Zanzibar Driving Advice and Car Hire Info
Driving in Zanzibar
Stone Town is something of a maze, especially the old town where most of the hotels and rental companies are. I would suggest you ask the rental company to drive you to the outskirts and meet you when you return to avoid getting lost. Out of Stone Town, roads are in variable condition. Most are sealed but some minor roads to beach villages are dirt tracks which will deteriorate after rain. I would advise renting a 4WD to ensure you’ll be able to get where you want. Even the tracks to some hotels in resorts like Kendwa have steep, pot holed gravel roads which would be unpassable in a normal car. Driving standards are variable and you should proceed with caution at all times. Be especially careful of pedestrians and animals in the road as you pass through villages. Road signage can be poor and you should expect to have to stop and ask directions regularly. Its likely you may be stopped at police check points when driving abroad in Zanzibar so avoid drinking at all when driving. Roads away from Stone Town are unlit so you should avoid driving at night. In Stone Town’s old town its unlikely your hotel will have parking so you should ask the rental company if they can store the car for you overnight or recommend somewhere safe to park.
Although I try and keep the information in the site updated as much as possible, in a rapidly moving world, situations can change daily. Therefore please use the site as an approximate guide, and in conjunction with other resources in order to form your view on driving conditions, roads, safety etc.
Zanzibar Car Rental
Avis and Sixt have branches in Stone Town.
We currently have no local car rental partners in Zanzibar If you are a local car rental company who would like to feature on DriverAbroad.com please check details on our Partnering page or contact us on ADriverAbroad@Outlook.com.
Zanzibar Self Drive Rules
All companies will have different rules. Some may allow you to take cars over to Daar es Salaam should you want to, but you would need to check that with them.
