Zanzibar has one international airport — Abeid Amani Karume International (ZNZ), on the southern edge of Zanzibar City — and one main passenger port, in Stone Town a few kilometres away. Kendwa is near the opposite end of the island. Whichever way you arrive, the last leg is a drive north of about an hour to an hour and a half.
There is no rail line, no airport shuttle bus and no ride-hailing app worth relying on. That leaves four realistic choices.
Your options side by side
| Option | Journey time | Rough cost | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-booked private transfer | 1–1.5 h | around US$45–60 per vehicle | Almost everyone; night arrivals; families |
| Taxi from the rank | 1–1.5 h | around US$40–60, by negotiation | Last-minute arrivals who are happy to bargain |
| Hotel-arranged car | 1–1.5 h | set by the hotel, often higher | Guests who want one bill |
| Dala-dala via Stone Town | 2.5–3.5 h | a few thousand shillings | Light packers on a tight budget |
Private transfer — what we would book
You reserve online, a driver waits outside arrivals with your name on a board, and the fare is settled before you land. Because the price is per car rather than per person, it works out cheaply for couples and very cheaply for families. The airport transfer on our tours page has several hundred reviews; choose Kendwa as the drop-off to see the exact rate.
Taxi
Licensed taxis queue outside the terminal. There are no meters: agree the total price, the currency and that it covers luggage before you get in. Fares to Kendwa are broadly the same as a pre-booked transfer; the difference is that you negotiate tired.
Hotel car
Every resort in Kendwa will send a driver if asked. It is reliable and goes on your room bill, but hotels usually add a margin. Ask for the price and compare.
Dala-dala — the local way
Dala-dalas are converted trucks and minibuses that serve as public transport. From the airport, take a short taxi or local bus to the Darajani terminus beside Stone Town’s market and look for route 116 to Nungwi. Tell the conductor you want Kendwa: he will drop you at the junction on the main road, from where the beach is a couple of kilometres down a side road — walk it, or hop on a motorbike taxi. It costs next to nothing and you will remember it, but it is slow, cramped and miserable with a large suitcase.
Arriving by ferry from Dar es Salaam
Fast catamarans cross from Dar es Salaam to Stone Town several times a day in around two hours. Buy tickets from the operator’s own office or website and ignore the touts around both ports; foreign visitors are charged in US dollars and need their passport. From the terminal it is a little over an hour by taxi or pre-booked car to Kendwa. Seas can be rough between June and September — sit downstairs and towards the back if you are a poor sailor.
Flying from the mainland
Small aircraft link Zanzibar with Dar es Salaam (about 20 minutes), Arusha and the northern safari airstrips, which makes a safari-and-beach combination straightforward. Luggage limits on these flights are low — commonly 15 kg in soft bags — so check before you pack.
Getting around from Kendwa
- To Nungwi: ten minutes by taxi or tuk-tuk, or about 45 minutes along the beach at low tide.
- Excursions: most tours collect from Kendwa hotels. For anything else, hotels and beach operators can arrange a driver by the half-day or day.
- Self-drive: cars and scooters can be rented, but you need a temporary Zanzibar permit in addition to your licence, roads are poorly lit and police checks are routine. Few visitors find it worthwhile.
Leaving again
Give yourself more time than the outward journey suggests. Traffic around Zanzibar City builds in the late afternoon, and airport check-in and security can be slow at peak times. Leaving Kendwa three and a half to four hours before an international departure is sensible.
Paperwork before you travel
Arrange your Tanzanian visa and Zanzibar’s compulsory inbound travel insurance before you fly — see the entry-rules section of the Kendwa travel guide.
