Getting Around Zanzibar: Taxis, Dala-Dala, and Renting a Scooter

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Getting around Zanzibar means picking between a handful of genuinely different options — taxis, shared dala-dalas, and self-drive scooters — each with its own trade-off in price and hassle.

Once you’re past the airport transfer, you still need a way to move around the island for the rest of your trip — to the next village, to a different beach for the day, to Stone Town and back. Zanzibar gives you four real options, and which one makes sense depends less on your budget than on how much control you want over your own schedule. For the logistics of getting here, see how far Stone Town is from each beach.

Getting around Zanzibar: Taxis and Private Drivers

Zanzibar taxis don’t run meters, so the fare is whatever you agree before you get in, every time — there’s no fallback to “the meter will sort it out.” For single trips between villages, agree the price up front the same way you would at the airport (see our airport transfer guide for the specific fixed-rate pricing that applies there). For day trips — a spice tour, a drive down to Jozani Forest, a day combining a few stops — many travelers hire a driver for the full day rather than booking one-way trips individually, and resorts typically have a relationship with a specific driver or small operator they can connect you with. Ask your hotel directly; a known, resort-recommended driver is worth more than a marginally cheaper one you flag down on the street.

Dala-Dala: The Real Local Transport Network

This is how most Zanzibaris actually get around, and it’s genuinely usable by tourists willing to deal with a bit of unpredictability in exchange for a very low price. Dala-dalas are converted trucks and minibuses, each run by a driver and a conductor — the conductor calls out the destination, collects fares mid-ride, and signals the driver. There’s no fixed timetable; a dala-dala leaves its starting point once the driver and conductor judge it full enough, and you flag one down anywhere along its route by waving. To get off, call out “Shusha!” (drop me) or tap the vehicle’s side.

Fares: a short hop (airport to Stone Town, for instance) runs about 500 Tanzanian shillings (roughly $0.20); a longer cross-island trip (Stone Town to Nungwi or to Paje) runs about 3,000 shillings (roughly $1.20). A large bag adds a small surcharge on top. Pay the conductor directly during the ride, and carry small notes — large bills can be hard for a conductor to change.

Routes: Darajani Terminal in Stone Town serves the north and northeast beaches (Nungwi directly; for Kendwa, take the Nungwi dala-dala and ask to be dropped at the Kendwa junction). Mwanakwerekwe Terminal serves the south and southeast beaches (Paje, Jambiani — look for vehicles signed “Michamvi”). Standard service runs roughly 6 AM to 7:30–8 PM, with the Nungwi route running close to 24 hours, and service thinning out noticeably after 6 PM during Ramadan.

Fares are also moving. Zanzibar raised daladala fares as part of introducing electric buses to the fleet starting August 1, 2026 — part of a broader round of transport cost increases on the island this year that also touched ferry pricing, tied to rising fuel costs. Treat the shilling figures above as a planning baseline and expect them to drift upward over time rather than staying fixed for years.

When to skip it: an early flight (book a taxi the night before instead), a trip with real luggage, anything time-sensitive given the lack of a fixed schedule, and — if you’re visiting during Ramadan — evening travel, when service drops off sharply after sunset. Worth checking the money guide before you go.

Bajaji (Tuk-Tuks)

The three-wheeled bajaji fills the gap dala-dalas don’t cover well: short, specific hops — a few minutes across town, to a restaurant, between two points too close together to be worth a full taxi fare. Same rule as taxis: agree the price before you get in, since there’s no meter here either.

Renting a Scooter

This is the option that gives you the most independence, and the one that deserves the most caution. Daily rental rates run roughly $19–20 (around €17–19), typically cheaper per day on a multi-day booking. Expect to need a motorcycle-category license (or equivalent — rental companies generally ask for the equivalent of a category A license), to be at least 18 with some prior scooter experience, and to leave a refundable deposit (commonly around €85–90, in cash or held against your passport) at pickup. On top of your home license, you’ll typically need an international driving permit, and some rental operators also require or arrange a local Zanzibar permit.

Road conditions are the real reason to think carefully before renting: expect narrow roads, limited signage, occasional potholes, and driving on the left — a reversal that catches out visitors from right-hand-drive countries specifically. Zanzibar’s local news has reported a genuine rise in road deaths in recent years, enough that it’s treated as an active public safety concern on the island rather than background noise, which is worth knowing before treating a scooter as the obvious fun option. If you do rent one, wear the helmet every time, go slowly until you’ve adjusted to local traffic patterns, and avoid night riding on unlit rural roads outside the main villages.

Renting a Car

Available, but with no rental desk inside the airport itself — see our airport transfer guide for how that works in practice (arrange your airport leg separately, then pick up a rental car from an office in Stone Town afterward). The same left-hand-driving, permit, and road-condition considerations from the scooter section apply, just inside a larger vehicle — worth it mainly if you want to cover a lot of ground independently and are comfortable with unfamiliar road conditions.

Which One, Honestly

A resort-recommended taxi or private driver for most day-to-day movement and any day trip with a fixed plan. Dala-dala if you’re budget-traveling, curious about how locals actually get around, and not pressed for a specific arrival time. A scooter only if you’ve got real two-wheeler experience and are genuinely comfortable adjusting to unfamiliar roads — treat the independence as the upside and the road conditions as the real cost, not a footnote. Worth reading alongside the ferry-vs-flight breakdown before you book transport.

FAQ

Do I need an international driving permit to rent a scooter or car in Zanzibar?
Generally yes, on top of your home license — some rental operators also require a separate local Zanzibar permit, so confirm exactly what your specific rental company needs before you arrive.

Is the dala-dala safe for tourists?
Generally yes for the ride itself — the main practical risks are pickpocketing in a crowded vehicle and sudden braking, not the vehicles or routes themselves. The bigger issue is unpredictability (no fixed schedule), not safety.

How much should I expect to pay a private driver for a full day?
There’s no single standard rate across the island, and it varies by distance and number of stops — ask your resort for their recommended driver’s day rate rather than assuming a fixed figure, since they’ll also know current local pricing better than any guide can.

Is renting a scooter a good idea for a short trip?
Only if you already have genuine riding experience — the combination of unfamiliar left-hand traffic, variable road quality, and a documented rise in local road accidents makes this a real decision to weigh, not an automatic yes just because it sounds fun.

What’s the cheapest way to get from Stone Town to the beach villages?
The dala-dala, by a wide margin — roughly 3,000 shillings (about $1.20) versus $50-65 for a taxi on the same route, though you’re trading price for a fixed schedule and guaranteed comfort.