Is Zanzibar Safe? Safety, Dress Code & Local Customs

At the time of writing, the US State Department rates Tanzania, including Zanzibar, at Level 3, “Reconsider Travel”, citing unrest, crime, terrorism and the targeting of gay and lesbian individuals, and noting that some areas carry increased risk. The level was raised from Level 2 on 31 October 2025, in the days after the general election.

The UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office advises against all but essential travel only to the area within 20 km of the Mozambique border, at the far southern edge of the mainland and a long way from Zanzibar. It reports that protests around the 29 October 2025 election led to deaths in many areas of mainland Tanzania, that previous elections in Zanzibar have turned violent, and that incidents have occurred in Stone Town, at hotels and on popular beaches. It also notes that security officials may check phones for election-related content.

In practice: read both advisories in full before you book and again before you fly, enroll in the State Department’s Smart Traveler Enrollment Program, and check your insurance terms. On the island, stay away from demonstrations and political gatherings, keep political comment off social media while you are there, and follow your hotel’s advice. We monitor the advisories and adjust plans when the situation calls for it. For safari-side safety on the mainland, see the Tanzania safari safety guide.

On Zanzibar the ocean causes more minor accidents than anything on land. A few habits prevent most of them:

• Know the tide before you walk out. On the east coast the rising water refills the lagoon quickly and can cut off sandbanks and reef flats, so ask your hotel for the day’s times and turn back early.
• Wear reef shoes. Sea urchins are common in shallow, reef-fringed water, and the well-camouflaged stonefish, though rare, is venomous; shuffle your feet in the shallows.
• Respect the reef edge. Currents run strongly through the channels in the reef, especially on a falling tide, so swim inside the lagoon unless a guide is with you.
• Choose boats that carry life jackets for everyone, and skip trips when the wind is up — common on the east coast from June to September.
• Don’t assume a lifeguard is on duty. Swim where your hotel advises and keep children within arm’s reach.
• Treat the sun as a hazard in its own right, especially on boat days: high-factor sunscreen, a hat and plenty of water.

Ramadan, the Muslim month of fasting, moves about 11 days earlier each year; in 2027 it is expected to run from roughly early February to early March, depending on the sighting of the moon. It is a fine time to visit if you travel with a little extra care: the island is quieter by day and wonderfully sociable after sunset, when families gather to break the fast.

In daylight hours, avoid eating, drinking or smoking in public outside hotels and restaurants, and expect some local cafés to stay closed until evening. Hotels, resorts and beach restaurants serve guests as usual, and alcohol remains available in licensed hotels. The month ends with Eid al-Fitr, a festive public holiday, when some services pause for a day or two.

US dollars and Tanzanian shillings are both widely used. Bring clean, undamaged dollar bills printed in 2009 or later, as older notes are often refused, and carry small denominations for tips. Cards work in most hotels and larger restaurants, ATMs cluster in Stone Town, and shillings are handier in markets and villages.

Tipping follows the Tanzanian pattern explained in our safari tipping guide. Scams are mostly low-level: self-appointed “guides” at the ferry port, unofficial taxis at night, and boat or spice tours sold on the beach that turn out to be something other than promised. Booking through your hotel or specialist sidesteps nearly all of them.