GetSetJetSet

I'm not keen to fly any small east African carrier. I know there have been a few ferry incidents recently, is one operator safer than others?

BA304

This thread has some info on getting from Dar to Zanzibar.

Austinrunner

There's no need to be afraid of Precision Air.

The ferry accidents involved ferries that catered almost exclusively to Tanzanians at rock bottom prices. If you stick with the most modern operators, there's no cause to be concerned.

Drunkmuppet

I have flow both and have never had issues.

Here's my summary.

Precision Air-Larger Planes (ATR 72-pressurized, turboprop) Most are brand new, flight can be booked via kayak etc etc. Lots of frequency, code share with KQ (Kenya Airways) which is overseen by KLM.
Seems to be a well run operation.

Coastal-Smaller Planes (Cessna 208's? single engine) Good service and lots of frequency, more like a small charter airline, but they do have regular service.

If you have any concerns I would suggest Precision Air. Its a 15 minute flight and much easier than the ferry.

Keep in mind that the ZNZ-DAR route should be called the Muzungu Express.

Keith

Canuck2012

Hey, I lived in Zanzibar for three years and have flown the dar zanzibar route dozens of times.

Coastal is the best I think. Many of their pilots are South African or Canadian, racking up their flight time. Truly, its an easy flight, as you fly below the clouds most of the time.

I have lived all over Africa these past 10 years, the best advice I can give to ease your flying jitters is to only fly in the daytime and in good weather. This is especially true for small air craft, as you don't want to be in a heavy rainstorm or near lightning. I flew through a sandstorm in Nigeria once and saw my life flash before my eyes as the aircraft aborted landing twice!

Of course, I try to avoid all African flagged aircraft, but in the case of Zanzibar, Precision and Coastal have been good to me. The downside of Precision is that they use larger craft, and if they land at the international airport your transit time will be quite a bit longer.

Coastal can be reserved right through their website. Be sure to grab a cappuccino at the tiny cafe in the wall in the Dar domestic airport (and give the waitress a nice tip!), its the best!

IAN-UK

I spent a couple of days in Dar and then took the ferry (http://www.azammarine.com/). Seemed more efficient than hiking back out to the airport, and Dar is certainly worth a look round. Flew back for a (semi)direct connection.

I was impressed by the ferryset up: it seemed very professional. Interesting journey, long enough to relax a bit but short enough not get boring. Even more impressed when a uniformed officer asked a passenger on board to keep the noise down (mobile phone).

First-class is comfortable. There's an equally comfortable waiting-room/ticket office where you can wait until boarding time. If you've got awkward bags you can engage porters - OK, they'll probably engage themselves : they're useful in getting you through an unfamiliar process and store your bags at the back of the cabin.

GetSetJetSet

Finally, if traveling with a few friends (after NYE in Mauritius) would you recommend ZNZ or somewhere along the coast in Mozambique (like Tofo) for a few days at the end of the trip (assuming you have to pick one or the other). The group is half divers, half not. So activities other than diving would be good, and nightlife is a plus.

Canuck2012

Pemba (the second island north of Zanzibar) is still a world renowned site for diving. As I am not a diver myself I cannot directly comment, however with a little research I'm sure you'll find out plenty about it. There are only two really good hotels on the entire Island, but only hardcore divers and/or honneymooners visit the place anyway. I can say the snorkeling is amazing there. Pemba is indeed off the beaten track, but if you're up for making the journey it's worth it.

dabee69

Thanks a lot for sharing your experience. I've flown ZNZ-DAR and didn't like it. I am considering ferry for the next trip.

Would you recommend buying tickets online in advance?
How much time does the navigating from entrance to the actual boarding take?
If buying tickets at the terminal, are cash USD accepted?
How much does a porter cost and/or shall be tipped?

IAN-UK

I got the tickets (USD) the day before from the smart ticket office at the port. It's a sizeable "blue" building which also serves as the pre-embarcation waiting room. The sales girl was very helpful in explaining how things work.

Going down to the port and ticket office was all part of a relaxed tour of the city on foot.

There are a number of touts trying to sell tickets. Arriving on foot, without baggage, attracts less attention

Porters will introduce themselves They ask for TZS5000, about $3, each porter. I was happy to meet the request, though it's way over the local rate. Insist your porter carries all the bags, or you'll end up paying a porter for each bag. They will ease you through any boarding bottle-necks and officialdom.

Bags travel with you. In the F-class cabin the porter will store them at the back of the cabin.

When you dock at Zanzibar, porters will board and ask for similar amounts to assist you. Ours waited with the bags while we negotiated the visa business at the port, then helped us find and load the taxi.

It's not a difficult or overly stressful process. Have fun!

dabee69

Thanks a lot!

How much would taxi in Zanzibar cost? I am going to DoubleTree Nungwi. Hotel offers transfer for USD 70. Last year it was USD 60-90 depending on car type.

Canuck2012

Well, flying is still statistically safer than taking the boat. Consider the recent ferry sinking http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-18890691 ... depending on ocean conditions, there could be lots of waves giving a rocky ride, which means delays. The flight on the small aircraft that Coastal or Zan Air use takes only 20 minutes. It will get you to the beach all the faster. Have a good trip whichever you decide!

If you negotiate for a van (with air-conditioning), for a one way trip to Nungwi, you may be able to shave $20 off the hotel taxi rate. Of course, they'll realize that you aren't a local and will probably start at $100! Zanzibar is a small island and the taxis have a monopoly on pricing. Good luck with bargaining.

dabee69

We safely got to Zanzibar by ferry. 1st class cabin was 1/3 full, seating was very comfortable.

I didn't enjoy swarming porters in DAR. Porters in DAR were almost aggressive. Zanzibar porters were fine and reasonable.

Canuck2012 was right that flying would get me to the beach faster. Ferry port is 1h20 away from Nungwi. They now also require to fill out immigration card in Zanzibar. Filling it out and queuing in line requires additional time. I arrived at 8:30 to the DAR port and got to my Nungwi beach room at 14:30 on Azam express service. I was too early in DAR but I was afraid of traffic jams which I experienced 07/02/2013.

Costal and Zanair does not accept suitcases according to their web. Precision Air does accept, I've done that with a 2 day delay in bag deliver for a direct flight. Soft bag which all TZ airlines accept might be fine for local travel but are much worse for medium distance longhaul which I need to get to TZ.

B747-437B

Do not bother trying to book in advance. I had booked online at Azam's website and received a confirmation email, but when I went down to the port to collect the tickets they told me that even though it had been confirmed they had cancelled it because the ferry was full. Eventually had to sweet talk our way as standby passengers on to the boat (to their credit, the Azam staff did not ask for any cash incentives to assist us and even refused a gratuity after we were on board).

Entrance gate to boarding is about 20 yards. Depending on how many people are ahead of you, it can take anything from 30 seconds to much longer.

USD cash is preferred for non-residents as fares are quoted in Dollars. If you want to pay in Shillings, you will be given a weak exchange rate.

SirJman

I'm going to ZNZ for 4-5 days in July after spending about 2 in Dar. I would like to fly over, and then rent a car for 4 days.

All the carriers online booking systems seem pretty terrible. Do prices flux much? I don't think I should have to worry about booking flights this early, but any recommendations would be appreciated.

I'd actually prefer a smaller lessor known airline with obsure aircraft over Presicion