Tanzania’s main airports give smokers an airside option. Dar es Salaam’s Terminal 3 has an open-air smoking terrace beside the CIP Lounge after security, reachable with Priority Pass, Star Alliance Gold status or a pay-in fee; Zanzibar’s Terminal 3 has a smoking room near Gate 5; Kilimanjaro’s domestic terminal has a first-floor smoking room. The rest of each terminal is smoke-free, and the open-air areas outside the buildings, landside, cover everyone else.
For international travel through Tanzania, Dar es Salaam (DAR) is the airport that matters; Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar serve tourist traffic.
How Tanzanian Airport Smoking Works
Tanzania’s Tobacco Products (Regulation) Act permits designated smoking areas in public places:
- Airside smoking terrace at the CIP Lounge in Terminal 3 (lounge access required)
- The rest of Terminal 3 is smoke-free; outdoor areas landside cover passengers without lounge access
- E-cigarettes are not specifically regulated and there is no national vape ban — treat vaping like smoking, in the designated areas
- Travellers report public-smoking fines away from designated spots, so stick to the marked areas
The Hub
Julius Nyerere International Airport (DAR). Tanzania’s main gateway; Terminal 3 is the modern international terminal. The CIP Lounge has an airside terrace where lounge guests can smoke after security; passengers without lounge access smoke at the outdoor areas landside before security.
Zanzibar and Kilimanjaro
Abeid Amani Karume International Airport (ZNZ), Zanzibar’s tourist gateway, has a smoking room near Gate 5 in Terminal 3, past security, plus outdoor spots landside. Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO), serving the northern safari circuit, has a smoking room on the first floor of its domestic terminal, confirmed on the airport’s own site, plus the same landside option outside its single terminal.
Tips for Smokers at Tanzanian Airports
- Dar es Salaam Terminal 3 has an airside smoking terrace at the CIP Lounge — lounge access required
- Zanzibar’s Terminal 3 has an airside smoking room near Gate 5; Kilimanjaro’s domestic terminal has one on the first floor
- Without airside access, smoke at the outdoor areas landside before security
- Public smoking outside the designated areas can draw a fine
- Vaping is unregulated nationally (no vape ban); treat it like smoking at the airport and use the same spots
Tanzania Airports Compared: Indoor, Outdoor & After Security
| Airport | After security | Indoor room | Outdoor area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Julius Nyerere International Airport (DAR) | Yes | – | Yes |
| Smoking at Kilimanjaro Airport – JRO | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Smoking at Zanzibar Airport – ZNZ | Yes | Yes | Yes |