Pemba & Zanzibar Airport or the Ferry – Many roads lead to Zanzibar

By Plane - Zanzibar Airport

International flights to Zanzibar

At present, there are only a few direct flights into Zanzibar airport, depending on your place of residence. Flights to Zanzibar airport include British Airways, KLM (together with Kenya Airways) via Nairobi and Condor via Mombasa, Ethiopian Airlines via Adis Abeba, or 1Time Airlines via Johannesburg. These are the most straightforward and comfortable routes to Zanzibar airport.

Most of the large carriers fly into Dar es Salaam on the mainland. Amongst them are Swiss, Qatar Airways, Ethiopian Airlines, Emirates, EgyptAir, KLM, and British Airways.

Domestic flights to Zanzibar - ZanAir and others

From Dar es Salaam, travelers take one of the numerous scheduled daily flights across the ocean to Zanzibar airport. The island is only 40km off the coast, so flights take around 30 minutes. Depending on the flights and airlines, a departure may take place either from Dar es Salaam International Airport or from the adjacent, smaller Old Airport. Most domestic carriers offer shuttle services between the two airports. Otherwise, a taxi costs about 10-15 USS$.

ZanAir Flights: From Arusha, Dar Es Salaam, Entebbe / Kampala Entebbe, Mombasa Moi Intl, Pemba Island Wawi, Sadaani and Selous to Zanzibar.

 

Other Domestic Airlines

> Air Excel
> Coastal Aviation
> Flightlink
> Fly 540
> Precision Air
> Regional Air Services

Air Charters

> Safari Air Link
> Tanzanair
> Tropical Air
> Zantas Air
> As Salaam Air

 

By Plane - Pemba Airport

Daily scheduled flights with ZanAir to Karume Airport (7 km from Chake-Chake town) from Arusha, Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar. Other scheduled flights include Coastal and Tropical Air.

 

By Ferry

The fast Zanzibar ferry (Azam Marine) takes around 1.5 to 2 hours depending on weather conditions. The ferry tickets are sold in small ticket booths in front of the ferry port, but beware of scams, frauds and thieves in this area. Always buy your tickets directly at the counters and never hand over money or passports to touts.
The first ferries leave Dar es Salaam around 7.30 am, the last ones around 4 pm. Tickets are charged in US$. The current fare is 35 US$ for a regular passage.

From Unguja to Pemba

You can choose among the ferry companies like Azam Marine, Fast Ferries and Seagul Sea Transport who operate between Unguja and Pemba. You can also have a ferry from Dar es Salaam via Unguja and finally Pemba on regular schedules.

 

Passport and Visa

All visitors require a passport, valid for the duration of their stay and six months beyond. Most foreign nationals need a visa to enter Tanzania - which can be obtained on arrival - or beforehand from a Tanzanian embassy, consulate, or high commission. When arriving in Dar es Salaam and continuing on to Zanzibar, no further visa is required apart from the one previously issued.

 

Departure

Some airlines, like Condor or Qatar Airways, offer open jaw flights which fly into any international airport on the mainland when departing from Zanzibar airport. Travelers without open jaw flights have to go back to Dar es Salaam to catch their international flights.
Passengers departing Zanzibar have to pay departure fees. Both departure taxes and airport taxes have to be paid in US$. Occasionally, these fees are included in price of the tickets.