Local Information
Zanzibar requires a visa which can be purchased for $50 upon arrival. You can organise it in your own country beforehand but we do not recommend it as it will take time and EVERYONE buys the visa when they land. Just make sure you have $50US with you for each person when arriving.
The only vacine which is required in the Yellow Fever vacine. You MUST have this. they do not always check, but have been known to check upon arrival so please make sure you have the little yellow card with you that shows you have had it.
You doctor will tell you to take Malaria pills, and whilst many people do, we do not, and whilst we do not advocate going against doctors advise we can only tell you that the risk of Malaria in Paje is almost non-existent and in four and a half years of being there we have never known anyone to have it. It is also worth noting that in the case of suspected malaria we would call the local doctor who would give you an instant pin prick test and if you did have malaria he would have the medicine at a fraction of the cost you would pay in Europe. (Please note this is personal advice from experience – use it at your own risk).
What we do recommend you bring with you is a good anti-bacterial soap, plasters, bandages and things to clean cuts, and of course some anti-mosquito spray.
The currency in Zanzibar is the Tanzanian Schilling (TSH) and 1€ = 2200TSH / £1 = 2500TSH / $1 = 1600. You cannot buy TSH outside of Tanzania so it is impossible to buy them in advance, but as USD$ are also accepted we recommend you bring with you approx. $100-200 in small dollar notes (5/10/20’s) as this will always help you out, however paying in TSH will get you a better deal always.
To get TSH the easiest way is from an ATM machine. These are all secured within banks and guarded so there is no security risk, however they are only available in town (1.5 hours away) so we always take cash when we arrive which lasts us for a couple of weeks at which point we go back to town to sightsee and take cash. Remember to ask your driver to take you to an ATM when you arrive.
We could write a book on Zanzibar but we will save that for now, except to say, you are in Africa, things are done differently here, with less urgency, less stress, Hakuna Matata style but always with a smile.