Before visiting Zanzibar and Tanzania, there are a few things you will need to prepare – not only for your health but also to be able to enter the country. While I share in this post how I prepared for my trip to Zanzibar and Tanzania, I am in no way a medical professional. Therefore, I recommend you still seek professional medical advice to check which vaccines you need – just like I did.
What is needed to enter Tanzania
The authorities in Tanzania will not let you enter the country if you can’t show that you’ve had your vaccine against yellow fever. I had my yellow fever shot two weeks before our flight to Tanzania. I booked the appointment through my GP practice at home, where I also received advice about other vaccines and medicine that would further protect my health during this trip.
Make sure you get a yellow fever certificate after being vaccinated, as you will need to show this at the border control. Our documents have been checked several times when travelling through Zanzibar and Tanzania.
As EU citizens, we did not have to apply for a visa in advance, but we had to buy one at the airport when we arrived. As with any other trip, you will of course also need a valid passport to enter the country.
Other health issues to consider
Although not required to enter the country, I also took some additional health measures after having consulted with my GP about this trip.
I had a vaccination against Hepatitis A & Typhoid and a booster against Diphtheria, Tetanus & Polio before I left to Tanzania and Zanzibar. Throughout our stay, I took Malaria pills which I had bought from a pharmacy in London. A Rabies vaccination was recommended to me, but I chose not to take it.
Money
Although the local currency is Tanzanian shilling, some places require you to pay cash in USD. Because we had to pay our safari operator and Cheetah’s Rock in USD, we ended up carrying around quite a lot of money during our first days in Zanzibar. Just out of precaution, we saved our cash in different bags and suitcases. However, during the trip, there was not one moment where we felt unsafe or worried about our cash. It is always better to be safe than sorry though.
My best tip is to book and pay as much as possible in advance. For example, our tour operator allowed us to pay all of our Zanzibar tours online in advance through a secured link. Bring enough cash with you for the duration of your stay, as it might get tricky to find an ATM in Zanzibar outside of Stone Town.
Culture
One thing we hadn’t thought of when we booked our flights to Tanzania was that we would be visiting exactly during the Ramadan (what are the chances…). Out of solidarity with the locals, we decided not to drink any water during the day. We also ended up skipping lunch on the days that we did not have a planned day tour or safari. Lucky for us, the sunset was already at 6 pm, so we didn’t have to postpone our meals for too long. Some restaurants in Zanzibar will close for a full month, but we were lucky that the iconic The Rock restaurant was still open as usual despite the Ramadan.
Another thing I wish I had known is that the children in Zanzibar were desperate for school supplies like notebooks and pens when we visited. It made us sad not being able to give them something so easy for us to buy at home. Next time I visit Zanzibar, I will definitely bring some pens and notebooks just in case.
Last but not least – to show respect to the locals, please always cover your shoulders and knees when in public.