Volunteer in Zanzibar

Volunteering in Zanzibar is as incredible as it sounds. Located off the coast of Tanzania, this Indian Ocean island gem offers palm tree lined beaches, crystal clear waters rich with marine wildlife, and a uniquely blended culture. In this tropical setting, we invite you to have a rewarding adventure as a volunteer. We offer a variety of options; our volunteer opportunities in Zanzibar include a teaching volunteer project, a nonprofit management internship, and a dolphin research project. As a volunteer in Zanzibar, you’ll become part of our African Impact family; a group of people from around the world dedicated to creating positive change.

Highlights of doing a volunteer project in Zanzibar:

  • At the risk of repeating ourselves – the tropical setting! (Think swimming with dolphins and strolling on long stretches of white sandy beach.)
  • Work in rural and welcoming communities
  • Enjoy the opportunity to contribute to marine conservation
  • Become part of a dedicated team of volunteers from around the world
  • Feel safe knowing that we’ve got your back with 24/7 support
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Zanzibar Gallery

Most Popular Zanzibar Volunteer Projects

BOOK TODAY

Tropical Marine Conservation & Dolphin Research

$2495 – $6795
Participate in our marine conservation volunteer program on the tropical island paradise of Zanzibar! As a volunteer, you will contribute to the sustainability of dolphin tourism by monitoring human-dolphin interactions and promoting ethical dolphin tours to ensure these intelligent creatures are not stressed or harmed during encounters with people and boats.

Zanzibar

Every second Monday

Impact: Marine Conservation

NOW OPEN

TEACHING AND COMMUNITY SUPPORT

$2195 – $5395
Live the tropical island dream while teaching children at local schools, teaching adult English classes, promoting gender equality, assisting with local conservation initiatives, and using your skills to contribute to community development on the island of Zanzibar in Tanzania.

Zanzibar

Every Second Monday

Impact: Teaching

TEFL Teaching Internship In Zanzibar

$3390 – $6390
Join us in Zanzibar to do your TEFL practicum and complete your qualification. As a TEFL student in Zanzibar, you will contribute towards community development by providing opportunities, support, and one-on-one attention that otherwise wouldn’t exist for the communities we work with.

Zanzibar

Every second Monday

Impact: Teaching

Frequently asked questions about volunteering in Zanzibar

A series of several islands off the coast of Tanzania, Zanzibar is a tropical paradise. Surrounded by the crystal clear waters of the Indian Ocean and breathtaking white sand beaches, Zanzibar is rich in culture, history, and coastal adventures. Our Zanzibar volunteer programs primarily operate in one small coastal community; Kizimkazi.

Kizimkazi, Zanzibar

Located a little over an hour away from Stone Town, the historic Zanzibar City, Kizimkazi is a breathtaking coastal town. Known amongst travellers as one of Zanzibar’s most stunning beach villages, unimaginable turquoise waters and the softest white sand beaches line the community of Kizimkazi. Words simply cannot describe the beauty of this idyllic beachfront destination.

Kizimkazi’s stunning beaches are only a backdrop, however, to the beautiful local community that lives here. Rich in culture, history, and kindness, volunteering in Kizimkazi means endless opportunities to build meaningful connections and relationships with residents. Immersed in local society, opportunities for transformative cultural exchanges with locals are always in stock and bound to be a life-changing experience.

Joining one of our volunteer projects in Kizimkazi is the perfect location for embarking on incredible adventures throughout Zanzibar Island (or, as it’s also known, Unguja). Travel to the iconic World Heritage Site, Stone Town, in Zanzibar City – renowned worldwide for its unique blend of East African, Indian, Arabic and Persian cultural influences. Embark on a spice tour through one of Zanzibar’s many spice plantations, smelling and tasting your way through an exploration of Zanzibar’s historic spice trade. Journey into the heart of the Janzani forest, the only national park in Zanzibar, celebrated for its lush foliage and unique wildlife. Joining a Zanzibar volunteer project with African Impact means the opportunities for exciting adventures, authentic cultural exchanges, and meaningful impact never end.

At African Impact, our mission is to provide the best international volunteer programs in Africa that create real, sustainable impacts on local communities. While our volunteer projects may be unpaid, we absolutely believe they are a life-changing experience for volunteers and locals alike!

As an African-based company, we know first hand the incredible adventures available on our stunning continent. We live and breathe all things African travel and are passionate about immersing volunteers in the heart of some of Africa’s most incredible natural environments and communities. Developing meaningful relationships with locals, learning about unique African cultures, and exploring breath-taking natural wonders, you’ll experience the true spirit of Africa and the people, places, and wildlife that make it so extraordinary.

To us, epic adventures and sustainable impacts go hand-in-hand. We firmly believe in the power of responsible volunteering to positively transform the lives of volunteers and local communities alike. Developing our projects with local community stakeholders, everything we do is measured, designed, and implemented with the community’s goals in mind. As a volunteer joining one of our projects, your work will not only be a life-changing experience for you but make actual, sustainable impacts on the lives of the local community.

This combination of incredible adventures, responsible impacts, and cultural immersion allows us to go beyond the conventional understanding of “volunteering abroad” and offer innovative African volunteer travel experiences that – while unpaid – can truly transform lives!

Marine Conservation

Known for their playful nature, visiting Zanzibar’s impressive local dolphin population is a popular attraction for tourists in the area. While tolerable of some positive interaction with humans, too much human activity in their waters and dolphins can become overly stressed, timid, and distant. With many tourists regularly embarking on dolphin tours in large numbers, there is a great need throughout Zanzibar to promote a sustainable eco-tourism model that puts the health of dolphins, and the local economy, first.

Joining one of our marine conservation volunteer projects in Zanzibar, volunteers will spend their days embarking on journeys across the Indian Ocean to promote positive dolphin-human interactions. Closely monitoring encounters between dolphins and humans during sightseeing tours, volunteers will conduct valuable research on local dolphin pods’ health and behaviour. Working closely with community members and the local government, this research data helps formulate ethical policies around dolphin ecotourism that balance the well-being of dolphins and locals in the tourism sector alike!

Teaching English and Community Development

Across Africa, tourism is a rapidly growing industry that provides stable, income-generating employment to locals. With travellers regularly drawn to Zanzibar’s well-deserved reputation as a beach paradise, tourism makes up a significant source of income and employment for the local economy. However, for locals to gain meaningful work in this sector, a degree of English spoken and written literacy is often essential.

Those who attend our Zanzibar volunteer projects will regularly teach English to keen groups of adult students, empowering them as they improve their English skills, and in turn, employability. Drawing students from across Zanzibar Island and mainland Tanzania, these English classes – held at our Kizimkazi Education Centre – are widely popular among locals and an incredible opportunity for volunteers to make an impact!

Additionally, volunteers will take part in teaching younger students at local nursery schools and after-school clubs. Supporting local teachers, volunteers will work closely with local children, engaging in playful activities to build fundamental developmental skills like basic vocabulary, motor abilities, and positive social play. Beyond school settings, volunteers have regular opportunities to work alongside locals in rewarding community uplift projects. These projects are highly varied and chosen by the local community’s needs at the time but can include anything from painting schools, engaging in coastal cleanups, or building eco-bricks!

Zanzibar Program Fees

Our Zanzibar volunteer programs start at $1,225 and increase depending on which project you join and how long you volunteer with us. These costs cover volunteer accommodation, meals, 24/7 in-country support, project and airport transportation, project orientation, and any project equipment volunteers may need.

African Impact Sustainability Fund

As a commitment to sustainable development in the communities we work in, all volunteers pay an additional $25 to the African Impact Sustainability Fund. This money goes directly to the African Impact Foundation, which independently ensures the sustainability of our projects in local communities and guarantees impacts continue long after volunteers leave. Learn more about the African Impact Sustainability Fund.

Established in 2004, providing high-quality volunteer experiences in Africa has been in our DNA for 16 years. Our volunteers, staff, and local communities’ safety is our top priority and something that is never compromised. From the moment you arrive in Africa to the end of your adventure, we take the utmost care in ensuring your comfort and safety.

To learn more about our health and safety protocols, please visit the following links. If you have additional questions, we would love to answer them. You can click here to contact us, and one of our team members will be in touch with you shortly!

Our Safety Tips in Africa

FAQs on Volunteer Safety

Eager to embark on an East African volunteer adventure in Zanzibar with us? Check out some of our top volunteer programs in Zanzibar below:

Teaching & Community Support, Kizimkazi

Dolphin Research & Marine Conservation, Kizimkazi

All African Impact volunteer projects in Zanzibar
BOOK TODAY

Tropical Marine Conservation & Dolphin Research

$2495 – $6795
Participate in our marine conservation volunteer program on the tropical island paradise of Zanzibar! As a volunteer, you will contribute to the sustainability of dolphin tourism by monitoring human-dolphin interactions and promoting ethical dolphin tours to ensure these intelligent creatures are not stressed or harmed during encounters with people and boats.

Zanzibar

Every second Monday

Impact: Marine Conservation

NOW OPEN

TEACHING AND COMMUNITY SUPPORT

$2195 – $5395
Live the tropical island dream while teaching children at local schools, teaching adult English classes, promoting gender equality, assisting with local conservation initiatives, and using your skills to contribute to community development on the island of Zanzibar in Tanzania.

Zanzibar

Every Second Monday

Impact: Teaching

TEFL Teaching Internship In Zanzibar

$3390 – $6390
Join us in Zanzibar to do your TEFL practicum and complete your qualification. As a TEFL student in Zanzibar, you will contribute towards community development by providing opportunities, support, and one-on-one attention that otherwise wouldn’t exist for the communities we work with.

Zanzibar

Every second Monday

Impact: Teaching

Reviews of our volunteer projects in Zanzibar

“This is my first volunteer experience abroad and I can say for certain that it was the best experience of my life. The project, the people, the students, the community, my expectations are blown away.”

Erin, Canada

Teaching & Community Support, Zanzibar

“My experience here in Zanzibar has been hard work on the land, eco-bricking, and a lot of teaching and prepping, but I can honestly say I enjoyed every minute of it. You go through everything here with other volunteers, which allows to make friends from all over the world. But the best part of this, are the local people you meet. Everybody is extremely welcoming; you can’t go around the village without being greeted and welcomed. The people here are so nice, you feel right at home!”

Nora Daoudi, Belgium

Teaching & Community Support, Zanzibar

“An amazing experience where we were immersed in the culture, felt as though we were making a real difference and made really good friends with other volunteers. The staff were very welcoming and friendly and made sure everything ran smoothly.”

Lillian M, Australia

Dolphin Research & Marine Conservation, Zanzibar

“Dolphin Conservation Zanzibar is an amazing project in an unforgettable landscape. You will enjoy marine animals and coral reefs and you will feel you make a difference. After this experience, you won’t be a tourist anymore, you will be a person caring about your environment. And you will learn the importance of smiling every moment and make the best of the moment.”

Ana Martinez Fernandez, Spain

Dolphin Research & Marine Conservation, Zanzibar