BlaakLane.com provides chauffeur service in Zanzibar from Abeid Amani Karume International Airport (ZNZ) and the Malindi ferry port in Stone Town to hotels in the old town and resorts at Nungwi, Kendwa, Matemwe, Paje and Jambiani. The booking engine shows a fixed fare for your trip before you confirm, and a vetted Zanzibar affiliate, named on the confirmation, drives it.
How to book a Zanzibar transfer
Put in the flight number, or "Zanzibar ferry terminal" and the ferry arrival time, then the hotel. Choose the vehicle and you get one price that includes the chauffeur, fuel and waiting time. There is no haggling on arrival. Our reservations desk in Toronto works around the clock and dispatches the trip to a vetted local affiliate contracted to the BlaakLane.com written standard. Group arrivals for weddings or incentive trips, or a programme combining Zanzibar with a mainland safari, are planned by a coordinator and confirmed in writing.
Abeid Amani Karume airport (ZNZ): terminals and pickup
The airport lies about 5 to 8 km south of Stone Town. International flights use Terminal 3, the newer building; Terminal 2, the old building, handles most domestic flights from Dar es Salaam, Arusha and the safari airstrips. Standard pickup is at the designated area for pre-booked vehicles outside arrivals; the chauffeur sends the vehicle details once you land. A meet and greet inside the arrivals hall with a name board is an add-on, and add-ons are only available in selected locations.
Flights are tracked. International arrivals get 60 minutes of included waiting, which helps when the visa and insurance checks are slow, and domestic flights get 30 minutes, then 15-minute blocks apply. Background on the airport is on Wikipedia.
Resort drive times from ZNZ
| From ZNZ airport to | Distance | Typical time |
|---|---|---|
| Stone Town (edge of the old town) | 6-8 km | 15-25 min |
| Fumba peninsula | 15-20 km | 25-35 min |
| Paje, Bwejuu and Jambiani (southeast) | 50-60 km | 60-75 min |
| Michamvi peninsula | 55-65 km | 60-80 min |
| Kiwengwa and Pongwe (east) | 45-55 km | 55-70 min |
| Matemwe (northeast) | 50-60 km | 60-75 min |
| Nungwi and Kendwa (north) | 55-65 km | 60-80 min |
Roads are mostly single carriageway with frequent speed bumps, village crossings and police checkpoints, so the times above are realistic rather than cautious.
Stone Town: why the car stops at the edge
Stone Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a maze of lanes too narrow for cars. Vehicles can reach the seafront along Mizingani Road and around Forodhani Gardens, the ring of Creek Road, Kenyatta Road toward Shangani and a few wider streets, but many boutique hotels sit deep inside the old town. In those cases the chauffeur parks at the nearest drivable point and a hotel porter, often with a handcart, walks you and your luggage in. Hotels on the seafront, such as the Park Hyatt Zanzibar on Mizingani Road, can be reached directly by car. Tell us the hotel name and we plan the nearest drop.
Ferries between Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar
Fast catamarans run several times a day between the Kivukoni ferry terminal in Dar es Salaam and the Malindi port on the northern edge of Stone Town, taking about two hours. On arrival in Zanzibar, foreign passengers pass a passport and immigration check, even though the trip is within Tanzania. The chauffeur waits at the port exit, which is busy with porters; your chauffeur messages a meeting point rather than looking for you in the crowd. For the Dar es Salaam side, see our Dar es Salaam chauffeur page. Ferries to Pemba also leave from Malindi.
Driving in Zanzibar
Zanzibar, like mainland Tanzania, drives on the left. Expect scooters, bicycles and dala-dala minibuses sharing narrow roads, livestock near villages, and unlit stretches after dark on the way to the east coast. Police checkpoints are routine and chauffeurs carry the permits the authorities require. Night driving is slower, so late flights mean later resort arrivals.
Which vehicle for Zanzibar?
For a couple, a Standard Sedan is comfortable on the main roads. An executive SUV handles the rougher resort access tracks, especially on the Michamvi and Matemwe sides after rain. Families and dive groups with equipment are better in a Standard Black SUV. The range of large and specialist vehicles on the island is smaller than on the mainland, so book early for December, January and the July to August high season. See the fleet and what fares include on rates.
Departures: getting back to ZNZ on time
International check-in at Terminal 3 involves a security screening at the building entrance, then airline check-in, emigration and a second screening, and queues build when several long-haul flights leave in the same window. From the north coast or the southeast, plan to leave your resort about four hours before an international departure; from Stone Town, about three hours is usually enough. For a domestic hop to the mainland from Terminal 2, allow two hours from Stone Town. Tell the resort your pickup time the evening before, and the chauffeur will be at the lobby when you are ready.
Days out from your hotel
Common excursions include a Stone Town walking visit with a drop at the Old Fort and the Anglican Cathedral; the spice farms around Kizimbani; Jozani Chwaka Bay National Park for red colobus monkeys; and The Rock restaurant at Michamvi. For these, a city tours and day trips booking keeps the car with you, or use the hourly chauffeur service for a flexible day.
Events by month
- February: Sauti za Busara, the African music festival at the Old Fort in Stone Town, usually in the middle of the month.
- June or July: the Zanzibar International Film Festival, also centred on the Old Fort.
- July: Mwaka Kogwa, the traditional new year celebration at Makunduchi in the south.
- Ramadan (dates move each year): many restaurants close by day and visitors are asked to dress modestly in Stone Town and the villages.
Weddings and group arrivals
Beach weddings in Nungwi, Kendwa and Matemwe often bring guests in on the same few flights. A coordinator can schedule sedans and vans against each flight and send one vehicle per family. See wedding limousine and group transportation.
Entry rules for Zanzibar in 2026
Zanzibar follows Tanzanian immigration rules: most visitors need a Tanzanian visa, best obtained in advance through the official Tanzania eVisa portal. On top of that, since October 2024 every non-resident visitor to Zanzibar must buy the compulsory inbound travel insurance from the Zanzibar Insurance Corporation, even with other cover; the certificate may be checked before boarding and on arrival, and you buy it at the official Visit Zanzibar insurance portal. Mainland Tanzania published regulations for its own compulsory visitor insurance in September 2026, so check the current rules if your trip includes a safari. A yellow fever certificate is required if you arrive from or through a country with yellow fever risk.
Nearby cities in the network
Zanzibar is usually paired with Arusha for a northern safari or with Dar es Salaam. Airport transfers explains flight tracking and waiting time.
