Digital Nomad Guide to Zanzibar: Coworking, WiFi, and Costs

Zanzibar has been drawing travellers for centuries — the spice trade, the Swahili architecture, the extraordinary reefs. What’s new is that remote workers are quietly making it their base, drawn by the same turquoise water and a cost of living that significantly undercuts Bali or Lisbon. The infrastructure is improving faster than the reputation: fibre internet arrived in Stone Town several years ago, coworking spaces have opened across both Stone Town and Paje, and the community of long-stay nomads has grown into something genuinely useful.

This isn’t Bali or Chiang Mai yet — you won’t find a nomad on every rooftop. That’s part of the appeal.

Visa for Remote Workers

Tanzania does not currently offer a digital nomad visa. The standard route is a tourist visa on arrival, which costs $50 USD for most nationalities and allows a single entry stay of up to 90 days. You can extend within Tanzania for an additional 30 days through the immigration office in Zanzibar Town (budget a half-day for the paperwork).

If you want to stay longer than 90 days, the typical approach is a border run to Kenya, Mozambique, or Rwanda and re-entry. Many nomads base themselves for one 90-day stretch and treat it as a seasonal stint rather than a permanent base.

US passport holders pay $100 for their Tanzanian visa. Check the current rate with the Tanzanian Embassy before travel, as fees do adjust.

East Africa Tourist Visa: Worth noting that a joint East Africa Tourist Visa ($100) covers Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda — but not Tanzania or Zanzibar. If you plan to combine Tanzania with those countries, you’ll need separate visas for each block.

Internet and Connectivity

Stone Town

Stone Town is far ahead of what most first-time visitors expect. Fibre optic infrastructure reaches 100 Mbps+ download speeds at established coworking spaces, and several guesthouses in the historic core have upgraded their connections specifically to attract long-stay guests. If your accommodation offers “fast WiFi,” ask for the speed before booking — a wide gap exists between guesthouses that have invested in fibre versus those still running on ADSL.

The main local ISPs serving Zanzibar are TTCL (Tanzania Telecommunications Corporation Limited) and Zantel. Mobile data from Vodacom and Airtel is reliable throughout Stone Town and provides solid backup if your fixed connection drops.

Paje and the East Coast

Paje runs on 4G LTE rather than fibre. Download speeds typically range from 20–50 Mbps on a good connection, which handles video conferencing without issue in most cases. Vodacom tends to have the strongest signal on the east coast. Some accommodation in Paje has invested in dedicated business lines, but connectivity is more variable than in Stone Town. Test thoroughly before committing to a long-stay booking.

Recommendation: If reliable high-speed internet is non-negotiable for your work, make Stone Town your primary base. If lifestyle flexibility matters more and you can tolerate the occasional slow morning, Paje delivers more on the beach-living front.

SIM Cards

Buy a local SIM on arrival at Zanzibar International Airport or from any Vodacom/Airtel shop in Stone Town. A Tanzania eSIM from Airalo also works well if you want connectivity before your SIM arrives. A month of data (20GB) from a local SIM costs approximately TZS 30,000–50,000 (roughly $12–$20 as of 2026).

Where to Base Yourself

Stone Town

Stone Town is the practical choice. It has the best coworking infrastructure, the widest range of accommodation at every price point, the best restaurants, and the most reliable internet. The UNESCO-listed medina is genuinely beautiful — working from a rooftop café overlooking coral-stone buildings and the Indian Ocean is a specific kind of excellent that’s hard to replicate elsewhere.

The trade-off: it’s a city. Noise, scooters, the call to prayer, the energy of a working port. If you need quiet focus hours, you’ll build a rhythm around it. Most nomads stay in Stone Town for the working week and head to the beaches on weekends.

Best neighbourhoods in Stone Town for nomads:

• Forodhani/Seafront area — walkable to most coworking spaces, good restaurant density
• Shangani — quieter streets within the old town, several boutique guesthouses with good WiFi

Paje (East Coast)

Paje is the kitesurfing capital of the Indian Ocean and increasingly a nomad magnet. The broad, tidal beach runs for kilometres, the atmosphere is relaxed, and the community of long-stay travellers creates the kind of incidental social life that’s energising without being obligatory. Several dedicated coworking-with-accommodation packages operate here.

The catch: food is more limited and pricier than Stone Town, internet is less reliable, and transport around the island without a scooter is slow and expensive. Most nomads in Paje rent a scooter from day one (approximately $8–12/day, or $100–150/month for a long-term rental).

Nungwi (North Coast)

Nungwi has better sunsets and a more developed resort scene. It’s less established as a nomad hub but has some accommodation with good connectivity. Better suited to travellers blending work with holiday than committed month-long workers.

Coworking Options

Zanzibar’s coworking scene is still maturing. There are dedicated spaces in Stone Town and a growing number of coworking-accommodation hybrids in Paje. Day passes typically run $10–18 USD; monthly memberships from approximately $150–250 for a hot desk.

Some accommodation providers, particularly in Paje, offer bundled packages — room, breakfast, and a dedicated desk with good WiFi — for $600–900/month. These packages often represent better value than renting accommodation and coworking separately.

See our detailed guide to the best coworking spaces in Stone Town and Paje for specific venue listings, pricing, and what to expect.

Health and Practical Setup

Malaria: Zanzibar is a malaria zone. Consult a travel health clinic before departure about prophylaxis. Mosquito repellent and bed nets are standard at most accommodation.

Health Insurance: Tanzania’s public health system has limited capacity. Private clinics in Stone Town can handle most routine issues; serious medical emergencies may require evacuation to Nairobi or Dar es Salaam. Travel insurance with medical evacuation cover is essential. EKTA and similar providers cover Tanzania — compare policies before departure.

Banking: ATMs are available in Stone Town (Forodhani and central areas). Visa is widely accepted at ATMs; Mastercard has more limited coverage. Withdraw TZS from ATMs rather than relying on card payments at smaller businesses. USD is accepted widely for larger transactions.

Power: Tanzania runs on 230V / 50Hz with UK-style three-pin plugs (Type G). Power cuts (locally called “load shedding”) can occur, particularly during the long rains (March–May). Coworking spaces with generators or UPS systems are worth prioritising.

When to Go

The best months for remote work in Zanzibar are June to October (the dry season) and December to February. These months combine reliable electricity, stable internet (fewer storm interruptions), and comfortable working temperatures. The short rains (November) and long rains (March–May) bring power cuts and unreliable connectivity at some accommodation — factor this into planning if you have clients depending on your availability.

Getting There

Zanzibar International Airport (ZNZ) has direct connections to Nairobi (Kenya Airways, approximately 1 hour), Dar es Salaam (Precision Air, 20 minutes), Addis Ababa (Ethiopian Airlines), and a small number of European routes. Most nomads route through Nairobi or Dar es Salaam. The high-speed ferry from Dar es Salaam is a budget-friendly alternative (approximately 2 hours, $30–50 each way).

---

Zanzibar won’t suit everyone. The infrastructure gaps that remain — especially on connectivity outside Stone Town — mean it rewards flexible workers more than those with strict uptime requirements. For those who can adapt, it offers something most popular nomad destinations have lost: a genuinely interesting place to be, at a cost that still makes sense.