Tanzania›Zanzibar›Stone Town›February
Stone Town in February
Good month: February is at the end of the recommended season (June – October, December – February). Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr and Sauti za Busara music festival can fall this month.
The season ends with February. Zanzibar Long Rains usually starts in April, 2 months away.
2 days in Stone Town in February · from ₹24,881 for two
Stay, food & local travel; getting there extra
Before you book February
Closures, crowds and rules at Stone Town this month.
Worth knowing
Zanzibar's Compulsory Travel Insurance
Every visitor to Zanzibar must hold the Zanzibar Insurance Corporation's inbound travel insurance, US$44 a person (US$22 for children aged 3-17), valid up to 92 days, even with another policy. Buy it online before you arrive; it is checked at the airport and the ferry port.
Heads up
Ramadan in Zanzibar
Ramadan 2027 is expected from about 8 February to 9 March. Many local restaurants and cafes in Stone Town close until sunset, and eating, drinking or smoking in the street by day causes offence; cover shoulders and knees, and swimwear stays on the beach. Hotels and resorts serve visitors normally. Eid (about 10 March) fills the ferries and flights.
What’s on in February
Timing a trip around these changes what you pay and what you can book.
Ramadan and Eid al-Fitrdates shift yearly
Zanzibar is almost entirely Muslim. During Ramadan (expected about 8 February to 9 March 2027, by moon sighting) many local restaurants in Stone Town close until sunset, eating, drinking and smoking in public by day is frowned on, and modest dress matters more than ever; hotels and beach resorts serve visitors as usual. The evenings are lively, and Eid (about 10 March 2027) brings three days of celebration, fairs and full ferries.
Sauti za Busara music festival
Four days of African music on stages in the Old Fort in Stone Town, usually in February, with street parades. It has skipped some years for lack of funding: check the festival's announcement before planning round it, and book rooms early if it is on.
What it costs
For two sharing a room; 2 days on the ground, getting there not included.
Budget
₹24,881 for two
- Room a night₹4,280
- Food a day, each₹1,859
- Main sight entry, each₹760
Mid-range
₹48,224 for two
- Room a night₹14,270
- Food a day, each₹4,290
- Main sight entry, each₹760
Luxury
₹1,06,987 for two
- Room a night₹42,800
- Food a day, each₹10,010
- Main sight entry, each₹760
Totals cover the room (taxes included), food, local transport, entry and a 10% buffer: the figures the planner opens on. These are typical rates; Tourisma has no month-by-month rates for Tanzania yet, so they don't move with the month.
Getting there
Fly into Stone Town (ZNZ)
Flights from India: from 6 cities, one way from ₹28,000
Fly into Dar es Salaam (DAR), 70 km away
Then: Flight · 2h 48m (Flight Zanzibar (ZNZ)–Dar es Salaam (DAR), 20 min: Air Tanzania, Auric, Coastal, As Salaam)
Flights from India: from 8 cities, one way from ₹25,000
Routes compared
Entry rules
E-visa before you fly for up to 90 days, about ₹4,760
- Apply for the Tanzania e-visa (ordinary, single entry) on the official portal at immigration.go.tz at least 2-3 weeks before you fly: US$50, about ₹4,830, for up to 90 days. Processing takes about 5-10 working days; print the grant notice. Avoid look-alike visa sites, which charge more.
- Get a yellow fever vaccination at an authorised centre in India at least 10 days before you leave, and carry the yellow certificate. Tanzania asks for it if you transit more than 12 hours in Kenya, Ethiopia or another risk country, and India asks every traveller returning from Tanzania for it at the airport.
- Going to Zanzibar: buy the compulsory Zanzibar inbound travel insurance (US$44 a person, about ₹4,250) from the Zanzibar Insurance Corporation online before you arrive, and keep the certificate. It is required even if you have your own travel insurance.
- Carry US dollars in clean notes printed in 2009 or later for park fees, tips and visas; older or torn notes are often refused.
Carry: Passport valid for at least 6 months beyond your stay, with two blank pages; E-visa grant notice (printout); Yellow fever vaccination certificate (needed again to re-enter India); Zanzibar insurance certificate, for Zanzibar; Return or onward ticket; Hotel and safari bookings.
Visas on arrival are sold at the main airports for many passports, but whether Indian passports get one was not confirmed in 2026, so get the e-visa first. Tanzania has also published rules for a compulsory insurance on the mainland, reported to start on 1 October 2026; check before you fly whether you need it.
Checked 2026-10; confirm with the embassy before you fly.
Elsewhere in Tanzania in February
Also in season this month.
- Mafia Island · great month
- Moshi · great month
- Mount Kilimanjaro · great month
- Ngorongoro Crater · great month
- Nungwi & Kendwa · great month
- Serengeti · great month
- Arusha · good month
- Lake Manyara · good month
Nearby in Zanzibar:
Want this as a real plan?
Stone Town in February, day by day, priced for your group.