Zanzibar Airport to Nungwi, Kendwa, Paje and Stone Town
Zanzibar's airport sits just south of Stone Town, so every arrival starts with the same question: how do you get from there to Nungwi, Kendwa, Paje or Stone Town itself, and how long will it take? Stone Town is a short hop of twenty to thirty minutes. The north coast resorts of Nungwi and Kendwa are a drive of one and a half to two hours. Paje and the east coast sit somewhere in between, usually around an hour to ninety minutes, depending on traffic and road works.
You can take an airport taxi on arrival or arrange a transfer before you land. Both get you where you're going, but they differ in how much you'll need to negotiate, and in how comfortable the trip feels after dark. This guide covers distances, what the roads are actually like, and the practical differences between flagging a taxi and booking one ahead.
Arriving at Zanzibar's airport
Abeid Amani Karume International Airport handles both international and domestic flights and is small enough that you won't get lost inside it. After landing, you'll go through immigration, where most nationalities can buy a visa on arrival if they haven't already applied online. Queues vary by flight schedule but rarely take more than half an hour.
Once through baggage claim, you exit into a forecourt where drivers and touts wait for new arrivals. It's a lot to take in after a long flight, particularly at night, so having your accommodation's name and address written down, or saved on your phone, makes the next step easier.
If you've arranged a transfer in advance, your driver will usually be waiting just outside with a name board. This is the point where pre-booking pays off: you walk straight to a known vehicle rather than working out who to trust among several offers at once. A private airport transfer covers this exact stretch and can be set up before you fly.
How far is it to Nungwi and Kendwa
Nungwi and Kendwa sit at the northern tip of the island, roughly fifty to sixty kilometres from the airport. In normal daytime traffic, the drive takes between one and a half and two hours. The road is tarmacked for most of the way, running through Zanzibar Town's outskirts before opening onto a single carriageway that passes villages, spice plantations and roadside stalls.
Traffic is heaviest leaving Zanzibar Town itself, where the road narrows and shares space with dala-dalas, motorbikes and pedestrians. Once clear of the town, the drive settles into a steadier pace, though you should still expect the odd stretch of pothole or road works, particularly during the rainy season from March to May.
Kendwa and Nungwi are close to each other but not quite the same destination, and some transfers will ask which beach you're staying on specifically, since the final few kilometres of track can differ between resorts.
How far is it to Paje and the east coast
Paje, along with nearby Jambiani and Bwejuu, lies on the east coast, around fifty kilometres from the airport. The drive usually takes between one hour and ninety minutes. The route crosses the island rather than hugging the coast, passing through farmland, small settlements and the edge of Jozani Forest.
This inland road tends to be quieter than the route north, with less town traffic to clear at the start. It's also the road you'd take for a visit to Jozani Forest, its village and a mangrove canoe trip, which sits roughly midway between the airport and the east coast beaches.
As with the north coast road, surface quality varies by season. Expect a mix of well-maintained tarmac and shorter rougher sections, especially nearer the coast where roads narrow towards individual beach properties.
Getting to Stone Town from the airport
Stone Town is the closest destination to the airport, around six to eight kilometres away. The drive takes twenty to thirty minutes under normal conditions, though this can stretch during rush hour in the late afternoon, when the town's narrow streets fill with local traffic.
Vehicles can't enter Stone Town's old quarter itself, since its lanes are too narrow for cars. Drivers will drop you at a car park or drop-off point on the edge of the old town, from where it's a short walk, sometimes with a porter if your hotel arranges one, to guesthouses tucked inside.
Staying in Stone Town also puts you within walking distance of its main sights, which is worth knowing if you're planning a walking tour through the old town's historic sites and markets during your stay, since you won't need a vehicle for that part of the trip at all.
Taxis at the airport: what to expect
Outside the arrivals hall, taxi drivers and informal touts approach new arrivals directly, often before you've cleared the car park. There's no fixed meter system in Zanzibar, so every fare is agreed by negotiation before you get in the car. It helps to have a rough idea of the going rate for your destination before you arrive, so you're not working it out on the spot.
Agree the fare clearly, including whether it covers one vehicle or a price per person, before loading your luggage. Confirm the destination by name, since Nungwi, Kendwa and nearby resorts are sometimes confused by drivers unfamiliar with a specific hotel.
Have small notes ready, as change for larger ones isn't always available roadside. Most airport taxis are saloon cars rather than minivans, so if you're travelling with a lot of luggage or in a larger group, say so before you agree a price, as you may need a bigger vehicle.
Booking a transfer in advance
A pre-booked transfer removes the negotiation stage entirely. You know the destination, the vehicle type and that a driver will be waiting with your name on arrival, rather than working this out among a crowd of offers. This matters more than it might sound after a long flight, when you're tired and unfamiliar with the airport layout.
It's particularly worth arranging ahead if you're travelling with young children, arriving late at night, or heading somewhere less central such as Kendwa or Paje, where a driver who already knows the route saves time and avoids wrong turns in the dark.
A private transfer from the airport to your hotel can be set up before you fly and covers the full distance to Nungwi, Kendwa, Paje or Stone Town, with the driver and fare fixed in advance rather than discussed on arrival.
Roads at night: what changes after dark
Outside Stone Town, street lighting is limited or absent on most of Zanzibar's roads. Villages, livestock and pedestrians using the road's edge are common at all hours, and at night they're harder to see in good time, so journeys take a steadier pace than the same drive by day.
If your flight lands after sunset, which is common for international arrivals into Zanzibar, a known driver who already knows the route to your specific beach or hotel makes a real difference. This is one of the clearest reasons travellers choose a pre-arranged transfer over a taxi found on the spot.
Night drivers tend to slow down further for speed bumps and potholes that are easy to miss in the dark, which can add a little time to the journey compared with a daytime run. Build this into your expectations rather than your schedule, and you won't be caught out.
What the drive itself is like by day
By daylight, the drive north or east is one of the better ways to get a first look at the island beyond the beach. You'll pass spice plantations, small farms, roadside fruit stalls and villages where daily life carries on alongside the road rather than behind fences.
Police checkpoints are routine on the main roads and are rarely more than a brief pause for the driver. Passengers generally aren't asked for anything, though it's sensible to have your passport accessible rather than buried at the bottom of a bag.
If you're curious about the spice plantations you'll pass, both a spice tour with a local lunch and a spice tour and lunch experience run through this same part of the island, so the drive itself can double as a preview of a later day out.
Luggage, groups and vehicle types
Most airport taxis are standard saloon cars, which handle two or three passengers and normal luggage without difficulty. Larger groups, or anyone travelling with surfboards, diving equipment or several large cases, should ask for a minivan specifically, since not every driver at the rank has one ready.
Pre-booked transfers are usually clearer about vehicle size from the outset, since the booking itself specifies passenger numbers and luggage. This avoids the awkward moment of finding a car too small for your bags after you've already agreed a fare.
Air conditioning is standard in most transfer vehicles and common in airport taxis too, which is worth confirming if you're arriving in the hotter months between December and February, when the drive north or east can otherwise feel long.
Practical tips for a smooth arrival
Buy a local SIM card at the airport if you need data on arrival; several stalls sell them just past the arrivals hall, and having a working phone makes contacting your driver, or your hotel, considerably easier if plans change.
Carry a printed or saved copy of your accommodation's address and a contact number, since not every driver has internet access to search for it, and Zanzibar's hotels aren't always signposted clearly from the main road.
Where possible, avoid scheduling very late arrivals if you have a choice of flights, simply because the roads north and east are quieter and easier to judge in daylight. If a night arrival is unavoidable, booking a transfer ahead is the more straightforward option.
Once you've settled in, Stone Town's sites, a sunset outing such as the sunset dhow cruise with dinner, or a day trip to Prison Island and the Nakupenda sandbank are all easy to arrange locally, giving you a clear sense of how the island's roads and distances fit together once you're no longer looking at them for the first time.