Zanzibar Port is the ferry terminal at Malindi, on the northern edge of Stone Town, where the fast ferries from Dar es Salaam come in after a crossing of about two hours. Collect the car here and you skip the taxi queue at the gate. The Old Dispensary is a two-minute walk away, Chwaka Bay about 45 minutes east, and Zanzibar Airport 20 minutes south if you return the car there before your flight.
Zanzibar Port is the ferry terminal at Malindi, on the northern edge of Stone Town, where the fast ferries from Dar es Salaam come in after a crossing of about two hours. Collect the car here and you skip the taxi queue at the gate. The Old Dispensary is a two-minute walk away, Chwaka Bay about 45 minutes east, and Zanzibar Airport 20 minutes south if you return the car there before your flight.
Straight off the Dar es Salaam ferry
The fast ferries from Dar es Salaam take about two hours. Collect the car at the terminal and skip the bargaining over taxi fares at the gate.
Ferry in, fly out
Plenty of people come over by boat and fly home. Book the car one-way and drop it at Zanzibar Airport on your departure day, which saves paying for a separate airport transfer.
No detour to the airport
Without a counter at the ferry terminal you'd need a taxi out to the airport to collect a car, then drive straight back past Stone Town. Car hire at the Zanzibar ferry terminal saves you that round trip.
Insurance and excess shown up front
Each car shows its Basic and Full Insurance options, with the excess for each, before you book. You know what you're signing before you reach the desk.
The quiet coasts within reach
Chwaka Bay, the Kiwengwa caves and the cove at Mtende are all within about an hour and a quarter of the port. They're on the quieter side of the island, well away from the big resort strips.
The old waterfront starts right outside the gate. Fifteen minutes south are the mission ruins at Mbweni and the boat out to Chumbe's coral reef.
The carved wooden balconies just along the harbour from the terminal belong to the Old Dispensary, begun in 1887 by the merchant Tharia Topan as a charity hospital for the poor and finished in 1894. It is the first building most ferry passengers see.
A strip of white sand that rises off Stone Town at low tide, with nothing on it but a few shade umbrellas and fish grilled by the boat crews. Half-day boats leave from the beaches near the port; plan around the tide.
Five kilometres south of town, the ruins of St Mary's, a 19th-century mission school for girls freed from slave ships, stand in gardens by the sea. St John's Church nearby opened in 1882 and is still in use.
A protected island reef with forest trails and a historic lighthouse, reached by the park's own boat from Mbweni. The day trip includes snorkelling with a guide and lunch on the island, and the levy for foreign visitors is paid on top.
These four drives head for the quieter coasts, from the fishing towns of the north-west to the forest caves and mangrove bay in the east and the coves of the south-east.
about 1h to Mkokotoni
The west coast road ends at Mkokotoni, a fishing town facing Tumbatu Island, whose shore holds the ruins of a 12th–15th-century Swahili town. Turning north-east, the road passes Fukuchani's 16th-century stone house, known locally as the Portuguese House.
about 1h one way
In the forest reserve between Kiwengwa and Pongwe, two coral caves are open to visitors, with stalactites and colonies of bats; red colobus monkeys live in the trees above. Finish on Pongwe's beach, a quiet stretch of the north-east coast.
about 45 min
Cross the island to Chwaka, where mangroves line a calm, shallow bay full of birdlife, then follow the shore 9 km north to Uroa, a village that lives from fishing and seaweed farming.
about 1h15 one way
On the south-east tip, Mtende's beach fills a cove between two rock outcrops, still largely undeveloped. Nearby Makunduchi holds Mwaka Kogwa every July, the Persian new year, when the men settle the year's quarrels with banana leaves.
Passport in your hand luggage
Foreign passengers show their passport at Zanzibar Port even after the domestic crossing from Dar es Salaam. Keep it with your licence and your voucher, not in the bags stowed on the ferry.
Agree porter fees first
Porters meet every ferry and will carry your bags to the car. It is a fair service, but agree the price before anyone lifts a bag, or wheel the luggage yourself.
Let the crowd clear
Taxis, handcarts and passengers fill the road outside the terminal at every arrival. Wait ten minutes for it to clear before you pull out onto the harbour road.
Book Chumbe ahead
Chumbe day trips can be booked only four days ahead, and only when the island's lodge has room. Registration for the boat at Mbweni is at 9:30, so leave the port in good time on the morning you go.
Returning for an outbound ferry
Rental cars stay on the island. If you're returning the car here before sailing on to Dar es Salaam or Pemba, arrive an hour early, since tickets, passport control and luggage all take time.
Late ferry, short first drive
The last sailings from Dar es Salaam arrive close to dusk, and roads outside town are unlit. On a late crossing, sleep in Stone Town and drive to the coast in the morning.
No. The partner at the port asks for a Visa or Mastercard credit card at pick-up, and the balance is paid there by card or in cash. If you only have a debit card, some cars at Zanzibar Airport take a refundable deposit on a debit card instead.
At Zanzibar Port, the ferry terminal at Malindi on the northern edge of Stone Town. Your voucher names the exact meeting point and time, and My Reservation shows the same, so check it before you board in Dar es Salaam.
Set your pick-up time about 30 minutes after the scheduled arrival: crossings can run late in rough seas, and getting bags off the boat takes time. If you are held up for longer, call the number on your voucher.
About two hours on the fast ferries, which sail several times a day from the terminal in central Dar es Salaam. Buy tickets from the ferry companies' own offices or websites, and arrive early for passport and luggage checks.
Yes, and plenty of ferry passengers do. Pick Zanzibar Airport as the return point when you search; the price on each car already takes it into account. Allow about 20 minutes for the drive from the port.
No. Rental cars stay on Unguja, the main island of Zanzibar. If you continue by sea to Dar es Salaam or Pemba, return the car at the port before check-in and travel as a foot passenger.
Yes: at least 21 and at most 75, for every car on offer here. Alongside your national licence you need a temporary Zanzibar driving permit; the partner normally issues it at the handover for a fee, so allow a few extra minutes.
The Old Dispensary is two minutes' walk from the gate, the sandbank boats leave from the beaches nearby, and the mission ruins at Mbweni are 15–20 minutes' drive south, so a short first afternoon is easy to fill.
Zanzibar Port – Malindi ferry terminal
Book before you board in Dar es Salaam, compare the cover on each car, and find it waiting at the terminal when you walk off the boat.
