Where Is Zanzibar? Map, Islands and How to Get There

Zanzibar is a group of islands in the Indian Ocean off the coast of mainland Tanzania in East Africa. It is a semi-autonomous part of Tanzania whose two main islands are Unguja and Pemba. With about 50 islets, the archipelago held 1,889,773 people at the 2022 census.

Unguja is the island most people mean by Zanzibar. Its historic Stone Town sits at 6°09′ south and 39°11′ east, 74 km (46 miles) north of Dar es Salaam in a straight line. The map below shows the rest: the islands lie just south of Kenya, and the northern safari parks are one to two hours away by air.

Key takeaways

• Zanzibar belongs to Tanzania but keeps its own president and parliament for local affairs.
• Its two main islands are Unguja (1,666 km²) and Pemba (988 km²). Mafia Island is mainland Tanzania.
• The fast ferry from Dar es Salaam takes 1 hour 30 to 1 hour 45 minutes, sails four times a day and costs from $35.
• Flights take 15 to 20 minutes from Dar es Salaam, about an hour from Kilimanjaro or Arusha and 1 hour 40 minutes from the Serengeti.
• From New York, allow about 18½ hours with one stop. From London it's 11½ to 14 hours, until British Airways starts flying via Kilimanjaro on 29 May 2027.
• One visa covers both, and the $44 entry insurance is bought only where you first land.

Where is Zanzibar on the map?

Zanzibar is located in the Indian Ocean about 6° south of the equator, off the coast of Tanzania in East Africa. Unguja lies 30 to 40 km (19 to 25 miles) off the mainland across the Zanzibar Channel. Pemba lies about 50 km to the north-east of Unguja. Kenya's border meets the coast just north of Pemba, and Mombasa is 241 km (150 miles) from Stone Town.

Distances in this guide are straight lines between map coordinates. The other basics come from Zanzibar's statistics office, the 2022 census and Tanzania's constitution:

Is Zanzibar a country?

Zanzibar isn't an independent country. It is one of the two parts of the United Republic of Tanzania, created when Tanganyika and Zanzibar ratified their Articles of Union on 26 April 1964. Article 2 of Tanzania's constitution puts "the whole of the area of Tanzania Zanzibar" inside the republic, and Zanzibar's own constitution calls the islands "an integral part of the United Republic of Tanzania".

The question is fair because Zanzibar runs most of its own affairs. It has a president, a House of Representatives and a Revolutionary Government for everything outside the 22 union matters. Those stay with the union government and include foreign affairs, defence and the currency.

The arrangement came out of three changes in under five months. Britain ended its protectorate on 10 December 1963 and the revolution of 12 January 1964 ended the sultanate. The union followed in April. For visitors it shows in small ways, such as Zanzibar's own entry insurance and the passport you carry on the ferry.

Unguja, Pemba and the island that isn't Zanzibar

Zanzibar's 2025 Statistical Abstract gives the archipelago 2,654 km²: 1,666 km² for Unguja and 988 km² for Pemba. At the 2022 census Unguja had 1,346,332 people and Pemba 543,441. About 50 smaller islands surround them. One is Mnemba off Unguja's north-east coast, where turtles feed on the reef.

Unguja is where you'll land, because it has the airport and the ferry port. Stone Town has been a World Heritage Site since 2000, and UNESCO calls it "a fine example of the Swahili coastal trading towns of East Africa". Our guides to Zanzibar's best beaches and things to do in Zanzibar cover the rest of the island.

Pemba is the smaller second island. Auric Air's three daily flights from Pemba to Zanzibar take 30 minutes, and Azam Marine's ferries link the two as well.

Mafia Island is a different matter. Three of the pages ranking for "where is Zanzibar" count it as part of the archipelago, but Tanzania's 2022 census lists Mafia District under Pwani Region on the mainland. It lies about 200 km south of Stone Town.

How far is Zanzibar from the mainland and the safari parks?

Zanzibar is close to Dar es Salaam and a long way from the northern parks. Stone Town is 74 km from Dar es Salaam's port but 637 km from Seronera, the airstrip in the middle of the Serengeti. That is why the second leg of a safari-and-beach trip is nearly always a flight.

Flight times come from the Auric Air, Coastal Aviation and Flightlink timetables. Ferry times come from Azam Marine's booking system, and we checked both on 2 October 2026.

Our partner operators plan it the same way. Of the 201 safaris listed on GetSafariTours, 37 move travellers between the mainland and Zanzibar. Every one of them flies that leg.

How to get to Zanzibar by air

Zanzibar's international airport is Abeid Amani Karume (ZNZ) on Unguja. Its arrivals board lists flights from Istanbul, Doha, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Muscat, Addis Ababa and Nairobi, the hubs most long-haul travellers connect through.

From the US and the UK

There's no nonstop flight from the United States to Zanzibar. On 2 October we searched Google Flights for a one-way trip from New York (JFK) on 11 November 2026. The quickest one-stop routes took 18 hours 25 minutes via Amsterdam and 18 hours 30 minutes via Istanbul, from about $820. Via Dubai it took 20 hours.

London is closer. The same search from Heathrow found Ethiopian Airlines via Addis Ababa at 11 hours 40 minutes and Turkish Airlines at 12 hours 30 minutes. Qatar Airways took 13 hours via Doha, also with one stop.

That changes next summer. From 29 May to 31 October 2027, British Airways will fly from London Gatwick to Kilimanjaro and on to Zanzibar three times a week, on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Fares start at £849 return.

The 09:05 departure lands in Zanzibar at 22:25 local time, about 11 hours 20 minutes later. On the way it stops at Kilimanjaro, the main airport for the northern safari parks.

From Dar es Salaam, Kilimanjaro, Arusha and the Serengeti

Small scheduled airlines link Zanzibar with the mainland every day. The table shows their published adult fares with taxes on the routes most travellers use:

Flightlink flies from Kilimanjaro Airport to Zanzibar at 13:00 and lands an hour later. It also runs five direct flights a day from Arusha. Bags are limited on these small planes: Auric Air allows 20 kg each including hand luggage and recommends soft bags. Leaving the Serengeti, the 10:00 direct flight saves almost two hours on the service through Arusha.

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The Dar es Salaam to Zanzibar ferry: times, fares and tips

The fast ferry from Dar es Salaam to Zanzibar takes 1 hour 30 to 1 hour 45 minutes. Azam Marine runs the Kilimanjaro fast ferries but doesn't print a crossing time on its website. We read the timetable from its own booking system on 2 October 2026:

One partner guest's 09:30 boat from Zanzibar reached Dar es Salaam at 11:00, an hour and a half later. These are Azam's published one-way fares for non-residents, from a rates page last updated on 10 May 2026:

Azam's own rules and the US State Department's advice cover most of what can go wrong. Before you board:

• Carry your passport. Azam requires foreign passengers to carry one between the islands and the mainland.
• Pay in US dollars; Azam also takes pounds and euros, and no other currency.
• Be at the terminal an hour before departure, because Azam's terms give no refund for late check-in.
• Keep to 25 kg of luggage each.
• Buy tickets inside the terminal or online, never from people in the street claiming to be agents. The US State Department gives the same advice: buy "from inside the ferry terminal or online in advance".

The crossing can be rough. A guest who gave their safari five stars would take "the small plane instead of the ferry" unless you are "an experienced sailor". They had a crossing with intense seasickness on a boat "swinging left and right". The UK Foreign Office notes several ferry disasters on these routes and puts it plainly: "If you think a ferry is overloaded or not seaworthy, do not get on." Our guide to whether Zanzibar is safe covers the islands' other risks, and our Tanzania safety guide the mainland's.

What you need to enter Zanzibar

Zanzibar uses the same visa as mainland Tanzania, so you need nothing extra. Tanzania's eVisa rules say you "will be allowed to visit both places without a need for a new Visa". The ordinary tourist visa costs $50, and US passport holders must buy the $100 multiple-entry visa instead. Our visa guide for US and UK citizens covers the application.

Insurance works differently. Zanzibar has required its own inbound travel insurance since October 2024. The Zanzibar Insurance Corporation charges $44 per adult and $22 per child, whatever cover you already hold. Mainland Tanzania added a $44 policy of its own on 1 October 2026, and the UK Foreign Office updated its advice that day to settle the overlap: "You only need to buy insurance for your first port of entry, either mainland Tanzania or Zanzibar."

Your passport must be valid for six months after you arrive and have a blank page. A yellow fever certificate is needed only if you come from a country with a risk of the disease, which the CDC says includes airport transits of more than 12 hours. Malaria tablets are still advised for Zanzibar, as our vaccinations guide explains.

Zanzibar after a safari

In our partner operators' itineraries, Zanzibar more often comes after a safari than before it. Of the 21 that run from safari to island, 11 fly to Zanzibar from Arusha after the northern parks. Three fly from the Serengeti and 6 from the southern parks, and one doesn't name the airport. Another 16 begin on the island and fly to the parks, the route our guide to a safari from Zanzibar covers.

On a ten-day trip, the split our guests book most often is six days on safari and four on the beach. Our bush and beach guide works through the other combinations, and our safari and Zanzibar tours show real routes. If you'd like a route built around your dates, tell us what you have in mind. A partner operator will price it.