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Stone Town, Tanzania
Zanzibar, Tanzania

Stone Town in October

Good monthBest time: June – October, December – February

Good month: October is at the end of the recommended season (June – October, December – February).

The season ends with October. Zanzibar Long Rains usually starts in April, 6 months away.

2 days in Stone Town in October · from ₹24,881 for two

Stay, food & local travel; getting there extra

See the day-by-day plan

Before you book October

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.

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

Plan from Stone Town airport (ZNZ)

Routes compared

Entry rules

E-visa before you fly for up to 90 days, about ₹4,760

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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 October

Also in season this month.

Nearby in Zanzibar:

Want this as a real plan?

Stone Town in October, day by day, priced for your group.

Plan Stone Town in October