What this is
Every figure we publish about Zanzibar comes from a row in a ledger. Not a style guide, not a policy — an actual file, with one row per fact, that has to be filled in before a number can appear on a page.
(One set of numbers on this site is not in the ledger, and it is fair to point at it: the commission bands in the footer. Those describe our own commercial terms rather than anything about Zanzibar, and they are still awaiting confirmation against the supplier agreements.)
This page is that file, rendered: every row in it, with the eight fields that make a row checkable — including the rows that are empty and the rows we are not confident in.
Three things stay in the file rather than the table: a confidence rating, the list of pages each row is used on, and the working notes — what we excluded and why, what a figure does not mean, where a source contradicts itself. Those surface as caveats on the page that carries each number, which is where they are useful.
36
facts verified at source
16
distinct sources cited
45
dated observations on record
our oldest verified check
How to read a row
Claim is what the number is about. Value is the number. Who says so is the organisation whose figure it is — an operator, an insurer, a statute, a met office. Source links to where we read it.
Method is how we read it, and it matters more than it looks:
rate-sheet— read from a published price list or tariff document.site— read from the organisation’s own published page. This covers the statutes too: where a row was read from a signed Act or a gazetted scan, the Checked by column says so and usually records the printed page number.
Checked is the date we read it. Not the date we published, and not the date we last touched the page. If it is old, it looks old here on purpose.
Status is the part most sites do not have:
- verified — we read it at a source we consider primary, and we would defend it.
- needs-recheck — we have a figure, but the source is not good enough to settle it. Usually it means we are waiting on something in writing.
- CA-VERIFY — a tax figure that needs a chartered accountant, not a search result.
- unverified — a deliberately empty row. The claim matters, we could not establish it, and we are recording the gap rather than deleting the question.
The empty rows are the point
The unverified and needs-recheck rows are listed first, above everything we are sure of.
A ledger showing only its verified rows would be a trophy cabinet. The reason to trust the settled figures is that you can see what happens to the unsettled ones: they sit here, named, with what we checked and who could close them, instead of quietly becoming a confident sentence somewhere.
Two rows have no source at all. One is an Indian tax position that needs a qualified accountant. One is a residence-permit duration that agencies state confidently and no instrument we have read supports. Neither is going to be filled in from a search result.
About the “checked by” column
This column names who did the reading, and it is honest to the point of being uncomfortable: on almost every row it says claude-assisted.
That means the reading was done by an AI system working from the primary document, with the specific source and — for the statutes — the printed page number recorded in the row beside it. It does not mean a person on the island confirmed it, and it does not mean a lawyer or an accountant reviewed it. Where a human read something directly, the row says so.
We publish the column rather than hiding it, for a reason that is the whole design of this page: the source and method columns are what make a row checkable, not the checker. Every verified row links to the document it came from. You do not have to trust who read it — you can read it yourself, which is not true of a fact-check you are simply asked to believe.
What this column cannot do is substitute for the two review lanes we have not filled. That is a separate and larger gap, and it is set out in who checks this site.
The ledger
| Claim | Value | Who says so | Source | Method | Checked | Checked by | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whether the Law of Marriage Act governs a marriage contracted in Zanzibar, or whether a separate Zanzibar regime does | no value — this row records a gap | Law of Marriage Act, Cap. 29 (R.E. 2023) vs the Zanzibar Civil Status Registration Agency (ZCSRA), which operates Zanzibar’s own civil registration and records marriages | oag.go.tz | site | claude-assisted; the Act read from the signed scan; the Zanzibar registrar’s own guidance not read, because that site serves an invalid TLS certificate | unverified | |
| Mandatory Zanzibar inbound travel insurance (ZIC), per visitor | USD 44 per adult / 92 days; USD 22 ages 3-17; free under 3 | Zanzibar Insurance Corporation (ZIC) – the sole authorised provider | inbound.visitzanzibar.go.tz | site | claude-assisted; the insurer’s portal confirms the cover is compulsory but will not show the tariff without starting a real application, so the amount rests on secondary sources | needs-recheck | |
| DURATION of the residence permit granted to a >= USD 100k property buyer | no value — this row records a gap | Not stated in the Zanzibar Investment Act 2023; presumably in regulations or immigration practice | no source on file | never read | never checked | — | unverified |
| TCS on overseas tour packages (tiered) | up to 20%, tiered | Indian tax rule | no source on file | never read | never checked | — | CA-VERIFY |
| Whether the WMO/TMA climatological table’s RAINFALL column for Zanzibar can be published | No. The column is internally inconsistent and roughly six times below every other published figure for the same months, so we do not use it | WMO World Weather Information Service, station "Zanzibar", TMA-supplied, 1971-2000; field rainunit is expressly "mm" | worldweather.wmo.int | site | claude-assisted; read from the WWIS data endpoint, including the rainunit field | verified | |
| Officially-supplied monthly temperature normals for Zanzibar (mean daily max / min), and whether they corroborate the secondary aggregate used in our tables | 1971-2000, TMA-supplied via WMO: Jan 32.1/23.3, Feb 32.8/23.2, Mar 32.0/23.2, Apr 30.3/23.6, May 29.4/22.9, Jun 29.0/21.8, Jul 28.6/21.0, Aug 29.1/20.0, Sep 30.1/19.7, Oct 30.9/20.6, Nov 30.8/21.9, Dec 31.4/22.9 (degC). Maxima agree with our published 1992-2021 aggregate within 0.8 degC in every month; minima run 0.1-1.7 degC LOWER in the older series | WMO World Weather Information Service, station "Zanzibar", data supplied by the Tanzania Meteorological Agency, reference period 1971-2000 (fields datab=1971, datae=2000) | worldweather.wmo.int | site | claude-assisted; read from the WWIS data endpoint, field names and values verbatim | verified | |
| Who designates Special Economic Zones in Zanzibar, and who regulates them (s.39, Zanzibar Investment Act No. 10 of 2023) | The PRESIDENT designates, by notice published in the Gazette, and in that same notice defines the zone’s demarcations, incentives AND regulators – ‘whether public or private’ (s.39(2)). ZIPA has ‘exclusive regulatory jurisdiction and management’ of SEZs (s.39(3)) EXCEPT where the President’s notice specifies otherwise. Ten zone types are named in s.39(1) | Zanzibar Investment Act No. 10 of 2023, Part Six, s.39 (printed p.16 of the signed scan); functions of the Authority in SEZs at s.41 (printed pp.16-17) | faolex.fao.org | site | claude-assisted; read from the signed Act scan, printed page 16, in person | verified | |
| The forms in which a marriage may be contracted, and the witness requirement, under the Law of Marriage Act | Civil form; civil form or the rites of a specified religion where both parties belong to it; civil or Islamic form where the intended husband is a Muslim; civil form or customary rites where the parties follow customary law (s.25(1)). At least two witnesses, each aged eighteen or over (s.27) | Law of Marriage Act, Cap. 29 (R.E. 2023), ss.25 and 27, printed p.572 | oag.go.tz | site | claude-assisted; read from the Attorney General’s Office revised edition, printed page 572 | verified | |
| Notice of intention to marry under the Law of Marriage Act – period required | At least 21 days’ notice to a registrar or registration officer before the proposed date (s.18(1)), and at least 21 days must elapse between the notice and the marriage (s.26). Both are expressly ‘subject to the provisions of section 23’ | Law of Marriage Act, Cap. 29 (R.E. 2023), ss.18(1) and 26, printed pp.568 and 572; Acts Nos. 5 of 1971, 23 of 1973, 15 of 1980, 9 of 1996, 21 of 2009 | oag.go.tz | site | claude-assisted; read from the Attorney General’s Office revised edition, printed pages 568 and 572 | verified | |
| Whether the 21-day marriage notice can be dispensed with | Yes. The Registrar-General may, by licence in the prescribed form, dispense with the notice required by s.18, on proof of five things including ‘some good and sufficient reason’ (s.23(1)) – but may NOT do so where an objection has been lodged with him and not withdrawn (s.24) | Law of Marriage Act, Cap. 29 (R.E. 2023), ss.23-24, printed p.571 | oag.go.tz | site | claude-assisted; read from the Attorney General’s Office revised edition, printed page 571 | verified | |
| PADI Advanced Open Water course, price band across Zanzibar dive centres | $470-500 | Fun Divers Zanzibar ($470, Zanzibar and Pemba); One Ocean Zanzibar (from $500) | fundivingzanzibar.com | site | claude-assisted; both centres’ own published price lists | verified | |
| Discover Scuba Diving single-day taster, price band across Zanzibar dive centres | $120-200 | Fun Divers Zanzibar ($120 Zanzibar / $130 Pemba); One Ocean Zanzibar ($200, pool session + 2 dives) | fundivingzanzibar.com | site | claude-assisted; both centres’ own published price lists | verified | |
| Unit/strata title in Zanzibar (Zanzibar Condominium Act 2010) and whether it addresses foreign buyers | Unit title exists (Act No. 10 of 2010, assented 24 Sep 2010). The Act is NATIONALITY-SILENT: no provision addresses foreign buyers. It applies to property expressly made subject to it (s.2) – no ZIPA-approval requirement in the Act itself. A unit-owner may transfer to any other person (s.16(1)(b)); a buyer from a proprietor/developer has a 10-working-day rescission right (s.22(3)) | Zanzibar Condominium Act, Act No. 10 of 2010, assented 24 Sep 2010 (President Amani Abeid Karume) | zanzibarassembly.go.tz | site | claude-assisted; arrangement + ss.1-3 and ss.12-26 read in person; the whole-text nationality-silence corroborated by a separate full read of all 46 sections | verified | |
| Land tenure under the Land Tenure Act 1992 (Zanzibar) – who can hold what | No freehold: all natural land is public land (s.3(1)) vested in the President (s.3(2)). Right of occupancy: for a Zanzibari, perpetual (ss.7-8). Leases of public land: to any person, Zanzibari or non-Zanzibari (s.46); max 49 years per term (s.47(1)); RENEWABLE (s.47(2)); shall not be sold, assigned, sub-leased or sub-divided but inheritable (s.47(3)) | Land Tenure Act, Act No. 12 of 1992, assented 29 Jan 1993 (President Salmin Amour); ss.2-3, 7-8, 46-50 read from the signed scan | zanzibarassembly.go.tz | site | claude-assisted; arrangement + ss.2-3, 7-8, 41-50 read in person from the signed scan | verified | |
| Beginner kitesurfing, 6 hours PRIVATE tuition, Paje | $300-465 | Hakuna Matata $300; Zanzibar Kitesurfing $390; Aquaholics $465 | pajebynight.net | site | claude-assisted; schools’ own price lists | verified | |
| Beginner kitesurfing, 6 hours SHARED/group tuition, per person, Paje | $150-260 | Zanzibar Kitesurfing $150pp (family 3-6) / $190pp (2-3); Hakuna Matata $225pp (2); Aquaholics $260pp (2:1) | zanzibarkitesurfing.com | site | claude-assisted; schools’ own price lists | verified | |
| Beginner kitesurfing course (6 hours) in Paje, price band across three schools | $150-465 | Hakuna Matata/Paje By Night ($300 private, $225pp shared); Zanzibar Kitesurfing ($390 private, $190pp group 2-3, $150pp family 3-6); Aquaholics ($465 private, $260pp semi-private 2:1) | pajebynight.net | site | claude-assisted; all three are the schools’ own published price lists | verified | |
| PADI Open Water Diver course, price band across Zanzibar dive centres | $500-550 | Fun Divers Zanzibar ($500 Zanzibar / $550 Pemba); One Ocean Zanzibar ($550) | fundivingzanzibar.com | site | claude-assisted; sources are the centres’ own published price lists | verified | |
| Safari Blue full-day trip, adult price | $82 | Safari Blue (Harringford), Fumba | safariblue.net | site | inder | verified | |
| Safari Blue full-day trip, child price | $42 | Safari Blue (Harringford), Fumba | safariblue.net | site | inder | verified | |
| Zanzibar airport (ZNZ) to Nungwi, private transfer, price PER VEHICLE | $35-65 per vehicle | TaxiTrip Zanzibar ($35 sedan up to 3 pax; $40 SUV/van up to 5); GoZanzibar Transfers ($65, up to 7 pax) | taxitripzanzibar.com | rate-sheet | claude-assisted; both operators publish these as FIXED per-vehicle rates | verified | |
| Zanzibar airport (ZNZ) to Paje, private transfer, price PER VEHICLE | $35-55 per vehicle | TaxiTrip Zanzibar ($35 sedan up to 3 pax; $40 SUV/van up to 5); GoZanzibar Transfers ($55, up to 7 pax) | taxitripzanzibar.com | rate-sheet | claude-assisted; both operators publish these as FIXED per-vehicle rates | verified | |
| Company registration in Zanzibar – agency and gazetted fees | Agency: BPRA (Business and Property Registration Agency, Act No. 13 of 2012), online via orsz.bpra.go.tz under the Companies Act No. 15 of 2013. Fees (L.N. 55/2025, First Schedule): foreign company USD 1,300; local company with share capital of TZS 10,000,000 – TZS 200,000; TZS 10,000,001 to TZS 50,000,000 – TZS 300,000; more than TZS 50,000,000 – 1% of share capital; name reservation TZS 50,000 | Zanzibar Business and Property Registrations Agency (Fees and Charges) Regulations 2025, Legal Notice 55 of 2025, Gazette Vol. CXXXIV No. 7369 of 18 Jul 2025, First Schedule (gazette p.461) | bpra.go.tz | site | claude-assisted; fee table read from the gazetted PDF scan, page 461 | verified | |
| What a buyer of property worth >= USD 100,000 in an approved Real Estate Project may be granted (Fifth Schedule Part Four s.6, Zanzibar Investment Act No. 10 of 2023) | Residence permits for buyer, spouse and four children under 20; 50% stamp duty exemption; 100% foreign ownership allowed; 100% repatriation of sales proceeds after tax | Zanzibar Investment Act No. 10 of 2023, Fifth Schedule Part Four para 6 (printed p.36); gated by s.51 – buyer must qualify "the criteria prescribed in the regulations" | faolex.fao.org | site | claude-assisted; read from the signed Act scan, printed pages 20 and 36 | verified | |
| Minimum investment capital for a ZIPA Certificate of Investment (Second Schedule, Zanzibar Investment Act No. 10 of 2023, under ss.24-25) | Foreign (or joint with Tanzanian): USD 2,500,000 for hotels & real estate / USD 500,000 other sectors. Tanzanian: USD 100,000. Diaspora: USD 200,000 | Zanzibar Investment Act No. 10 of 2023, Second Schedule Part One (printed p.25 of the signed scan) | faolex.fao.org | site | claude-assisted; read from the signed Act scan, printed page 25 | verified | |
| Incentives for approved investors OUTSIDE Special Economic Zones (Third Schedule, Zanzibar Investment Act No. 10 of 2023, under s.26) | Operation phase, by application: 100% corporate income tax exemption first 5 years; 100% accelerated depreciation of plant and machinery 5 years; 100% R&D allowance 5 years; 100% retention of profit after tax. Implementation: 75% duty exemption on imported capital goods, 100% on local purchases, 50% income-tax exemption on foreign-bank loan interest, 100% foreign ownership | Zanzibar Investment Act No. 10 of 2023, Third Schedule (printed pp.27-28; Part One = incentives during implementation period, Part Two = incentives during operation) | faolex.fao.org | site | claude-assisted; read from the signed Act scan, printed pages 27-28 | verified | |
| Land lease term for real-estate developers in approved projects (Fifth Schedule Part Four s.5, Zanzibar Investment Act No. 10 of 2023) | Land lease agreement is 33 years; marina lease 33 years. The Fifth Schedule states no renewal; none found in the sections and schedules we have read | Zanzibar Investment Act No. 10 of 2023, Fifth Schedule Part Four para 5 (printed p.36); plus 100% withholding-tax exemption on interest and 100% stamp duty exemption per purchase contract for the developer | faolex.fao.org | site | claude-assisted; read from the signed Act scan, printed page 36 | verified | |
| Incentives for a DEVELOPER in a Special Economic Zone (Fifth Schedule Part One, Zanzibar Investment Act No. 10 of 2023) | Exemption from corporate tax for an initial period of 10 years; exemption from withholding tax on rent, dividends and interest for the first 10 years; exemption from property tax for the first 10 years; 75% exemption on taxes/duties for construction machinery and materials; stamp duty exemption on SEZ instruments | Zanzibar Investment Act No. 10 of 2023, Fifth Schedule Part One (printed p.32 of the signed scan) | faolex.fao.org | site | claude-assisted; read from the signed Act scan, printed page 32 | verified | |
| Criteria for STRATEGIC Investment status (Second Schedule Parts Two-Three, Zanzibar Investment Act No. 10 of 2023) | Unguja: USD 50,000,000 (foreign or Tanzanian, at least 30% as equity) OR USD 10,000,000 creating at least 500 direct jobs in sectors other than hotels. Pemba: USD 5,000,000 (30% equity) OR USD 2,000,000 creating at least 100 direct jobs (non-hotel). Small islands: under the provisions of the Act | Zanzibar Investment Act No. 10 of 2023, Second Schedule Parts Two and Three (printed pp.25-26 of the signed scan) | faolex.fao.org | site | claude-assisted; read from the signed Act scan, printed pages 25-26 | verified | |
| Transferring or disposing of an Approved Investment (s.55, Zanzibar Investment Act No. 10 of 2023) | The Investor who intends to transfer or dispose investment or shares in the company, interest or rights in investment wholly or in part, shall seek WRITTEN approval from the Authority before concluding such transaction, after paying the prescribed fees (s.55(1)) | Zanzibar Investment Act No. 10 of 2023, s.55 (printed p.20 of the signed scan) | faolex.fao.org | site | claude-assisted; read from the signed Act scan, printed page 20 | verified | |
| Ride-hailing app availability in Zanzibar | Bolt lists Zanzibar; Uber does not list Tanzania | Bolt lists "Zanzibar" among its Tanzania cities on its own site; Uber’s own global city list contains no Tanzania entry, and its Zanzibar city URLs return HTTP 404 | bolt.eu | site | claude-assisted; both companies’ own city lists | verified | |
| Mean spring and neap tidal range, east coast of Unguja (measured at Chwaka Bay) | spring ~3.2 m; neap ~0.9 m; more than 60% of the Bay exposed at lowest spring tide | Chwaka Bay, east coast of Unguja – Cederlof et al. (1995), as cited in Shaghude, Mahongo, Muzuka & Nyandwi, "Physical and Geological Processes in Chwaka Bay", ch. 2 in de la Torre-Castro, M. & Lyimo, T.J. (eds), "People, Nature and Research in Chwaka Bay, Zanzibar, Tanzania", WIOMSA, 2012, ISBN 9789987955916 | wiomsa.org | site | claude-assisted; read directly from the published chapter PDF | verified | |
| Availability of a free official hydrographic tide table for Zanzibar | None. UKHO EasyTide covers British Isles ports only; the UNESCO IOC Zanzibar station reports OBSERVED sea level, not predictions, and was down when checked | UK Hydrographic Office (EasyTide FAQs); UNESCO IOC Sea Level Station Monitoring Facility, station Zanzibar (operator UHSLC) | easytide.admiralty.co.uk | site | claude-assisted; both services’ own pages | verified | |
| Zanzibar airport (ZNZ) to each main beach area, full published transfer rate table, PER VEHICLE | Stone Town $15-25; Paje/Jambiani $35-55; Nungwi/Kendwa $35-65; Matemwe/Kiwengwa $35-60; Kizimkazi/Makunduchi $40-45 | TaxiTrip (sedan/SUV-van): Stone Town $15/$20, Paje-Jambiani $35/$40, Nungwi-Kendwa $35/$40, Matemwe-Kiwengwa $35/$40, Kizimkazi-Makunduchi $40/$45. GoZanzibar (up to 7 pax): Stone Town $15-25, Paje $55, Jambiani $55, Nungwi $65, Kendwa $65, Kiwengwa $45, Matemwe $60 | taxitripzanzibar.com | rate-sheet | claude-assisted; both operators publish these as FIXED per-vehicle rates | verified | |
| Night / late-arrival surcharge on Zanzibar airport transfers, at the two operators that publish fixed rate cards | No night surcharge – the published fixed rates are 24/7 | TaxiTrip Zanzibar (24/7; "Your driver monitors your flight status… You won’t pay extra for waiting time caused by flight delays"); GoZanzibar Transfers ("Meet-and-greet, 24/7, flight monitored") | taxitripzanzibar.com | rate-sheet | claude-assisted; both operators’ own rate pages, checked specifically for a night band | verified | |
| Zanzibar airport (ZNZ) to Nungwi, road journey time and distance | 60-80 minutes, about 65 km | TaxiTrip Zanzibar (~1 h 20 min, 65 km); GoZanzibar Transfers (60-75 min) | taxitripzanzibar.com | rate-sheet | claude-assisted; times published alongside the operators’ fixed rates | verified | |
| Zanzibar airport (ZNZ) to Paje, road journey time and distance | 50-65 minutes, about 50 km | TaxiTrip Zanzibar (~1 hour, 50 km); GoZanzibar Transfers (50-65 min) | taxitripzanzibar.com | rate-sheet | claude-assisted; times published alongside the operators’ fixed rates | verified | |
| Zanzibar airport (ZNZ) journey times to Stone Town and Matemwe/Kiwengwa | Stone Town ~15 min (7 km); Matemwe/Kiwengwa ~75 min (~55 km) | TaxiTrip Zanzibar’s published journey times on its fixed-rate card | taxitripzanzibar.com | rate-sheet | claude-assisted; read from the operator’s own rate page | verified | |
| Zanzibar beach wedding CEREMONY package (planning, setup, documentation; couple only or small guest count), independent local planners | $500-2,290 | Zan Events ($500 symbolic; $1,500 formal, up to 20 guests); Zanzibar Weddings, Stone Town ($990 symbolic; $1,590 Coconut; $1,790 Boho; $1,990 Ocean Bliss; $2,290 Tropical) | zanzibar-weddings.com | site | claude-assisted; both are the planners’ own published package lists | verified | |
| Zanzibar beach wedding package sold by the RESORT itself, couple only, extra guests charged separately | $2,000-3,500 for two, plus from $60 per additional guest | Konokono Beach Resort (Gold $2,000; Platinum $2,850; Diamond $3,500); menu from $60pp for additional guests; 2-night minimum stay, full prepayment | konokonozanzibar.com | site | claude-assisted; the resort’s own published package page | verified |
Challenging a row
If a figure here does not match what a source shows, or what you were actually quoted, tell us — the WhatsApp button on any page reaches a person. If you are right, the row changes, the page changes, and the change appears dated on the corrections log whether or not it flatters us.
Superseded readings are not deleted. When a figure moves, the old reading stays on the row in the file with its own date, and the price pages render that history beside the current number — so a price change is a record rather than a claim. The table above shows the current reading only.
Related: how we price · what we have not verified · our sources