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Last checked: October 2026.
Zanzibar uses two currencies for different jobs. Currency and tipping are where first-time visitors are most often surprised: thin cash machines on the coast, and tips that are easy to misjudge in both directions. Our before you go page covers the practicalities in one place; this guide takes the money question properly.
The detail
Shillings or dollars? Both, for different things. In 2025 the Bank of Tanzania ruled that goods and services inside the country are priced and paid in shillings. A tourism exemption lets tour operators pay suppliers in dollars on a visitor's behalf, so pre-paid tours and hotels booked through an operator are usually settled in dollars before you arrive; anything you pay on the spot, including hotel extras, may be asked for in shillings, though many hotels still take dollars or cards in practice. In practice, tours and hotel bills are often quoted in dollars and hotel extras are often charged in dollars or on a card, but the taxi, the Forodhani grilled fish, the market stall and the smaller restaurant want shillings. Change money at the airport bureau on arrival (it runs around the clock) or at a bank or bureau in Stone Town; hotel rates are poorer. Don't change more than you need — shillings are hard to exchange once you are home, which is one good reason to tip with them. At the Forodhani night market, your grilled fish is paid for in shillings, so keep a small pile of notes ready before you reach the grill.
The dollar-note rules. Tanzanian banks and bureaus refuse older US notes, torn notes and notes with writing on them. Carry notes printed in 2013 or later, which is the safe choice; some bureaus accept older ones from 2009 onward. Carry them crisp and unmarked, with $50 and $100 notes for the best rate and a handful of smaller bills for tips and fees.
ATMs. Stone Town has the most — CRDB, NMB, KCB, Exim and others in the centre and near the port — and there are machines at the airport. Beyond that the picture is thinner: a few in Paje and Nungwi on the main roads, one or two inland, and, in recent traveller reports, little or nothing in Matemwe, Kiwengwa, Michamvi or Kizimkazi. Machines cap a withdrawal at around TZS 400,000 (about US$150), charge a fee of a few dollars and can run dry at weekends; limits vary by bank and change without notice. Draw what you need in Stone Town or at the airport before heading to the coast.
Cards. Visa and Mastercard are taken at many mid-range and upmarket hotels, at dive centres, kite schools and the larger restaurants in Stone Town and Nungwi. A card surcharge is common — about 3.5% is typical, though it varies by business — and terminals do fail. Tell your bank you are travelling. American Express is rarely useful.
Fees you will meet. Entry costs have their own pages, so we do not repeat the figures here: the visa is on Zanzibar visa and entry, and the mandatory inbound insurance is on Zanzibar's mandatory travel insurance. That insurance is the Zanzibar policy; mainland Tanzania has a separate one. On the island:
- Hotel infrastructure levy: charged per person per night and scaled to star rating: US$5 at 4- and 5-star, US$4 at 2- and 3-star, US$2 at 1-star and unclassified, and US$10 at hotels on small offshore islands. It appears on the hotel bill.
- Mnemba conservation fee: US$25 per adult and US$10 per child aged 5–15 (under 5 free) for non-East African visitors, the rate reported after the September 2025 revision. Fees can change, so check the current amount before you travel; see Mnemba Island.
- Jozani Forest and Prison Island: Jozani's entry fee includes the obligatory guide; Prison Island is usually sold as a boat-and-entry trip. Fees apply to both; the gate sets the current amounts.
Tipping. Tipping is customary but never obligatory, and a little goes a long way — the island's average daily wage is around US$4. The figures below are per guest. If a service charge is already on your bill, any extra tip is up to you.
| Role | Amount | How paid |
|---|---|---|
| Hotel staff | US$3–5 a day | Communal tip box at reception, shared among housekeeping, kitchen and gardens |
| Specialist guide (Stone Town, spice farm, dive or snorkel) | US$8–10 a day | Directly, at the end of the activity |
| Driver | US$3–5 per transfer | Directly, at the end of each trip |
| Butler | US$8–10 a day | Directly; outside the tip box |
| Private chef | US$5–10 a day | Directly; outside the tip box |
| Boat crew | A few dollars per guest | To the captain, to share |
| Restaurant | Round up, or 5–10% | On the table, where service is not already on the bill |
Tip in shillings or small dollar notes; torn notes are refused.
Key facts
| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Currency | Tanzanian shilling (TZS), ~2,640 to US$1 (Oct 2026) |
| Daily spending | Shillings |
| Pre-paid tours via an operator | US dollars, settled before you arrive |
| On-the-spot payments, hotel extras | Shillings; card in many places |
| USD notes | Printed 2013 or later (safest); some bureaus accept 2009 onward; clean, unmarked; large notes get the better rate |
| ATMs | Stone Town, airport, a few in Paje and Nungwi; cap around TZS 400,000, varies by bank |
| Card surcharge | Commonly ~3.5%, varies |
| Mnemba fee | US$25 adult / US$10 child 5–15 / under 5 free (as reported from Sep 2025; check before you travel) |
| Tips | Hotel box US$3–5 pp/day; guides US$8–10 pp/day; drivers US$3–5 per transfer |
Planning it with Nobu
A tailored journey should take the arithmetic off your plate. We settle what can be settled before you travel and tell you which fees are asked for in cash, and where. Tipping is your call; we only make sure you know the norms.
Is it right for you?
This guide is for anyone landing on the island for the first time, and especially for travellers arriving from a mainland safari where dollars did everything — Zanzibar's shilling rule will catch you out otherwise. If you prefer not to carry cash, choose Stone Town and the north coast, where cards and ATMs are densest, and we can talk through pre-paying excursions. If you are heading to the quieter east and south-east coasts, draw cash before you leave Stone Town; the next machine may be a long drive away.
It is less useful if you are on an all-inclusive resort on the east coast and plan to spend almost nothing off-property: you will need a little cash for tips and the levy, and not much more. On fairness, use the tip box for hotel staff so the kitchen and gardeners share in it, and hand tips directly only to the people who work outside it — guides, drivers, butlers and private chefs. Keep amounts within the norms above; very large tips to one person can cause resentment among colleagues.
Journeys to consider
- Shores of Zanzibar — the island journey; we can tell you which fees can be settled before you fly. → See Shores of Zanzibar
- Southern Safari & Spice — bush and island in one journey; we can explain how the island fees are handled. → See Southern Safari & Spice