Communications

Telephones are hard to come by (there are a few pay phones at the post offices) and they are very expensive. Some offices allow call back service (you call home, give the number where you are and someone from home calls you back) but this is frowned upon by the local phone company so we don't name names. Ask around and you'll find the offices that allow call back. To make an international call at the Tanzanian Telephone Company Ltd. (TTCL)/Post Office is very expensive and you're required to fill out a long boring form before they'll dial. Non-TTCL phone offices are more convenient to use. There's one in the same building as TTCL in Stone Town; it's called ASKO and it's on the left hand side of the building. ASKO, Next Step, and Modern Computer Centre all offer email service which, at about TSh 1,000 per message, is much cheaper than the telephone. Modern Computer Centre will also let you access the World Wide Web for a fee. Keep in mind that Zanzibar had only one local ISP when this book went to print and phone connections are pricey, so email and access to the net aren't as cheap here as they are in America or Europe.

 

Electricity

The local electricity is the same as England at 220/230 but it is unreliable and inconsistent. To extend their lives, appliances should not be left plugged in when not in use and computers should not be used without an Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS) box. Laptops don't need the UPS box because their batteries absorb the overages and make up for it when the currency is too low but it's best to unplug them when not in use to save them getting strained from surges. Visitors from America will need an adapter and a transformer to use American appliances in Zanzibar. A working knowledge of kerosene lamps is handy and one might consider carrying a lighter or box of matches in the event of an unexpected black-out.

 

Visas

All visitors are required to have a passport and visas are necessary for all visitors except: Danish, English, Irish, Finnish, Icelandic, Kenyan, Norwegian, Singaporean, Swedish and Zimbabwean nationals as well as residents from most Caribbean island countries and many island states of the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Visas can be obtained from the Tanzanian Mission office in your country or at the border. Check with mission before you leave, just to be sure.

 

Cops and Robbers

Crime is on the rise in Zanzibar. Drug-related assaults and thieving are a reality of Stone Town. As in any city, don't advertise valuables (better yet, leave valuables at home), don't walk alone at night, and don't resist a group of people demanding your belongings. Watch your possessions and be aware of the people around you. No one will try to rip you off in a crowded market or square unless you make it easy for them by putting your camera or bag down unattended. The local response to thieving is amazing to an outsider. When thieves are caught citizens sometimes stone them to death before the police arrive. If you are robbed, report it to the nearest police station. If you stick to the main roads, take a guide at night and leave the diamond-studded Rolex at home, you'll be unlikely and very unlucky to get robbed.

 

Driving

If you rent a car or Vespa, be sure to have a valid driver's license because chances are it will be checked. You are required to stop at police roadblocks (often set up along the road to Nungwi or the road to Paje but nothing to be concerned about) and sometimes you will be asked to show your license. If you do not have a Zanzibari driver's license, you are obliged to purchase a TSh 3,000 police permit to drive, good for one day only. You may not be asked for it, but it's better to have it than get hassled and/or fined. Be sure to locate the spare tyre, jack, and other essentials before setting off to Nungwi or Paje where roads can be in poor condition. Let someone know where you've gone and when you plan on returning.

 

Media

Zanzibar is home to East Africa's first color television station, TVZ. This station broadcasts local news and political commentary as well as the occasional western movie. Some places in Stone Town are set up for viewing, and as you walk through town on certain nights you'll see a courtyard filled with blue faces, lit by nothing but the light of a solitary TV screen as they watch a TVZ broadcast. Radio One is the radio station of choice, available from Dar-es-Salaam on the MW Band at about 148. They play a mixture of pop from around the world with special times for Zairian dance music, R&B, and even Country music from America on some afternoons. The news, commentaries, and ads are all in Swahili. Radio Zanzibar reports local news stories and plays local Taarab music and some pop. For the news in English you can get CNN at the following hotel bars, Tembo (no alcohol served), Chavda, and Shangani. Local newspapers are available in English and Swahili but all the English papers are from the mainland and are not solely dedicated to Zanzibar news. There is a glossy tourist magazine called Swahili Coast that will provide up-to-the-minute information about restaurants, hotels, cultural events, and points of interest in Zanzibar and coastal Tanzania.

 

Etiquette

Sadly this is frequently overlooked. Visitors should act less like they're walking through a human zoo and more as if they are guests in a foreign land. The Muslim population expects and appreciates men and women alike to keep their knees and shoulders covered while in the streets. Once in a restaurant it is okay to show shoulders, but consider a shawl or button-up shirt to cover up with while on the streets. T-shirt and shorts may be comfortable but notice how the local people tend to wear well-cared-for clothes, unlike a number of tourists.

 

Zanzibar Travel tips