Nairobi to Zanzibar flight: airlines, prices and connecting from the US or UK

Nairobi to Zanzibar flights in 2026: airlines and times

Flight data counts four to six non-stop departures a day, about 35 a week, all from Jomo Kenyatta International (NBO). Wilson, the small airport where safari planes land, has no direct flight to Zanzibar. For the other ways to reach the island, see our flights to Zanzibar guide.

Frequencies come from Kayak's data for the last three months, read in October 2026. Flightlink's times are from its published timetable, valid until 31 May 2027. Kenya Airways changes its times with the season, so read them on the booking page rather than trusting an old blog post.

Nairobi to Zanzibar flight time

About 1 h 25 in the air for 600 km, a little less on the way back. Kenya and Tanzania share the same time zone, so you land 1 h 25 after take off on the clock too. A flight with a stop in Kilimanjaro takes about 2 h 30. One through Dar es Salaam can be $70 to $80 cheaper but averages close to eight hours, which only makes sense if the price gap is large.

Nairobi to Zanzibar flight price, in dollars and shillings

Return fares averaged $392 on Kayak over the last twelve months, in a range of about $312 to $459. Skyscanner showed one way seats from about $160 in October 2026. October is the cheapest month to fly (around $279 return), June and July the dearest. Booking several months ahead saves around a fifth against a last minute fare.

Paying in Kenyan shillings? Kenya Airways quotes economy returns from about KSh 45,700 to KSh 69,100 for October and November 2026, and business from KSh 155,000. Its fares move every couple of days.

The cheapest seat is not always the shortest trip. On the day we checked, Kayak's lowest return was $309 on Air Tanzania, with a stop, and the cheapest non-stop was $395 on Kenya Airways.

Does Jambojet fly from Nairobi to Zanzibar?

No, whatever some booking sites still suggest. Jambojet, the low cost airline owned by Kenya Airways, flies domestic routes out of Nairobi: Mombasa, Diani, Malindi, Lamu, Kisumu, Eldoret. Its only Zanzibar route left from Mombasa, and the airline suspended it in mid September 2026.

The reasons it gave, reported by Kenya's Business Daily on 29 September 2026, are the same ones a traveller meets: a 20 per cent fuel surcharge, Zanzibar's compulsory $44 visitor insurance and hotel prices that put off Kenyan holidaymakers. If a site still sells you a "Jambojet Nairobi Zanzibar" fare, it is out of date.

Connecting in Nairobi from the US or UK: how much time to leave

Nairobi is the shortest one stop routing to Zanzibar from North America. Kenya Airways is the only airline with a non-stop from the US: a daily Boeing 787 from New York JFK, about 14 hours, landing in Nairobi the next morning. From London, Kenya Airways and British Airways both fly non-stop from Heathrow to Nairobi. The Zanzibar leg is then 1 h 25.

On one ticket: two to three hours at JKIA

When both flights are on the same booking, your bags are checked through to Zanzibar and the airline has to rebook you if the first flight is late. Kenya Airways can sell connections of under an hour at its own hub. Our advice is to pick one of two to three hoursif the timetable allows: the long haul from New York has to cross half the world, and the transfer at JKIA means a new security check. Follow the "Transfer" signs, show your boarding pass, then read the gate on the screens.

On separate tickets: four to six hours, and an eTA

Booking the long haul and the Zanzibar flight separately can save money, but nobody waits for you if the first flight is late. You will usually have to collect your bags, go through Kenyan immigration and check in again, which means you need a Kenya eTA (next section). Leave four to six hours between the two flights.

Kenya eTA in transit, then the Tanzania visa for Zanzibar

Two countries, two sets of paperwork, and on a normal connection Kenya asks for nothing. Kenya's official eTA site exempts "all passengers in transit through Kenya arriving and leaving by the same aircraft or transferring to another aircraft and who do not leave the precincts of airports in Kenya". A normal connection at JKIA needs nothing.

You do need an eTA, applied for online at etakenya.go.ke before you fly, as soon as you leave the airport: a night in a Nairobi hotel, a transfer to Wilson airport, a safari. The transit eTA costs $20, the standard one $30.

On landing in Zanzibar, you then need the Tanzanian visa: $50 for most passports, or $100 on a US passport, because Americans are only issued the twelve month multiple entry visa. Apply for the e-visa at home, it costs the same as the queue on arrival. Add the compulsory $44 Zanzibar insurance ($22 for children aged 3 to 17). The full process is on our Zanzibar visa page.

Yellow fever certificate when flying from Kenya to Zanzibar

This is the trap of the Nairobi route. Kenya is on the yellow fever risk list, and Tanzania asks for a certificate from anyone arriving from a risk country, or after more than 12 hours in transit there (CDC, page updated 25 August 2026). Flying directly from the US or the UK, you need nothing.

• Same day connection at JKIA, under 12 hours, airside: no certificate.
• Layover over 12 hours, or a night in Nairobi: certificate required.
• A safari in the Masai Mara before Zanzibar: certificate required, and this is the case officers at Zanzibar actually check.

Masai Mara to Zanzibar: from the safari to the beach

There is no direct flight from the Masai Mara to Zanzibar. Safari planes from the Mara airstrips land at Wilson airport, in Nairobi, and Zanzibar flights leave from Jomo Kenyatta, across town. There is no airside link between the two: you collect your bags and cross by road. That is why the Kenya half of the trip always needs an eTA. How long to give each half is covered in our safari and Zanzibar guide.

The same day option: Flightlink's Mara to Zanzibar ticket

Flightlink, a Tanzanian airline, sells the whole run as one package. You leave the Mara at 07:00 (Kichwa Tembo, Keekorok, Ol Kiombo or Mara North), land at Wilson at 08:00, take the airline's free shuttle to JKIA, and fly to Zanzibar at 11:30, landing at 14:00 after a stop in Kilimanjaro. The price is $750 plus a $90 fuel surcharge, taxes included, with $50 off for a child of 12 or under. It is sold by email only, on a single booking, until 28 May 2027.

The cheaper option: a night in Nairobi

Fly out of the Mara in the afternoon, sleep near JKIA, and take a morning flight to Zanzibar on Kenya Airways or Precision Air. You pay for a hotel, but a delayed Mara plane no longer costs you the Zanzibar flight. Remember the yellow fever certificate either way.

Through Mombasa with Safarilink

Safarilink, the Kenyan safari airline, flies Wilson to Zanzibar with a stop in Mombasa: 14:00 from Wilson, 16:45 in Zanzibar, at $327 a leg. Useful if you want to stay on Wilson and on small planes, with a soft bag limit to match.

Doing the safari in Tanzania instead? The Serengeti is the same ecosystem as the Mara, and its flights to the island leave from Arusha: see our Arusha to Zanzibar flight page.

Landing in Zanzibar from Nairobi: terminal, visa and transfer

Nairobi is an international flight, so you arrive at terminal 3, the large international building. The steps after landing are described on our Zanzibar airport page.

• Yellow fever check. Coming from Kenya, this is the arrival where the certificate gets asked for. Keep it with your passport.
• Immigration. E-visa printout or on your phone, the $44 insurance certificate, and your first hotel address.
• The transfer. Stone Town is 15 minutes away, the north and east coasts about an hour. Prices are on our Zanzibar airport transfer page.

Questions people ask about the Nairobi to Zanzibar flight