear water for swimming and snorkelling.
Jozani Chwaka Bay National Park
Zanzibar's only national park, with patches of forest and mangrove. It is the best-known place to see the rare red colobus monkey, found nowhere else on earth.
Nungwi
A fishing village at the northern tip of Zanzibar island, known for white-sand beaches with calm turquoise water, and for wooden dhows still built along the shore.
Airports
Abeid Amani Karume International Airport ZNZ
It is about 7 km in a straight line from Zanzibar (Stone Town).
Julius Nyerere International Airport DAR
It is about 79 km in a straight line from Zanzibar (Stone Town).
Tanga Airport TGT
It is about 120 km in a straight line from Zanzibar (Stone Town).
Scams and safe taxis
Taxi and scam advice for this country is on the Tanzania page
Weather by month
Each month shows its average temperature in °C and its mm of rain per month.
- Jan28.1 °C62 mm
- Feb28.4 °C51 mm
- Mar28.6 °C119 mm
- Apr28.2 °C256 mm
- May27.2 °C186 mm
- Jun26.2 °C29 mm
- Jul25.5 °C13 mm
- Aug25.5 °C14 mm
- Sep26.0 °C22 mm
- Oct26.9 °C64 mm
- Nov27.8 °C101 mm
- Dec28.3 °C92 mm
Driest months: Jul, Aug, Sep. Wettest months: Mar, Apr, May.
Costs
Prices here are about 28% of US prices (World Bank, 2024). This compares a country's overall prices, not the cost of a trip.
Festivals and events
culture
Sauti za Busara music festival
Stone Town hosts a festival of African music.
culture
Sauti za Busara music festival
Stone Town hosts a festival of African music.
Who can help
Emergency
112. Your safari operator or hotel can give you local police and ambulance numbers.
ngo
Tanzania Red Cross Society
Helps with: Tanzania's national Red Cross society, with headquarters in Dar es Salaam. Its site lists a hotline, said to run 24 hours a day, and a separate counselling service line.
Who qualifies: People in Tanzania who need to reach the Red Cross, including its hotline or counselling line.
Phone: 0800 750 150
Email: [email protected]
Address: Mwai Kibaki Road, Plot No. 53, Block C, Mikocheni B, P.O. Box 1133, Dar es Salaam
un agency
International Organization for Migration (IOM) Tanzania
Helps with: The UN migration agency's country office in Dar es Salaam. Contact it about migration matters in Tanzania.
Who qualifies: Migrants and organisations working on migration. It is not a help service for ordinary tourists.
Phone: +255 689 103 096
Email: [email protected]
Address: Plot 17 Ruhinde Rd, Kinondoni, P.O. Box 9270, Dar es Salaam
embassy
Foreign embassies and high commissions in Tanzania (official list)
Helps with: For a lost passport or serious trouble, contact your own country's embassy or high commission. The Tanzanian foreign ministry lists missions in Dar es Salaam with postal addresses, phones and emails.
Who qualifies: Citizens of each country, through their own embassy or high commission.
local government
Emergency number 112 (police, ambulance and fire)
Helps with: Reaches police, ambulance and fire services. UK government travel advice lists this number.
Who qualifies: Anyone in the country, including visitors.
Phone: 112