East Africa offers quite a lot to tourists, with gorilla trekking, fascinating safaris, and beautiful beaches attracting hundreds of thousands of people every year. Flights to Zanzibar from London are quite a hit, which further proves that Tanzania is a wonderful destination.
If you also set up your mind on visiting this country, you’re in the right place. In this article, we cover everything you need to know: from detailed flight info to the entry requirements for tourists from the UK. Did we attract your attention? Then read on!
Flights to Zanzibar from London
Let’s start with the most crucial info about flights to Zanzibar from London. What do you need to know?
Direct flights
Unfortunately, at this time, there are no direct flights to Zanzibar from London. However, there are some great connections with minimal layovers, so you can still get to this island quite quickly.
Flight times and stops
The time you’ll spend traveling to Zanzibar depends on the deal you choose. The fastest connections take only about 11.5 hours, while the cheapest deals might cause you to travel for over 30 hours. Each flight has at least one stop, though you might even find deals with two layovers.
Departure dates and times
You’ll find flights to Zanzibar from London all week long – it doesn’t matter whether you want to travel on Monday, Thursday, or Sunday. Similarly, the departure times also vary depending on the connection, so you’ll find flights departing in the morning, noon, afternoon, or evening.
Prices
What about the prices? The cheapest flights from London to Zanzibar cost around £250. But, if you value convenience and want to get to this island faster, you may need to pay about £300-£500. The prices vary depending on:
- selected date,
- the number and length of layovers,
- airlines you’ll be flying with.
So, optimizing and finding a golden means between convenience and price is possible, especially if you’re using search engines like Kiwi!
Airlines
There’s a wide variety of airlines involved in connections from London to Zanzibar. Depending on the flights of your choice, you can travel with:
- Emirates,
- Turkish Airlines,
- Precision Air,
- Saudi Arabian Airlines,
- Wizz Air,
- FLY ONE,
- Kenya Airways,
- Ethiopian Airlines,
- or British Airways.
This gives you a lot of options and flexibility – you can choose pre-selected routes or plan your trips independently. If you decide on the latter, remember to look into airline alliances or to buffer with your layovers; otherwise, you might be in trouble if one of your flights is delayed.
Entry to Zanzibar
Since you know all about flights to Zanzibar from London, it’s time to look into the entry requirements. What do you need to prepare?
Passport
In order to enter Tanzania, your passport must be valid for at least 6 months after the date you arrive and have a blank page.
Visa
You need to apply for a visa if you want to visit Zanzibar or any other part of Tanzania. There are different types of visas available, depending on the purpose of your trip:
- ordinary visa (for tourism, leisure, holiday, or conference purposes) – valid for 90 days after arrival,
- business visa (for short-term work) – valid for 90 days,
- student visa (for university students and student exchanges longer than 90 days).
You can apply for the visa on the Tanzanian government’s official online application platform.
Insurance
You must also have official Inbound Travel Insurance from the Zanzibar Insurance Corporation to visit the island. Other travel insurance plans do not meet this requirement.
Vaccines
The British government recommends getting the following vaccinations:
- Hepatitis A,
- Tetanus,
- Typhoid,
- Cholera,
- Hepatitis B,
- Meningococcal disease,
- Polio,
- Rabies,
- Tuberculosis,
- Yellow fever.
Additional information
Tanzania has strict customs regarding wildlife products. Therefore, the British government warns against bringing animal skin accessories into Tanzania since it may cause you trouble leaving the country.
The Takeaway
We hope we’ve explained everything you wanted to know about flights from London to Tanzania and the related entry requirements. Zanzibar is a beautiful country offering a lot to tourists, so don’t let the paperwork or long travel times discourage you – it’s a gem you must see at least once in your life!
Thank you for reading.
