Flights to Zanzibar

Compare flights to Zanzibar

Search the whole month rather than a date. Fares into Zanzibar swing by several hundred dollars between a Tuesday and a Saturday, because the aircraft serving the island are small and the charter traffic is seasonal.

Flying to Zanzibar in four lines

• There are no direct flights from North America. Two stops on almost every itinerary, and eighteen to twenty four hours door to door.
• Doha, Dubai, Addis and Istanbul are the hubs. Between them they carry most of the traffic, and the fare gap between them is meaningful.
• Watch the yellow fever rule. Connecting through certain countries triggers a certificate requirement at Zanzibar immigration. Check before you book, not after.
• Book two to four months out. Fares climb steadily rather than dropping late, because the aircraft serving this island are small.

Routes to Zanzibar, and how long each takes

There are no direct flights to Zanzibar from North America and only seasonal charters from a handful of European cities. Almost everybody connects, and the hub decides the day.

The single most expensive mistake here is booking a connection through a country that triggers the yellow fever certificate requirement. The section below explains which ones.

The hubs that connect, and what each is like

Five realistic ways in, and a sixth line for the routes people keep hoping exist.

The yellow fever trap in your connection

Tanzania asks for proof of yellow fever vaccination from anyone arriving from a country where the disease is endemic. Arriving directly from Europe or North America, that is not you.

Connecting through Nairobi or Addis Ababa can make it you, because both Kenya and Ethiopia are on that list. Enforcement varies, and being turned back at immigration over a routing you chose to save two hundred dollars is a bad trade.

If your itinerary touches an endemic country, get the certificate. It is valid for life and takes one appointment.

Booking, and what to watch for

Fares move most around the two peaks, July to August and the fortnight either side of Christmas. Two to three months out is the normal sweet spot, and the festive period wants considerably more than that.

Check where the aircraft actually lands. Some itineraries sold as Zanzibar route through Dar es Salaam with a separate ticket for the last leg, which means clearing immigration, collecting bags and checking in again, and no protection if the first flight is late.

Baggage on the small aircraft between Dar and Zanzibar is limited, often to fifteen or twenty kilos including hand luggage. Divers and anyone with a hard case should check the allowance before booking, not at the counter.

Getting here from where you actually live

From the United Kingdom, one stop through Doha, Dubai, Istanbul, Addis or Nairobi, and about fourteen hours door to door on a good routing. There is no direct service.

From continental Europe, the same hubs plus seasonal charters out of Italy and Poland, which are worth checking if you are in those markets and irrelevant otherwise.

From North America, two stops and twenty hours or more. The usual shape is a transatlantic leg to a Gulf or European hub, then south.

From the Gulf, direct in five and a half hours, which is why Dubai and Doha residents treat Zanzibar as a long weekend.

From southern and eastern Africa, direct from Nairobi, Dar es Salaam, Johannesburg on some days, and Addis.

Zanzibar or Dar es Salaam

Zanzibar directly if the fares are close, because the hop from Dar adds a transfer, a wait and a second baggage handling.

Dar is worth it when the long haul fare into it is meaningfully cheaper. The connecting flight costs seventy to a hundred dollars and takes twenty minutes, so the saving has to beat that.

The ferry is the third option and the one to avoid unless you enjoy boats. Two hours, frequently rough, and cancelled often enough that nobody sensible builds a connection around it.

Booking, and the two traps

The first is the split ticket. Some itineraries sold as Zanzibar route through Dar on a separate booking, which means clearing immigration, collecting bags and checking in again, with no protection if the first flight runs late.

The second is baggage on the light aircraft. Fifteen to twenty kilos including hand luggage is common on the Dar to Zanzibar hop and on anything going to Pemba or the Serengeti. Divers and anyone with a hard case should check before booking rather than at the counter.

Fares peak in July and August and again for the fortnight either side of Christmas. Two to three months out is the normal window, and the festive period wants considerably more. The fare table by departure city is on the budget page.

What a flight to Zanzibar costs

Return economy fares, booked two to three months ahead. The spread is seasonal rather than random.

• From London, $600 to $1,100. Cheapest in May and October, dearest at Christmas and in August.
• From New York, $900 to $1,600. Two stops on almost every itinerary and eighteen to twenty four hours in total.
• From most of Europe, $550 to $1,000. One stop through Doha, Dubai, Addis or Istanbul.
• From Dar es Salaam, $70 to $120. A twenty minute hop, or a two hour ferry for around $35 to $50.
• Book two to four months out. Fares here rise steadily rather than dropping at the last minute, because the aircraft are small.

Questions people ask