Is Zanzibar Safe? Advisories, Real Risks and Local Laws (2026/2027)

Is Zanzibar safe? For most tourists it is, with the precautions you'd take in any busy holiday destination. No government advises against visiting the islands, although the United States rates Tanzania as a whole at Level 3 of 4. The risks worth planning for are petty theft, the roads, the sea at low tide and malaria.

We sell beach extensions on Zanzibar, so check our answer against its sources. They are four governments' travel advice as it stood on 1 October 2026, Zanzibar's own statistics, and health guidance from the CDC and Britain's TravelHealthPro. We also read the 269 reviews in which our partner operators' guests mention the islands. None reports a theft, a scam or an injury there.

Zanzibar is a semi-autonomous island group of Tanzania in the Indian Ocean. Its Office of the Chief Government Statistician counted 736,755 international visitors in 2024, and its monthly releases add up to about 917,000 for 2025.

Key takeaways

• No government advises against visiting Zanzibar. The UK, Canada and Australia have all eased their Tanzania advice since late 2025, while the US has kept Level 3.
• Roads are the islands' deadliest risk: 222 people died in 260 accidents in 2025, and 104 of them were on bicycles or motorbikes.
• Sharks barely register, with four unprovoked attacks on record for the whole of Tanzania.
• Malaria tablets are still advised for Zanzibar by the CDC and TravelHealthPro.
• The $44 inbound insurance is mandatory. Since 1 October 2026 you buy it only for your first port of entry, the mainland or Zanzibar.
• Dress fines start at $700.

Is Zanzibar safe right now? What the advisories say

No government advises against travel to Zanzibar as of 1 October 2026. The United States rates the whole of Tanzania at Level 3 of 4, "reconsider travel", and names no island in its summary. The UK, Canada and Australia sit lower, and each has eased its advice since late 2025.

The US level dates from the unrest around the general election of 29 October 2025. The deaths and injuries were, in the UK Foreign Office's words, "in many areas of mainland Tanzania". A week after the vote the US embassy wrote that "Zanzibar is reported to be calm, and shops and ferries are operating normally."

The other three governments reacted the same way, then stepped back. The UK advised against all but essential travel to the whole country from 1 to 7 November 2025. Canada kept a similar warning into early December, and Australia lowered its level on 19 January 2026.

Only the US advisory hasn't moved, and our guide to whether Tanzania is safe goes through its wording. If you hold a US policy, ask your insurer how it treats a Level 3 destination. British travellers have it simpler: the Foreign Office says cover "could be invalidated" by travel against its advice, and its advice doesn't touch Zanzibar.

What are the risks of going to Zanzibar?

The risks of going to Zanzibar are mostly ordinary ones: theft, traffic, the sea and tropical illness. The table runs from the everyday to the rare, with what the official sources say about each.

Crime, touts and where to take care

Petty theft is the crime visitors are most likely to meet on Zanzibar, and it clusters where tourists do. The UK Foreign Office says incidents "have taken place in Stone Town and at hotels and on popular tourist beaches throughout the island". Canada asks for extra caution in Stone Town, Nungwi, Paje and Jambiani.

The usual method is a grab. "Bag snatching is a well-known tactic of criminals, who may operate from cars or motorbikes," the Foreign Office says. It advises walking towards the traffic and well away from the kerb, carrying your bag loosely on one shoulder, and leaving your passport somewhere safe.

Zanzibar's own figures put that in proportion. Its statistics office recorded 22,844 offences in 2023 among 1.89 million residents, including 7,075 thefts and 833 burglaries. It recorded no robbery with violence that year, after 80 in 2022.

No advisory marks any part of the islands as off limits. The warnings concern the hour more than the place: the Foreign Office says to "avoid walking or cycling at night or alone". That applies most to Stone Town's unlit alleys and to empty beaches.

Book taxis through your hotel. Canada reports express kidnappings near hotels and ferry terminals in Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar, sometimes by taxi drivers, in which victims are forced to withdraw cash. If the police stop you, the Foreign Office says to ask for identification, and that a fine should come with a government control number.

Touts are the commonest complaint and the least dangerous. One guest in our partner reviews was worn down by haggling over every price and by "the incessant requests in Zanzibar, starting from the taxi at the airport". A firm no and a price agreed in advance deal with most of it.

None of the 269 reviews that mention Zanzibar reports a theft, a scam, an assault or an injury there. That's weaker evidence than it sounds, because guests are reviewing a safari company and may leave the island out. It does match the advisories, which treat trouble as the exception.

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Is it safe to swim in Zanzibar? Sharks, tides and boats

Swimming in Zanzibar is safe near high tide on most beaches, and sharks are the least of the sea's risks. The International Shark Attack File lists four confirmed unprovoked attacks for the whole of Tanzania since its records began. It doesn't count Zanzibar separately.

Tides matter far more. On the east coast the water can retreat a kilometre or more at low tide and leave reef flats where the swimming was. Nungwi and Kendwa in the north stay swimmable all day, and our guide to the best beaches in Zanzibar sorts the coasts by tide.

Low tide is also when people get hurt. Scuba Do, a dive operator on the island, warns of sea urchins underfoot and of a tidal range of "up to four meters" that "can create strong currents". Reef shoes deal with the urchins, and your hotel can tell you the day's swimming hours. The sea is clearest from late December to February, as our month-by-month Zanzibar weather guide shows.

Boats deserve a look before you board. The same operator says Zanzibar has "no Coast Guard or organised Sea Search & Rescue capabilities". Count the life jackets on a snorkelling or sunset trip, and don't go out with a skipper who has none.

Malaria, vaccinations, water and hospitals

Zanzibar has malaria, and both the CDC and Britain's TravelHealthPro advise tablets for it. The CDC's page is titled "Tanzania, including Zanzibar" and puts every area below 1,800 metres in the malaria zone. TravelHealthPro describes "a high risk of malaria in all areas of Tanzania below 1,800m (including Zanzibar)".

Transmission on the islands is far lower than on the mainland, which is why some blogs call Zanzibar malaria-free. It isn't, and our guide to vaccinations and malaria explains the difference.

No vaccine is required if you fly in directly from the US or Europe. A yellow fever certificate is asked of travellers arriving from a country with yellow fever risk, and that includes an airport transit there of more than 12 hours. The CDC also has a polio notice in force for Tanzania, so ask your doctor about a booster.

Don't drink the tap water. The US State Department says that in many areas of Tanzania tap water "is not potable", and that bottled water is generally safe. Dengue is present too, according to TravelHealthPro, so use repellent by day as well as at dusk.

Medical care on the islands is limited. The Foreign Office says facilities are limited outside Dar es Salaam, and the State Department calls ambulances "unreliable" and strongly recommends cover for medical evacuation. The private Tasakhtaa Global Hospital on the main island is listed with 24-hour emergency care, and the emergency number is 112.

The 2026 Ebola outbreak in the Congo hasn't reached Tanzania: no WHO, CDC or UK notice lists a case there. Our Ebola guide follows the entry rules it has caused.

Zanzibar travel insurance: the mandatory $44 policy and other entry rules

Every foreign visitor to Zanzibar must hold a government inbound insurance policy that costs $44, and your own travel insurance doesn't replace it. Zanzibar has required it since 1 October 2024. The Zanzibar Insurance Corporation sells it at $44 per adult and $22 per child, for stays of up to 92 days.

Mainland Tanzania introduced a matching $44 policy on 1 October 2026, which left safari-and-beach travellers asking whether they need both. The UK Foreign Office answered the same day: "You only need to buy insurance for your first port of entry, either mainland Tanzania or Zanzibar." Land at Kilimanjaro and you buy the mainland policy; land in Zanzibar and you buy the island one.

Buy it online before you fly, or at the airport on arrival. The Foreign Office adds that other policies "are not accepted" in its place and that you should still carry insurance of your own. Given the hospitals, that means a policy with medical evacuation.

The other entry rules are Tanzania's. Your passport needs six months' validity, there's a temperature check for mpox at every point of entry, and our Tanzania visa guide covers the visa.

What is not allowed in Zanzibar?

Revealing clothing in town, eating in public during Ramadan, same-sex relationships, drugs, plastic bags and filming protests are all against the rules in Zanzibar. The islands are a conservative Muslim society, and Tanzanian law is strict. The table sets out what each rule means for a visitor.

The dress rule is the one most often broken. The Foreign Office warns that "Zanzibari authorities can fine you 700 US dollars or more if you're wearing what they consider inappropriate clothing in public". Guides and tour operators can be fined at least $1,000 for the same offence.

Is Zanzibar safe for women, LGBT travellers and families?

None of the four advisories warns women against travelling alone on Zanzibar. The Foreign Office is blunt about the risk that does exist: "Incidents of assault, rape and sexual aggression against foreigners have occurred, including at beach resorts." Its advice is not to walk alone at night, never to leave a drink unattended and to be wary of offers of rides.

For gay and lesbian travellers the risk is legal. Same-sex relations carry up to 14 years in prison in Zanzibar, and the US advisory lists the "targeting of gay and lesbian individuals" among its reasons for Level 3. The Foreign Office warns that showing affection in public could lead to arrest.

Families have two decisions to make. One is malaria tablets for the children, which a travel clinic will advise on. The other is the coast: the north's beaches can be swum at any tide, which matters with small children, and our safari and Zanzibar guide covers where to stay.

Ferry or flight, taxis and scooters

Fly between Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar if you can. The flight takes 15 to 20 minutes. The fast ferry takes 1 hour 30 to 1 hour 45 minutes by Azam Marine's own booking system, and our guide to where Zanzibar is has the timetable.

The sea route has a grim record. The ferry Skagit sank on its way from Dar es Salaam in July 2012 with at least 63 dead. The Spice Islander went down between Zanzibar's two main islands in September 2011, with nearly 200 confirmed dead and many more missing.

If you take the ferry, the US State Department says to "use the high-speed ferry and purchase your tickets from inside the ferry terminal or online in advance". The Foreign Office adds a blunter rule: "If you think a ferry is overloaded or not seaworthy, do not get on." One guest in our partner reviews described intense seasickness and "total chaos" on the crossing, and said they'd take the small plane next time.

On the islands the road is the hazard. Zanzibar's statistics office counted 222 road deaths in 2025, up from 189 the year before, and 104 of the dead were cyclists or motorcyclists. That's the case against hiring a scooter.

The Foreign Office says motorbike taxis and tuk-tuks "rarely have proper insurance cover" and advises against driving outside towns at night. Use taxis booked by your hotel and agree the fare first. Flights get cancelled too, so leave a day between the island and your flight home; our guide to a safari from Zanzibar covers the air routes.

Frequently asked questions

Plan for the ordinary risks

Zanzibar's dangers are the ordinary ones of a tropical island with busy roads. They're easy to plan around: a hotel-booked taxi at night, a flight in place of the ferry, malaria tablets, reef shoes and covered shoulders in town.

We plan Zanzibar as the beach end of a safari, on the coast that suits your dates and with airport transfers arranged for you. Our safari and Zanzibar beach trips show how the two halves fit, and the guide to things to do in Zanzibar fills the days. Tell us your dates through the planning form, and we'll send back a route and a price.