Zanzibar 2024/25

You know that struggle: you want an adventure but also crave comfort and relaxation? In Zanzibar, you can have it all:

• Today, you’ll don a wide-brimmed hat, lace up your hiking boots, and head out on safari.
• Tomorrow, you’ll brush off the sand that looks and feels like fine mineral powder and decide whether to take one more dip in the sea.
• The day after, you’ll indulge in a feast. In Zanzibar, tuna costs as much as chicken, and you’ll find some of the world’s juiciest and most tender octopus. And of course, lobsters, crabs, squid, and shrimp, all bountifully provided by the Indian Ocean.

And then — who knows? Maybe you’ll be snapping photos with Kilimanjaro in the background? Or are you planning to visit Stone Town with new friends from all over the world? Many Europeans come here, with the largest groups being the French and Italians — each making up around 11% of the total visitors.

ZANZIBAR HOLIDAYS AREN’T WHAT THEY USED TO BE. THEY’RE MORE AFFORDABLE NOW

The days when only daredevils or National Geographic reporters would venture to Zanzibar are long gone. And you don’t need to have the experience of Robert Kincaid, for whom a journey required just an old green pickup truck, a camera, a cooler bag, and a collection of Yeats’ poetry. Zanzibar’s tourism infrastructure is developing rapidly, and ambitious hospitality plans are making headlines:

• The Abeid Amani Karume International Airport has been expanded, with the opening of Terminal 3, now capable of handling up to 1.3 million passengers per year.
• Over the past five years, the number of tourist accommodations has increased by 34%, and the number of chain hotels has also grown.
• Ferry services between Zanzibar and mainland Tanzania have been expanded.

Now it’s even more convenient to embark on an adventure!

ZANZIBAR WITH JOIN UP!™

• Experience. Tanzania has been part of the Join UP!™ portfolio since 2015. For 9 years, we’ve been captivated by this destination, and more and more tourists are joining us in that passion!
• Flight Program. We fly from Poland (Katowice, Warsaw), and Romania (Bucharest).
  Flights start on 26.10.24 and will continue until 12.03.25.
• Destination Management Company — MSG Touristik. We want to bring Africa closer, so you can experience it in all its details — from the finest aromas and flavors to the purest authentic sounds and the deepest shades of the Indian Ocean. That’s why we work in synergy with partners who know exactly how to do this — MSG Touristik. Why them?
  ✔ Over 25 years of experience.
  ✔ Own hotel management company in Tanzania.
  ✔ Professional guides provide full informational support: advice, recommendations, and emergency action plans.
  ✔ A team is available 24/7 to assist tourists via messenger.
  ✔ Need help selecting an excursion? They’ll take care of it in no time!

IMPORTANT DETAILS

1. Upon arrival, you’ll need to obtain a visa, which costs per person.
2. A tourist tax is also required: 5 per person, depending on the type of accommodation.
3. Starting October 1, 2024, a mandatory local government insurance policy from Zanzibar Insurance Corporation was introduced. This must be obtained in advance, online, and shown during passport control. The cost is and covers a three-month stay. Support is provided in English. All foreign travellers arriving in Zanzibar are required to pay this fee, even if they already have a tourist insurance policy from another company. This new measure aims to ensure even more efficient medical support.

WHY ZANZIBAR?

The first thing that comes to mind is safari.

• Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park ranked first for the fourth consecutive year in 2024 as the best safari park in Africa, according to a comprehensive analysis of reviews by SafariBookings.
• And the Selous Game Reserve is almost three times the size of Slovenia and just shy of Croatia’s area. Can you imagine that scale? We offer safari tours from 1 to 4 days in Selous, and we bet you’ll lose track of time there!
• Children aged 4 and up can join safari trips here.

Here, you can encounter the “Big Five” of Africa: elephants, lions, rhinos, leopards, and buffalo! You’ll be racing in a 4×4 while guides communicate over the radio, checking: “Where did they spot the giraffe?.. And is that lioness still napping in the tree?”

Even if you don’t plan to leave Zanzibar, be sure to save some space in your photo gallery. The largest island in the archipelago, Unguja, holds a wide variety of landscapes! Century-old baobabs give way to palm groves, where banana palms alternate with coconut palms. Next come sugarcane and spice plantations, with rice fields stretching on the horizon. And if you look closely, you might spot Africa’s cousin of Rikki-Tikki-Tavi — the bushy-tailed mongoose darting out of the mangrove thickets!

ZANZIBAR’S UNIQUE WILDLIFE

1. In the center of the island, in the Jozani-Chwaka Bay National Park, lives the endemic subspecies of red monkey — Kirk’s colobus. These are among the rarest African primates, with a population of just about 3,000 individuals, and you won’t find them anywhere else in the world! Kirk’s colobus monkeys spend their days hanging in trees and feeding on leaves, shoots, flowers, and unripe fruits. They also eat certain poisonous plants that other primates can’t, but — imagine this! — they can’t digest sugar!
2. The park is also home to the rare Aders’ duiker, a small, very cautious, and shy antelope.
3. You can also find the Pemba flying fox, or Pemba fruit bat, one of the largest bat species in the world. With a wingspan of up to 1.6 meters, its reddish fur gleams in the sun, and its face truly resembles that of a fox. Once considered a local delicacy and nearly driven to extinction, these fruit bats are now a protected species.

Unguja is surrounded by a stunning coral reef. So, you can alternate your land-based photo expeditions with snorkelling, diving, sport fishing, and sea trips. There are individual tours and cruises around the islands of the archipelago, lasting 2–3 days. You can swim, and dive with turtles and dolphins — we don’t know about you, but we’d already be packing our bags!