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You want pictures of people and place rather than postcards, and you do not want to be the visitor who lifts a lens without asking. Zanzibar suits that kind of photography. Picture a morning that starts in the Stone Town lanes while the shutters are still going up and ends on the east-coast flats at low water. Zanzibar is a small island with a lot of visual variety for its size. Within an afternoon's drive you can move from the carved doors of a lane to a dhow on the sand, and then to a tidal flat where women tend seaweed in shallow water. The subjects are close at hand and the light changes quickly, which makes the island a rewarding place for a photographer willing to slow down. Most of the rules that matter are about people and permission rather than equipment, and this page sets them out. If your interest is wildlife rather than everyday life, photography safari for beginners covers the bush half of East Africa.
The detail
Stone Town: lanes, doors and dusk. Stone Town is the most photographed place on the island, because its lanes are narrow enough to frame and its doors are some of the finest carved work on the coast. The carved doors of Zanzibar explains how to read them. Shoot the lanes early or late, when the light is low and the crowds are thin. The waterfront is the other set piece. At sunset the sellers at Forodhani Gardens set up their grills, and the market light gives you people in motion against the Old Fort. The Forodhani night market explains how the evening works.
The north coast: dhows on the sand. At Nungwi, wooden dhows are built and repaired on the beach, which makes a strong subject with the sea behind it. Go in the morning, when the boatbuilders are working and the light is clean. Dhow building in Nungwi explains what you are looking at, so that your pictures say something.
The east coast: tide line and seaweed. The east-coast lagoon drains far at low tide, and the exposed flats are where seaweed is grown on ropes in shallow water. It is a working landscape, not a set. Seaweed farming and the women of the east coast explains who does the work and what threatens it. The tide sets your window, and the timetable shows when that window opens. Zanzibar tides, explained shows how to read it.
Where to be, and when.
| Place | Best hour | Permission first | Avoid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stone Town lanes | Early morning or late afternoon | Anyone close up, or anyone at work | Photographing people at prayer or inside mosques |
| Forodhani Gardens | Around sunset | Sellers before any close picture | Pointing a lens into private homes along the waterfront |
| Nungwi dhows | Morning | Boatbuilders before any close picture | Walking onto boats or work areas uninvited |
| East-coast flats | Low water (see the timetable) | Seaweed farmers before any close picture | Walking across the planted plots |
Verdict: Three nights would cover it: Stone Town for two dawns and a Forodhani dusk, then one east-coast base timed to spring lows.
Light, heat and the small problems. Near the equator the sun rises and sets at much the same times all year, sunrise at about 5:55 to 6:35 am and sunset at about 6:15 to 6:50 pm, so plan from a sunrise table rather than from the season. Midday light is hard and overhead, so save the open scenes for the first and last hours. Humidity fogs a lens when you come out of air conditioning, so leave the camera in its bag for a few minutes before you use it. Salt spray and sand reach the dhow beaches, so carry a cloth. For street life, the Darajani market is busiest in the morning, and for wildlife close to town, Jozani Forest is known for its red colobus monkeys.
Permission before you photograph people. This matters more than any lens. Wide scenes from a distance are generally accepted. For a close portrait, or anyone at work, get permission first. A simple naweza kupiga picha? ("may I take a photo?") opens the conversation. Some people request a small payment, so agree the figure before you take the picture. The usual amount varies, and a guide can tell you what is normal. If someone says no, put the camera away.
Drones. Drones need a Tanzanian import permit and registration, applied for at least three weeks before you arrive, and a drone brought in without one can be confiscated at entry. Some resorts also ask guests to leave drones behind, so ask your property first; the full rules are in Zanzibar dress code and photography etiquette.
Places to keep the camera down. Keep the camera down near police, soldiers and government buildings, and let a guide settle any doubt before you raise it; the full rules are in Zanzibar dress code and photography etiquette.
Key facts
Best light: early morning and the hour before sunset. Stone Town: lanes, carved doors and the Forodhani waterfront at dusk. North coast: dhow building on the beach at Nungwi. East coast: tidal flats and seaweed farms at low water. Permission: get permission before close-up portraits and before photographing anyone at work. Drones: import permit, registration and operations permit; apply at least three weeks before you come to Tanzania; confiscation at entry is possible without the permit.
Planning it with Nobu
Photography days can be planned around the light, the tide and the people, rather than around a list of landmarks. A good guide can introduce you to a dhow builder or a seaweed farmer and explain the work, which gives a photograph context. Drone permits can be planned with you before you travel, because the lead time is the part most likely to go wrong. Whether a particular guide or farm visit fits your dates is set out in your proposal.
Is it right for you?
This suits you if you want to photograph daily life as well as the beach: street scenes, craft, food and the working coast. It works with a phone or a single camera body with one or two lenses. It suits you less if your main subject is wildlife, where a safari-led trip will serve you better, if you need a long lens, or if you want to fly a drone without arranging permits ahead. If you want dense street life, weight your nights towards Stone Town. If you travel with a partner or family who do not want to pause for pictures, plan the photography hours separately, so that everyone's day still works.
Journeys to consider
- Shores of Zanzibar — the island itinerary, with time for the coasts and Stone Town. → Explore
- Stone Town, the east coast and Mnemba — ten nights — the longer version, with room to return to the same light at different hours. → Explore
