All Guest visiting Zanzibar Island must be in possession of a valid passport.  The definition of a valid passport is a passport in the traveler’s name which will not expire within 6 months at least from the date of arrival on Zanzibar Island. The passport must then also have available at least 2 blank pages (next to each other).
People from most nationalities, that includes but is not limited to South Africa, UK, USA and Australia, require a visa to go on holiday on Zanzibar Island.  Although visas are obtainable at Zanzibar International Airport, it is recommended to obtain your visa in advance.  Dream World Adventures are perfectly located in Pretoria, close to the Tanzanian High Commission based in South Africa, to be able to assist our valued clients in obtaining your travel visa in advance.  A holiday visa is valid for 90 days from the date it was issued, thus the reason we recommend to provide us with your passport document +/- 30 days prior to your scheduled arrival.  With our easy-to-follow procedure we will gladly assist our clients in obtaining a visa before departure to Zanzibar Island.

As is the case in many places in Africa and on tropical Islands preventative measure should be taken against malaria if travelling to Zanzibar Island or Tanzania.

Consulting with your personal qualified physician is recommended for medical advice on prophylactics that should be safe for you to use.  Your closest travel clinic will also be able to provide you with medical advice.

It is also advisable to take a mosquito repellent, and to cover all exposed areas of your body (e.g. neck and arms) during night time. Wearing light colored trousers and long sleeved shirts can also reduce the risk factor. Studies have found that the malaria mosquito is mostly active at night or in dark areas.

It is compulsory for travelers entering Zanzibar or Tanzania to have a valid Yellow fever inoculation.  This must be done at least 10 days prior to departure, however, if possible, try to have it done timeously to avoid any possible side effects that could negatively affect your holiday. A yellow fever inoculation is valid for 10 years, and so should you recently have had one just remember to take along your certificate.

Other inoculations are also available but not compulsory.

The above information should not be taken as medical advice due to the fact that only qualified physicians are by law able to provide this doing a medical check and reviewing your personal medical history.

Travel insurance is the best way to ensure that you will be covered for those unforeseen problems that sometimes can happen while traveling in another country.  We highly recommend that you make sure that you have adequate travel insurance cover for your trip to Zanzibar.

Very few travelers take the time to research this important tool that is available at affordable prices if compared to what it offers.

The cost of travel insurance does not relate to the value of the trip but rather depends on the duration of the journey, age of the traveller and level of cover required.

Most seasoned travelers will confirm that flight delays and lost luggage is always a possibility and although airlines do their best to minimize any inconvenience, having comprehensive travel cover is still the best.

Your travel cover should also include medical cover, as the cost of quality medical assistance in a foreign country can be overwhelming.

It is also recommended not to wait until the date of your departure to arrange your travel insurance.  Purchase your cover as soon as you have booked your trip, as a comprehensive travel cover also includes cancelation cover, so that should you have to cancel your trip due to an unforeseen illness or accident, you can recover some if not all of the costs you have outlaid.

A word of caution - Many people only rely on the automatic cover provided by loyalty insurance or medical aid when travelling outside South Africa.

Never make the assumption that this automatic insurance is all you need; it usually offers basic medical and emergency cover.

Comprehensive cover will provide you with wide-ranging insurance for medical and health eventualities and lost and stolen possessions, as well as 24-hour emergency services. It may also cover you in case of a trip delay or some airline difficulties, including if the company goes bust.

Dream World Adventures are able to assist our South African clients comprehensive cover underwritten by Chartis Travel Guard at affordable prices. For more details information please contact us.

• Light sandals or rubber flip-flops.

• Comfortable walking shoes if you plan on doing a lot of sightseeing.

• Sun block and moisturizing cream.

• Light cotton clothes – as the weather is very hot and humid.

• When visiting Stone Town, or close to religious places please respect the local populous and do not wear open or reveling clothes.  On the private beaches at the resorts swimwear will not be a problem.

• The dress code at the smaller guest houses or hotel is not a problem, and normal Island stile clothes are the norm.

• If staying at one of the up market resorts it is not require to dress up for meals, but they do request smart casual wear. 

• Camera, with extra memory cards or film

• Sunglasses with UV protection

• Sun / Beach hat

• Bath towels are available at all the hotels that we promote.

• Most of the resorts on Zanzibar also provide beach towels that are regulated on a token system (each clients are given a token that can be swapped for a beach towel – after use if towel is returned you will get another token.  Please do not lose your token as the hotel will then charge this to your room bill.

• A small travel medical kit that includes headache tables, Imodium’s (the rich foods on Zanzibar can affect people with a sensitive stomach) plasters, disinfectant (for small cuts and bruises).  In Stone Town on Zanzibar most emergency medical items can be purchased but having them with you makes more sense.

The electricity on Zanzibar is the standard 220 - 240 V AC, 50 Hz, as found in South Africa and most places in the world.

The 2 point plugs found in RSA will connect to the electricity plugs found on Zanzibar, but an adaptor will be needed for the 3 point plugs.  Depending on your hotel you might need a British adaptor or a Italian adaptor.

Baggage restrictions for International flights

Checked baggage is normally limited to 20 kg plus one piece of hand luggage (limited to 5 kg and small enough to fit into the aircraft overhead bins) per passenger.  Excess baggage will be charged by the Airline per additional kilogram carried. 

Dangerous articles must not be carried in baggage.  These include flammable goods, poisons, gas cylinders, corrosives, infectious substances, firearms and explosives.  The carriage of firearms is strictly prohibited.

The following articles may not be carried on board; toy guns, cutlery, knives, scissors, syringes, blades, nail clippers or other sharp objects that could be used as weapons.

Live animals may not be carried as checked baggage.

Tanzania runs on a duel currency economy.  Both Tanzanian Shillings (the local currency of Tanzania) and US$ are accepted.

Before traveling it is best to ensure that you have US$ currency with you, and this will also be easier to obtain than Tanzanian Shillings.  It is best to have US$ cash in small denominations with you, as limited places will accept a credit card or travelers cheques.

The larger resort hotels on Zanzibar do except payments for services at the resorts with a credit card (Visa or Mastercard) do not only rely on your credit card general payments on Zanzibar.

The banking hours (that are based in Stone Town) at most commercial banks are:
Mondays to Fridays - 09h00 to 15h30
Saturdays - 09h00 to 12h00

ATM's are found at most of the Banks in Stone Town, but you may expereince delays as they are off line on many occations. 

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