1. Airport and ferry-port taxi overcharging
At Abeid Amani Karume International Airport and the Stone Town ferry terminal, unofficial drivers and 'helpers' swarm arrivals, grabbing luggage to create an obligation, then quoting two to five times the normal fare. Some claim mid-ride that the agreed price was only a deposit, or invent tolls and fees at the end. Official taxis carry yellow number plates; unlicensed cars do not.
Warning signs
- Someone loading your bags without being asked, then demanding payment per bag
- A quote given only in dollars, or a fare that shifts during the ride
- No yellow taxi plates on the vehicle
- Pressure to leave before the price is settled
How to avoid it
- Pre-book transfers through your hotel or a reputable operator before arrival
- Keep physical control of your luggage; unload it yourself if someone grabs it
- Agree the exact fare in Tanzanian shillings before anything goes in the trunk — roughly TZS 30,000-50,000 airport to Stone Town, more to beach resorts
- Pay only when you and your bags are fully out of the car
Sources
2. Fake ferry ticket offices and port touts
Touts meet travellers near the Dar es Salaam ferry terminal and steer them to an 'official ticket office' that is actually a private room selling inflated, counterfeit, or wrong-ferry tickets for the Zanzibar crossing. UK authorities warn of aggressive ticket touts at Tanzanian ports generally. Genuine operators such as Azam Marine sell through their own counters and websites.
Warning signs
- A stranger 'helping' you find the ticket office and walking you to a side room
- Prices well above the operator's published fare
- Tickets with no operator branding or for a different vessel than requested
- Pressure to hand over luggage while you buy
How to avoid it
- Buy directly at the official Azam Marine or operator counter, or online in advance
- Ignore anyone offering to lead you to tickets
- Keep your bags with you at all times in the port area
- Refuse to board overloaded vessels and note life-jacket locations
Sources
3. Unlicensed Stone Town 'guides' and cut-price tours
Men in Stone Town's alleys and around hotels offer to be your 'personal guide' — free at first — then demand payment, or lead you into shops where they earn commission. Unlicensed operators sell cheap spice tours, Prison Island trips, and dolphin excursions that are substandard, overcrowded, or skip promised stops; some use unsafe boats without life jackets. UK guidance is blunt: use reputable operators and never buy tours from touts.
Warning signs
- A 'free' guide attaching himself to you in the medina-like alleys
- Prices quoted far below what your hotel or licensed agencies charge
- No office, licence, or written itinerary — cash only, no receipt
- Vague answers about group size, equipment, or what is included
How to avoid it
- Book spice tours, dhow cruises, and boat trips through your hotel or a licensed operator with verifiable reviews
- Get the itinerary, inclusions, and total price in writing before paying
- Decline all unsolicited guiding in Stone Town with a firm 'Hapana, asante' and keep walking
- Ask about safety equipment and licensing before any boat trip
Sources
4. Beach boy 'papasi' hustle
On beaches at Nungwi, Kendwa, and Paje, persistent vendors — locally called papasi — offer free guiding, village tours, boat trips, or friendship, then demand 'donations' or tips of $20-50 after the fact. Longer cons involve days of cultivated friendship ending in requests for money for a 'sick relative' or 'business'; some sell drugs and then threaten to report the buyer unless paid off. Theft has been reported when travellers bring beach boys back to their accommodation.
Warning signs
- Free guiding or help that was never requested
- A hard-luck story that appears only after rapport is built
- Offers of marijuana or other drugs
- Pressure for WhatsApp contact, gifts, or money transfers
How to avoid it
- Set boundaries immediately: 'Hapana, asante' once, firmly, and keep walking without further engagement
- Assume any service that was 'free' will end in a payment demand
- Book all excursions through your hotel, never with beach vendors
- Do not bring new acquaintances to your room or leave valuables with them, and never buy drugs
Sources
5. Street money-changer shortchanging and ATM skimming
Unofficial changers near Stone Town's markets offer above-bank rates, then shortchange through fast counting, slip in counterfeit or obsolete notes, or simply vanish with the cash. Skimming devices have also been reported on ATMs in less secure tourist-area locations, sometimes with 'helpers' hovering to catch your PIN.
Warning signs
- Rates noticeably better than the bank's
- Counting done at high speed with folded notes
- Reluctance to let you recount before leaving
- A stranger standing close or offering help at an ATM
How to avoid it
- Exchange only at banks or official bureaux de change, and count before leaving the window
- Use ATMs physically inside bank branches to reduce cloning risk
- Learn what genuine Tanzanian shilling notes look like and refuse damaged ones
- US dollars are widely accepted in tourist areas, so exchange only what you need
Sources
Practical safety briefing
- Airport arrival: From Abeid Amani Karume International Airport, pre-book a transfer through your hotel — the single most effective move on the island — or take an official yellow-plate taxi after agreeing the fare in shillings up front; expect roughly TZS 30,000-50,000 to Stone Town. Arriving by ferry from Dar es Salaam, buy tickets only at the official Azam Marine counter and ignore touts.
- Trusted transport: Hotel-arranged transfers and licensed tour-operator vehicles are the standard; official taxis have yellow plates. Ride-hailing availability is limited compared with mainland cities, so pre-negotiated taxis and hotel cars dominate. Avoid dala-dala minibuses with luggage and never accept lifts from strangers.
- Money & payments: US dollars are widely accepted in tourist areas; for shillings use ATMs inside bank branches in Stone Town and exchange only at banks or official bureaux. Dress modestly in Stone Town — Zanzibari authorities can fine visitors for clothing deemed inappropriate in public.
Official travel advisories
- US State Dept — Level 3 ('reconsider travel') for Tanzania overall due to unrest, crime, and terrorism; advises staying alert in tourist spots and keeping a low profile.
- UK FCDO — Notes crime incidents in Stone Town and on tourist beaches, aggressive ticket touts at ports, express-kidnap risk from unlicensed taxis on the mainland, and advises bank-located ATMs and reputable, TATO-listed tour operators.
Compiled from documented reports and government advisories. How we verify scams. Last verified July 2026.