Plan Your Trip
Is Zanzibar Safe?
Quick answer
Yes — and the risks are the ordinary ones, not the dramatic ones.
Zanzibar is safe for most tourists who take ordinary precautions, and neither the UK nor Germany advises against travel to the island. The real risks are bag snatching and theft, road accidents, tidal currents and malaria; the US rates all of Tanzania at level 3, “reconsider travel”. Save 112, Tanzania’s number for police, fire and ambulance. Checked 2 October 2026 against UK, US and German advice.
| Overall | Safe for most visitors with ordinary precautions |
| Travel advice (UK / US / DE) | UK and Germany: no advice against Zanzibar · US: level 3 for all of Tanzania |
| Biggest physical risk | Road accidents, especially on hired scooters |
| Crime to expect | Bag snatching and theft in Stone Town and on beaches |
| Malaria | High risk all year: ask your doctor about tablets |
| Emergency number | 112 (police, fire, ambulance) |
| Nearest hospital to Michamvi | MedExpress, Paje: private, open 24 hours |
| Nearest ATM | In Michamvi Pingwe village; several in Paje |
| Last verified | 2 October 2026 |
Right now
Is Zanzibar safe right now? (checked 2 October 2026)
Three governments publish travel advice that covers Zanzibar, and we read all three before we answer this question for a guest. On 2 October 2026 they said this:
| Government | Advice level | What it says about Zanzibar |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (FCDO) | Advises against all but essential travel only within 20 km of the Mozambique border, on the mainland | No advice against Zanzibar. Crime incidents have happened in Stone Town, at hotels and on popular beaches; previous Zanzibar elections turned violent |
| United States (State Department) | Level 3 of 4, “reconsider travel”, for all of Tanzania (issued 31 October 2025) | Reasons given: unrest, crime, terrorism and the targeting of gay and lesbian people; the terrorism risk is highest in the Mtwara Region in the mainland south |
| Germany (Auswärtiges Amt) | No travel warning; advises against non-essential travel to southern Mtwara and the coast and islands south of Kisiju, on the mainland | “On semi-autonomous Zanzibar the political situation is currently stable”; be especially alert in greater Stone Town |
Sources: the three official pages listed under “Official sources” below. The US advisory was read from the State Department’s official advisory feed.
What happened after the 2025 election. Tanzania voted on 29 October 2025. The UK reports that the protests and the security response that followed caused deaths and injuries in many areas of mainland Tanzania; Germany adds that the internet was switched off for several days and that cash, fuel and flights were badly disrupted. Germany now calls the situation stable but tense, and stable on Zanzibar. It also notes calls on social media for protests on 29 October 2026, the anniversary of the election.
What that means for your trip. Stay away from demonstrations and large gatherings, do not photograph protests, police or military sites, and do not share images of unrest online: both governments warn that it can get you detained or prosecuted. Write down the numbers you need (your airline, your insurer, your hotel) in case mobile data is cut again, and keep some cash in reserve. If you travel around 29 October, check the advice again the week before.
The honest picture
What crime happens to tourists, and where?
If you rank what actually goes wrong for guests on Zanzibar, theft comes first: phones, sunglasses and cash left on a beach towel, or a bag pulled from a shoulder by someone on a passing motorbike in Stone Town. Second come road accidents, the most serious physical danger on the island, and one that rarely comes up because it does not feel dramatic. Third is the sea: currents at certain tidal states and sea urchins on the reef flat. Fourth come scams and overcharging, annoying and occasionally costly.
The official advice is blunter than most travel blogs, and you should know it. The UK warns of armed crime throughout Tanzania and lists incidents in Stone Town, at hotels and on popular beaches across Zanzibar. Germany warns of “express kidnappings”, in which a helpful stranger or a fake taxi driver offers a ride, then robs the passenger and forces them to withdraw cash, and says this kind of crime is rising in the tourist centres, Zanzibar included. The defence is simple: get into a car only with a driver you or your hotel know, never with someone who approaches you.
Keep your passport and spare cash in your room safe, carry a copy of your passport photo page, and keep your phone in a bag rather than a back pocket in crowds. Do not resist if you are robbed: a phone is replaceable.
Is it safe to walk around at night?
Not alone, and not on an unguarded stretch of beach. Germany specifically advises against walks and bicycle rides after dark, beach walks on Zanzibar included, and calls unguarded, remote beaches particularly dangerous; the UK says to avoid walking or cycling at night or alone. For an evening out from Michamvi Pingwe, at the sundown bar in Michamvi Kae or in Paje, go by taxi there and back. Your butler can help you book a driver you can call for the return.
Is Stone Town safe?
Stone Town is busy, friendly and worth a day, and it is also where both governments ask for extra care. When you walk, the UK advises facing the oncoming traffic and keeping away from the road edge, and carrying a bag loosely by the handle rather than strapped across your chest, so a snatch from a motorbike does not pull you over. Go with a guide you booked rather than one who offered himself in the street. Our Stone Town guide plans the day.
Money
Are there ATMs, and can you pay by card?
There is an ATM in Michamvi Pingwe village, close to the hotel, and Paje has several banks and ATMs. ATMs on the island do sometimes break down or run out of cash, and the UK reports that cash ran short across the country in the days of unrest after the 2025 election, so arrive with a reserve. Bring US dollars in notes from 2009 or newer: older notes may be refused. To reduce the risk of card cloning, use ATMs inside a bank.
Bring at least one credit card. Germany’s Foreign Office notes that German debit cards (Girocard) rarely work in Tanzanian ATMs and that a Visa card works most reliably; check your statements for double withdrawals. At our hotel we take Visa and Mastercard, no American Express, and there is no currency exchange at the hotel. More on cash, cards and tipping in our Tanzania money guide.
Health
What about malaria, vaccinations, water and doctors?
Is there malaria in Zanzibar?
Yes. Germany’s Foreign Office rates the malaria risk as high all year across Tanzania below 2,500 metres, Zanzibar included, and over 99% of cases are the dangerous falciparum form. The CDC recommends prescription malaria medicine for all areas below 1,800 metres, which is the whole island. The right tablet depends on your health and your trip, so see your doctor or a travel clinic well before you fly. Protect yourself from bites day and night: repellent, long sleeves in the evening and a net at night. A fever during the trip or in the weeks after it needs a doctor the same day.
Do I need vaccinations or a yellow-fever certificate?
No vaccination is compulsory if you fly in directly from Europe or the US. You need a yellow-fever certificate, from the age of one, only if you arrive from a country with yellow-fever risk; the CDC counts airport transits of more than 12 hours there, and Germany says a short transit without leaving the airport does not count. For most travellers the CDC recommends hepatitis A and typhoid vaccines; poliovirus has been found in Tanzania in the past year, so check your polio and measles protection too. Our entry requirements page covers the certificate at the border.
Tap water and food
Tap water on Zanzibar is not safe to drink. Drink sealed bottled water or the filtered water your hotel provides, and use it for brushing your teeth if your stomach is sensitive. At established hotels and restaurants food is generally fine. At street stalls and the night market the rule is: cooked hot, eaten at once.
Where is the nearest hospital?
For our guests it is MedExpress in Paje, a private hospital with expatriate and local doctors, open 24 hours and with its own ambulance; its doctors also come to the hotel. There is a pharmacy in Michamvi Pingwe. Medical facilities in Tanzania are limited, especially outside Dar es Salaam, and serious cases are flown to Dar es Salaam or Nairobi, so your travel insurance must cover medical evacuation. In an emergency call 112 and ask for an ambulance.
Animals and the sea
Are there dangerous animals or sea hazards?
The animals that matter on Zanzibar are small. Mosquitoes carry malaria, and Germany also lists dengue and chikungunya among the mosquito-borne diseases in Tanzania. Stray dogs are the other one: the CDC says dogs infected with rabies are common in Tanzania, and the vaccine after a bite may only be available in larger towns. Do not pet dogs; wash any bite or scratch at once and see a doctor the same day.
In the sea, the risks are the tide and the reef. The east coast has a large tidal range: at low tide you walk hundreds of metres across the reef flat, where sea urchins sit in the shallow pools, and at certain states of the tide the current runs strongly in the channels. Wear reef shoes on the flats (our butler lends them free), swim around high tide, and ask about the tide before you go in. In front of our beach a short channel runs between the shore and the sandbank; the tides and swimming guide explains when to swim there, and the tide calendar has the times. Boats are the last sea risk: a trip with a captain the hotel knows beats the cheapest offer on the beach.
Insurance
Is travel insurance mandatory, and is ZIC enough?
Every visitor landing on Zanzibar must hold the Zanzibar inbound insurance (ZIC, USD 44 per adult), and since 1 October 2026 mainland Tanzania has its own (NIC); you buy the one for the place you enter first. It is a basic policy (ZIC’s own answers say it does not cover terrorism, for example), and the UK and Germany both advise your own travel insurance on top, with medical evacuation; our entry requirements page explains both.
Reading the room
What should you wear, and which laws should you know?
Zanzibar is a conservative, mostly Muslim island, and that shapes daily life. On the beach and inside your hotel, normal resort wear and swimwear are fine. The moment you step into a village, Stone Town, a market or a dala-dala, cover your shoulders and knees. This is not only courtesy: the UK notes that the Zanzibari authorities can fine visitors 700 US dollars or more for clothing they consider inappropriate in public.
During Ramadan the island fasts in daylight. Tourism continues and the hotel kitchen runs as normal; eat, drink and smoke discreetly in public during the day, and expect some places outside the resorts to keep shorter hours. Our culture and etiquette guide goes further.
Which laws catch visitors out?
Four, from the UK and German advice. Photographing police, the military, airports, bridges or protests is forbidden, and sharing images of unrest online is an offence. Same-sex relationships are illegal in Tanzania, Zanzibar included, and public affection can lead to arrest. Plastic carrier bags are banned and are taken off you on arrival (zip-lock bags for liquids are fine). Drug laws are strict, and airports scan luggage for cannabis.
Who is asking
Is Zanzibar safe for solo women and families?
Solo women generally do well on Zanzibar, and most tell us their nerves beforehand were overblown. The UK notes cases of verbal harassment of women travelling alone and incidents of sexual assault, including at beach resorts, so the advice is practical: do not walk alone at night or on unguarded beaches, do not leave drinks unattended, and be wary of strangers offering rides. Persistent attention from beach sellers is the most common frustration; a firm, friendly “no thank you”, said once, works.
Is Zanzibar safe with children?
Yes, and Zanzibaris are warm towards children. The parental jobs are sun protection, water supervision on a tidal coast, small feet near sea urchins on the reef flat, and mosquito protection from the first evening. If you stay with us: the villa pools are not fenced, so small children need an adult with them by the water. Children from the age of three need their own Zanzibar insurance, at a child rate that the entry page lists.
Touts
Which scams should you watch for?
The scams are predictable: taxis with no meter quoting tourist prices, unofficial Stone Town “guides” who tag along and present a bill at the end, and excursion touts selling spice tours, dolphin trips or safaris at suspiciously low prices. The fix is always the same: agree the full price before anything starts, and book through your hotel or a licensed operator. For safaris, the UK points to the Tanzania Association of Tour Operators, which keeps a list of licensed companies.
The cheap dolphin-swim trips out of Kizimkazi deserve a name: the cut-price boats are overloaded, chase the pods hard and often carry no life jackets. If dolphins are on your list, go with an operator your hotel vouches for, or snorkel a reef instead.
The real one
How dangerous are the roads?
The roads, and the driving that goes with them, are the most dangerous part of a Zanzibar holiday. The UK’s advice is direct: road users often drive dangerously, and accidents causing death and serious injury are common. Avoid driving outside towns after dark, when the roads are unlit and pedestrians walk at the edge. Local minibuses (dala-dala), motorbike taxis (boda boda) and tuk-tuks (bajaji) are often badly maintained, badly driven and rarely insured.
Can I rent a scooter or drive myself?
You can, but think twice. British visitors may drive on a UK licence for up to six months and also need a local Zanzibar driving permit, which the hire company arranges; Germany says a German licence must be carried together with an international driving permit. Many travel policies exclude scooter riding, so read yours first. At police checkpoints a fine should come with a government control number for payment, never as cash on the spot. Unless you are an experienced rider with a policy that covers you, take a taxi.
The airport drive
Much of staying safe is one decision at arrivals: take a named driver booked in advance, not a car offered in the hall. Germany’s advice is the same: ride only with a driver you know, one arranged through people you know, or one whose trip can be traced. From the airport to Michamvi Pingwe it is about 1 hour 15 minutes; the car costs USD 60 for up to six people, paid to the driver’s company, and we help you arrange it. Our airport transfer guide explains how it works, and the getting-around guide has the taxis, ferries and drive times for the rest of the island.
| Risk | How often it touches guests | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Theft and bag snatching | The most common problem | Room safe, a copy of your passport, bag held loosely, phone out of sight |
| Road accidents | Less common, but the most serious | A booked driver instead of a scooter; no night driving outside towns |
| Tides, currents and urchins | Daily on a tidal coast | Reef shoes, swim around high tide, ask about the tide |
| Malaria and dengue | Present all year | Doctor’s advice before you fly, repellent, a net at night |
| Scams and overcharging | Common, rarely costly | Agree the price first; book through the hotel or a licensed operator |
| Unrest | Occasional, mostly on the mainland | Avoid demonstrations; check the advice before 29 October |
Before you book, our fact sheet has everything we tell guests about the hotel itself, and you can check dates and prices directly.
Where these facts come from
Official sources
- UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office: Tanzania travel advice: Where the UK advises against travel, the political situation after the 2025 election, crime in Stone Town and on beaches, local laws, roads, health and the emergency number 112.
- US Department of State: Tanzania travel advisory: The US advisory level for Tanzania (level 3, reconsider travel, since 31 October 2025) and its reasons.
- Auswärtiges Amt: Tansania, Reise- und Sicherheitshinweise: Germany's travel and safety advice: no travel warning for Zanzibar, crime and night-time advice, malaria risk, vaccinations, money and driving licences.
- CDC Travelers' Health: Tanzania, including Zanzibar: Malaria prevention, recommended vaccines, the yellow-fever entry rule and rabies.
Checked on 2 October 2026. We link to the bodies that set the rules, not to summaries of them. Rules change: check the page itself before you travel.
Good to know
Questions travellers ask
The safety questions guests actually ask us, answered the way we answer them on WhatsApp, with the official advice behind each answer.
Is Zanzibar safe right now?
Yes, for most visitors who take ordinary care. On 2 October 2026 neither the UK nor Germany advised against travel to Zanzibar, and Germany described the political situation on the island as stable. The US rates all of Tanzania at level 3, “reconsider travel”, mainly for unrest, crime and terrorism risk on the mainland. Avoid demonstrations, especially around 29 October, the anniversary of the 2025 election.
Is there a travel warning for Zanzibar?
No. Germany’s Foreign Office has no travel warning for Zanzibar; it advises against non-essential travel only to the far south of the mainland (southern Mtwara and the coast and islands south of Kisiju). The UK advises against travel only within 20 km of the Mozambique border. The US advisory is a level 3 for the whole country, not a “do not travel”.
Is Zanzibar safe for solo female travellers?
Generally yes, with the usual precautions. The UK notes cases of verbal harassment of women travelling alone and incidents of sexual assault, including at beach resorts, so do not walk alone at night, do not leave drinks unattended and be wary of strangers offering lifts. Dress modestly in towns and villages and decline unwanted company clearly.
Is there malaria in Zanzibar?
Yes. Germany’s Foreign Office rates the malaria risk as high all year, including on Zanzibar, and the CDC recommends prescription malaria medicine for areas below 1,800 m, which is all of the island. Ask your doctor or a travel clinic about tablets, and protect yourself from mosquito bites day and night.
Do I need a yellow-fever vaccination for Zanzibar?
Not if you fly in directly from Europe or the US. You need the certificate, from the age of one, if you arrive from a country with yellow-fever risk, including transits of more than 12 hours there (CDC; Germany’s Foreign Office). Hepatitis A and typhoid vaccines are recommended for most travellers.
Are there dangerous animals in Zanzibar?
The animals to take seriously are small: mosquitoes, which carry malaria and dengue, and stray dogs, because rabid dogs are common in Tanzania (CDC). In the sea, the risk is sea urchins on the reef flat at low tide and strong tidal currents. Wear reef shoes on the flats and ask about the tide before you swim.
Where is the nearest hospital to Michamvi?
MedExpress in Paje, a private hospital open 24 hours with its own ambulance; its doctors also come to the hotel. There is a pharmacy in Michamvi Pingwe. Serious cases are flown to Dar es Salaam or Nairobi, so take travel insurance that covers medical evacuation. In an emergency call 112.
What are the most common scams in Zanzibar?
Inflated taxi fares with no meter, unofficial Stone Town guides who present a bill at the end, cut-price dolphin and safari touts, and confusion over change. Agree every price before you start, book excursions through your hotel or a licensed operator, and count your change.
Can you drink the tap water in Zanzibar?
No. Drink sealed bottled water or the filtered water your hotel provides, and use it for brushing your teeth if your stomach is sensitive. At established hotels and restaurants food is generally fine; at street stalls choose food cooked hot in front of you.
Your stay at Matlai
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Why guests book Matlai
- Your own butler, 07:00 to 22:00. One message and it is arranged.
- Half board with a chef’s menu that changes daily: three courses, plus two à la carte kitchens at every table, Zatiny (Indian Ocean fusion) and Duyên (Vietnamese).
- Dine where you like: in the restaurant, in the garden or on your own balcony. A private table by the beach or a candlelight dinner can be arranged at an extra charge.
- Six rooms in two villas, a pool for each villa, shared by its rooms, and every room facing the sunrise over the ocean.
- Bustani, the garden spa; the sandbank in front of the hotel at low tide; a quiet beach lined with small, family-owned hotels.
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