Map of Zanzibar
Zanzibar is ninety kilometres long and every journey on it takes longer than the map suggests, because the roads run through villages rather than around them. Here is where each coast sits and what it costs you in driving time.
Updated 10 September 2026
Where Zanzibar is
Unguja, the main island, with the airport eight kilometres south of Stone Town on the western side. Every drive to a beach starts by skirting the city, which is why nothing here is quick.
Zanzibar at a glance
- It is part of Tanzania, not a country of its own. A semi-autonomous archipelago with its own president, parliament and immigration desk, which is why you get a separate stamp.
- About 35 km off the East African coast, in the Indian Ocean, roughly six degrees south of the equator and level with Dar es Salaam.
- Two main islands. Unguja, which everybody calls Zanzibar and which this whole site is about, and Pemba to the north.
- Unguja is 85 km long and 30 km wide. Nothing is more than ninety minutes from the airport, and the highest point is around 120 metres.
- Swahili is the language, and English is widely spoken anywhere tourism reaches. Learning asante and hapana asante goes further than it should.
- Flying time is the real distance. Eight to ten hours from most of Europe with one stop, and eighteen to twenty four from the United States. See flights to Zanzibar.
Drive times from Zanzibar airport
Daytime figures. Add half an hour if you are crossing Stone Town between seven and nine in the morning or between four and seven in the evening.
| Where | Coast | Distance | Drive |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stone Town | West | 8 km | 15 to 20 min |
| Kizimkazi | South | 32 km | 40 to 45 min |
| Paje | South east | 48 km | 50 min to 1 h |
| Jambiani | South east | 50 km | 50 min to 1 h |
| Bwejuu | South east | 52 km | 1 h |
| Michamvi | South east | 55 km | 1 h 10 to 1 h 20 |
| Kiwengwa | East | 45 km | 1 h to 1 h 15 |
| Pongwe | East | 48 km | 1 h to 1 h 15 |
| Matemwe | North east | 52 km | 1 h to 1 h 15 |
| Kendwa | North | 58 km | 1 h 15 to 1 h 30 |
| Nungwi | North | 60 km | 1 h 15 to 1 h 30 |
Zanzibar in figures
| Where it is | In the Indian Ocean, 35 km off the Tanzanian coast, six degrees south of the equator |
| What it is | An archipelago and a semi autonomous region of Tanzania, with its own president and parliament |
| The main island | Unguja, 90 km long and 30 across at its widest, which is what people mean by Zanzibar |
| The second island | Pemba, 50 km north east, quieter, greener and reached by a 25 minute flight |
| Population | About 1.9 million across the archipelago, roughly 200,000 in Zanzibar City |
| Highest point | Masingini ridge, around 120 m. The island is essentially flat |
| Capital | Zanzibar City, whose historic core is Stone Town, a UNESCO site since 2000 |
| Language | Swahili, which was standardised here. English is widely spoken in tourism |
| Currency | Tanzanian shilling, with US dollars accepted for anything aimed at visitors |
| Time zone | East Africa Time, UTC+3, with no daylight saving |
The four coasts of Zanzibar
The west is where the airport, the port and Stone Town are. Nobody swims here, and every journey to a beach begins by skirting it.
The north, at the tip, is Nungwi and Kendwa. The tidal range is about a metre and the swimming works at any hour, which is why this coast is the busiest and the priciest.
The east and south east, from Matemwe down through Kiwengwa, Paje and Jambiani, is the long white coastline of the photographs. It also drains for half of every day.
The south, around Kizimkazi, is the least developed. The dolphin boats leave from there and very few people stay.
Pemba, the other Zanzibar island
Fifty kilometres north east and a different place entirely: hilly, green, covered in clove plantations and almost untouched by tourism.
Twenty five minutes by light aircraft, or two hours on a ferry that is regularly cancelled. Flying is the only sensible option and costs seventy to a hundred and twenty dollars each way.
The reason to go is the diving. Steep walls, thirty metres of visibility and no other boats. Experienced divers who make the trip consistently say it was the best part.
Why distances on a Zanzibar map mislead
Nothing on this island is far and everything takes longer than it should. The roads are decent tarmac and they run through villages rather than around them, with speed bumps every few hundred metres.
There is also no bypass around Zanzibar City. Every crossing of the island goes through or around it, and at rush hour that adds half an hour.
The practical consequence is that two beaches ten kilometres apart on the map can be forty minutes apart on the road, and that a day trip from the north to Stone Town eats three hours of driving.
What a map of Zanzibar does not show
Two beaches ten kilometres apart on this map can be entirely different holidays. Kiwengwa and Pongwe are fifteen minutes apart, and one drains at low tide while the other holds its water.
The geography that matters here is the reef rather than the road. The tide page covers what it does, coast by coast.
Questions people ask about Zanzibar's location
How big is Zanzibar?
The main island, Unguja, is about ninety kilometres long and thirty across at its widest. You can drive its length in two hours, and nowhere on it is more than ninety minutes from the airport.
How long does it take to get around Zanzibar?
Longer than the distance suggests. Roads are decent but they run through villages with speed bumps, and there is no route that bypasses Zanzibar City. Reckon on an hour to the east coast and an hour and a half to the northern tip.
Is Zanzibar a country?
No. It is a semi autonomous region of Tanzania, with its own president, parliament and immigration control, but it is not a separate state. You enter on a Tanzanian visa, and the island runs a good deal of its own affairs.
How many islands are there in Zanzibar?
Two of any size. Unguja, which is what everyone means by Zanzibar, and Pemba fifty kilometres to the north east. Beyond them a scatter of islets, of which Mnemba, Chumbe and Changuu are the ones visitors reach.
Where is Zanzibar exactly?
In the Indian Ocean, about thirty five kilometres off the coast of Tanzania and six degrees south of the equator. Dar es Salaam is twenty minutes away by light aircraft or two hours by ferry.