How Does Alcohol Rules Work in Tanzania?
Last verified: 2025-06 · Africa & Oceania
1The Quick Answer
Alcohol is freely available on the mainland but heavily restricted in Zanzibar, where it is sold only at tourist hotels and resorts.
2What You Need to Know
On mainland Tanzania, beer, wine, and spirits are sold at hotels, restaurants, bars, and supermarkets with no unusual restrictions; the minimum age is 18. Safari Lager and Kilimanjaro Beer are popular local brews. Zanzibar is a Muslim-majority island and alcohol is only legally available at tourist-licensed hotels and resorts — drinking in public, on the beach, or at local restaurants is inappropriate and can cause serious offence. During Ramadan in Zanzibar, restrictions tighten further and some establishments reduce or cease alcohol service. Purchasing alcohol from street vendors in Zanzibar is strongly discouraged.
3Practical Tips
Practical Tips
- 1Stick to your hotel or resort bar in Zanzibar — wandering into local areas with visible alcohol or drinking on the street will attract negative attention.
- 2If travelling during Ramadan in Zanzibar, avoid eating, drinking, or smoking in public during daylight hours as a mark of respect.
- 3Safari lodges and camps universally serve alcohol — most include sundowner drinks as part of the daily schedule.
Important Warning
Drinking alcohol in public in Zanzibar outside designated tourist areas is socially unacceptable and can result in confrontation with local residents.
How does this compare?
Alcohol Rules rules in nearby and similar countries:
Drinking age is 18; alcohol sold widely including Sundays; drinking in public is prohibited; strict 0.05% BAC drink-driving limit.
The legal drinking age is 18; alcohol is sold in supermarkets and bottle stores; many public spaces have liquor bans in place.
Alcohol is completely banned on all local islands and is only legally available at resort islands, liveaboards, and the international departure terminal.
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