Getting from Abeid Amani Karume International Airport to the city

The policy that is not optional

• Every non-resident visitor to Zanzibar must hold a Zanzibar Insurance Corporation policy. Not travel insurance in general - this specific one.
• USD 44 per adult, USD 22 per child aged 3 to 17, free for under-3s, covering stays of up to 92 days.
• Buy it at visitzanzibar.go.tz before you travel. A QR code arrives by email.
• It is checked at the airport and at the ferry terminal from Dar es Salaam, and people without it are refused entry.
• The policy you bought at home is not a substitute. It covers emergency medical up to USD 50,000 plus evacuation and baggage, so it is real cover rather than a tax, but it does not replace your own insurance either.

Arriving

• The airport is operated by the Zanzibar Airports Authority, separately from mainland Tanzania's.
• Stone Town is a short drive, and the east coast beaches an hour or more depending which one.
• Flights from Dar es Salaam take about 20 minutes, and the ferry takes about two hours; both are subject to the same insurance check.

The rest of the entry paperwork

• The Tanzanian visa position applies here as on the mainland: the e-visa is the route to rely on, and holding one before boarding avoids an argument at check-in.
• Plastic bags are banned in Tanzania and are surrendered on arrival; the airport security liquids bag is the exception.