Short answer: the Zanzibar ferry leaves from Sokoine Drive, opposite St Joseph's Cathedral, in the middle of Dar es Salaam's old town. If your boat leaves at midday or in the afternoon, you have time for a 90-minute Old Town walk or a food tour before you board. Coming back from Zanzibar on an early boat? Spend the rest of the day on a city tour or a tuk-tuk ride out to the Coco Beach sunset. Whatever you choose, be back at the terminal about an hour before departure with your passport.
Most visitors see Dar es Salaam through a taxi window on the way from the airport to the ferry. That's a shame, because the terminal is in the oldest part of the city. Some of Dar's best-known buildings are a short walk from the gangway. This guide is from Dar Day Tours, the Dar es Salaam city-tour brand of Horizon Hospitality Group, and it's built around the ferry timetable rather than a generic "top 10".
What is right next to the ferry terminal
Everything below is in the old centre around Sokoine Drive and Kivukoni Front, all within roughly a kilometre of the terminal:
- St Joseph's Cathedral, directly opposite the terminal. It's a Gothic-style Catholic cathedral, built by German Benedictine missionaries between 1897 and 1902.
- Azania Front Lutheran Cathedral, on Kivukoni Front facing the harbour, with its red-tiled roof and white walls. German missionaries built it between 1899 and 1902, and the first service was held in 1902.
- The Old Boma, at the corner of Morogoro Road and Sokoine Drive, next to City Hall. Sultan Majid of Zanzibar built it in 1866–67, and it's one of the oldest buildings in the city. Look for the carved Zanzibari-style door and the coral-stone walls. It now houses the Dar es Salaam Centre for Architectural Heritage (DARCH).
- The Askari Monument, a bronze soldier on the roundabout where Samora Avenue meets Maktaba and Azikiwe Streets. It was unveiled in 1927 to honour the African soldiers and carriers of the First World War, and the spot is often called the centre of downtown Dar.
- Kivukoni Fish Market, on the waterfront by the Kigamboni ferry. It's busiest early in the morning, when the catch comes in. Expect wet floors and loud bargaining, and ask before you photograph people.
The ferry links the city's two histories, too. Before the Germans and then the British, Dar es Salaam was developed by the Sultan of Zanzibar, which is why a Zanzibari door sits on the Old Boma a few hundred metres from the boats to Stone Town.
Plan A: your ferry leaves at midday or in the afternoon
On the timetable we checked in October 2026, fast ferries left Dar at 07:00, 12:00, 14:15 and 16:30. With a 14:15 or 16:30 boat you have a full morning. With a 12:00 boat you have a short one.
| Time | What to do |
|---|---|
| Morning | Check out, and leave your bags with your hotel or bring them along if you're taking the city tour by car (ask us when you book) |
| About 3 hours before your sailing | Old Town Walking Tour: 1.5 hours with a local guide from the Golden Tulip City Centre lobby, past the Askari Monument, Azania Front, St Joseph's and the Old Boma, ending with a local tasting. USD 15 per person. |
| After the walk | A quick lunch, then a short ride to the terminal |
| 1 hour before your sailing | At the terminal on Sokoine Drive with your passport, tickets and insurance certificate |
With a 16:30 boat you can swap the walk for the 3-hour Dar Food Tour: ten local tastings, including mishkaki skewers, Zanzibar mix and fresh coconut water, eaten in markets and Old Town streets. It's from USD 49 per person for two or more people and USD 72 for one. Tell us your sailing time when you book so we can suggest a start time that fits.
Plan B: you have a whole day before (or after) the boat
The City Sightseeing Tour suits ferry passengers best, because pickup and drop-off can be at your hotel, the airport or the port. That means you can finish at the ferry terminal, or start there when you come off the boat from Zanzibar. It's five hours in an air-conditioned car with an English-speaking driver-guide, and you choose the route from:
- the Askari Monument, the Old Town and its colonial-era landmarks,
- Kariakoo Market and Kivukoni Fish Market,
- the National Museum, the Mwenge woodcarvers and Tingatinga paintings,
- Coco Beach, Oyster Bay, Masaki and the Slipway.
Prices are per person and drop as the group grows: USD 99 for one, USD 69 each for 2–3, USD 59 for 4–5 and USD 54 for six or more. Bottled water, fuel, parking and tolls are included. Entrance fees and food are not.
Plan C: you come back from Zanzibar with the afternoon free
On our October 2026 timetable, the 07:00 boat from Zanzibar reaches Dar at about 08:20, and the 12:00 boat at about 14:20. Either gives you time for the Tuk-Tuk & Sunset Tour. It's three hours by tuk-tuk through Masaki, taking in Msasani fishing village and its fish market and the painters of the Tingatinga Arts Cooperative, and finishing on Coco Beach as the sun goes down, with cassava chips and fresh coconut water. USD 59 per person.
It's a good last evening if your flight leaves the next day. If you have a late flight the same night, the City Sightseeing Tour is the safer choice, because it can drop you at the airport.
Buffers that keep you on the boat
- One hour at the terminal. Ticket checks, passport control (Zanzibar runs its own immigration check) and luggage take longer than you'd expect, especially for the 07:00 sailing.
- Airport to terminal. The airport is roughly 12 km from the old centre, and city traffic can be slow. If you land in the morning, a 14:15 or 16:30 boat is far less stressful than the 12:00.
- Papers on you, not in the suitcase. Keep your original passport, your ferry e-tickets and your inbound travel insurance certificate (since 1 October 2026, NIC cover if you entered Tanzania on the mainland) in your day bag.
- Ignore the "helpers". The UK government's travel advice warns about aggressive ticket touts at Tanzanian ports. If your tickets are booked, walk straight in.
- Heat. Dar is hot and humid for much of the year. Walk the Old Town in the morning, carry water and wear a hat.
Don't have ferry tickets yet?
Our sister site zanzibarferry.com books Dar to Zanzibar tickets in both directions and adds a hotel-to-terminal transfer if you want one. It also has the current ferry timetable and a guide to the crossing. If you'd rather see Zanzibar without staying overnight, see our day trips from Dar es Salaam.