How to Get to Zamami Island, Okinawa — And What to Know Before You Go

A straight forward guide on how to get to Zamami Island in Okinawa: how to book ferries, where to stay, and how to get around. It answers everything I couldn’t find online – before I actually visited the island.

Zamami isn’t hard to reach, but no one makes it easy to figure out. When I was planning my trip, I had to interpret ferry schedules from ancient-looking websites, cross-check blog posts that contradicted each other, and just hope I wasn’t missing something obvious in Japanese.

That’s the thing with islands like this: they’re incredible, but the info online is either vague, wrong, or buried in translation. So here’s the version I wish I’d found: how to get to Zamami from Naha, where to stay once you’re there, how to move around the island without losing your mind, and a few things I only figured out after arriving.

This is the basic, useful stuff, written by someone who just did it, and made a few mistakes so you don’t have to.

• This guide gets you there. But if you want the full vibe — the best beaches, the turtles, the weird silence that makes everything better, then 👉 read this piece on what it’s like to visit Zamami Island.

Zamami is just a ferry ride away from mainland Okinawa, specifically from Tomari Port in Naha.

If you’re staying in downtown Naha, it’s about a 15-minute walk or a short cab ride. The signs inside the terminal are minimal, and most of the signage is in Japanese.

There are 2 types of ferries:

• Queen Zamami — high-speed ferry (~50 minutes). This is the one that usually sells out in advance, especially the 8:00 a.m. departures, since many Japanese travelers do Zamami as a day trip. It has no assigned seats.
• Ferry Zamami — regular ferry (~2 hours). It’s obviously slower, cheaper, and often less crowded, but it eats up half your day.

The Queen Zamami ferry departs from the north side (Hokugan 北岸). This departure point is distinct from the main Tomarin Terminal used by the slower Ferry Zamami. Right in front of the Queen Zamami boarding point, there’s a dedicated ticket office where you can buy tickets on the spot — though I wouldn’t count on it.

How to Book the Ferry (Read This Before You Try)

You can book both Queen Zamami and Ferry Zamami online, which is my personal recommendation. You must use the official booking site run by Zamami Village:
👉 Zamami Village official booking website

It’s very old-school but works. Important rules to keep in mind:

• Reservations usually open 1 month before your boarding date, at midnight Japan time, BUT if you’re paying with a foreign credit card, you can only book from 23 days before your departure.
• You’ll need to enter each passenger’s full name and age
• Once the credit card payment is completed, you’ll receive a QR code by email. That is your ticket. No pickup needed at the port, you can board the ferry directly.
• Refunds are possible online, with conditions and a ¥100 cancellation fee.

You can check the updated timetables and real-time availability here before committing:
👉 Zamami Village ferry availability website 

When You Arrive in Zamami

The port at Zamami is small and quiet. There are no taxis or welcome stations, just a few rental signs and hopefully your guesthouse owner with a handwritten name board. If you didn’t arrange pickup (although you should, and is usually offered), be ready to walk.

There are no real resorts on Zamami. No infinity pools, no bellhops. What you get instead is a mix of guesthouses, minshuku, family-run B&Bs, and a few hotels doing their best impression of something international.

If you’re going for the beach — and really, why else are you here — your best bet is staying near Ama Beach. It’s one of the only areas where the accommodation is actually close to the sand, and there’s a functional micro-ecosystem: rental shops for snorkeling gear and SUPs, kiosks with cold drinks and lunch sets, even a campsite where you can pitch your own tent if you’re into that.

I stayed at 38 Miyahira, which is right in that zone. It doubles as a restaurant — and frankly, one of the best on the island. The food is reason enough to stay, but the rooms are also solid: clean, minimal, and available with either Western or Japanese breakfast. The downside? It’s tiny, just a couple of rooms. You’ll need to book well in advance, especially during spring and summer.

Staying near the port is another option. It’s more convenient for arrivals and departures, and you’ll be closer to shops and cafés, but you’re usually a bit removed from the actual beaches. Same goes for the Furuzamami beach side — despite being the most famous beach, the accommodations nearby tend to be further uphill or back from the shoreline.

If you want something closer to “hotel” standards, look into places like Oceana Portvillage Zamami or Kerama Beach Hotel. Both a little more structured, more amenities, but still basic by mainland standards.

Zamami looks small on a map — and it is — but don’t assume you can walk the whole thing. The roads are steep, the sun is unforgiving, and if you try to do a full island loop on a bicycle, you’ll regret it before you hit the second hill.

The best move is to rent an electric scooter, especially if you want to reach beaches like Inō or check out all the observatories without collapsing. I rented one and covered most of the island in a single afternoon. Bikes are available too, and fine for short distances (like between the port and Ama Beach) but unless you enjoy uphill battles in 30°C heat, leave the island tour to the scooters. Renting a car is usually not recommended, as parking is nearly nonexistent.

Walking works if you’re staying near the port or Ama Beach and don’t mind keeping it local. The roads are safe, the island is quiet, but there’s no taxi, no Uber, and nothing running after dark.

There’s also a local shuttle bus, but it runs on a limited schedule and doesn’t hit every corner of the island. Think of it as a backup, not your main plan.

Bring cash. Most places prefer cash to credit cards, although most restaurants and even the little kiosk in Ama beach accepted credit card payment. You might find one ATM at the post office, but it won’t work with every foreign card. Withdraw in Naha — enough for ferries, food, gear rentals, and emergencies.

Wi-Fi and mobile data can be spotty. I used a Holafly eSIM during my stay and, surprisingly, the signal held up in most areas, even while scootering around. Some beach spots dropped out completely, but in town and near most guesthouses, it was solid. Still, don’t count on having full coverage everywhere. And definitely don’t plan on working from the beach, because this isn’t that kind of island.

Shops close early. You’re not getting dinner at 10 p.m. Most restaurants shut by 9, and kiosks even earlier. If you see something you want to eat, eat it. Waiting until later might mean convenience store bread, if you can even find a convenience store.

Pack properly. This includes reef-safe sunscreen and water shoes (the coral starts early on most beaches). If you forget anything, you might find it in one of the small local shops — or you might not.

Book tours when you arrive. Kayak and snorkeling tours are best arranged on-island. There’s no need to book in advance unless you’re visiting during a national holiday, then usually one day or two is enough. Just walk into one of the shops near the port or beaches and ask, as the operators are relaxed and used to last-minute planning.

Bring cash. Most places prefer cash to credit cards, although most restaurants and even the little kiosk in Ama beach accepted credit card payment. You might find one ATM at the post office, but it won’t work with every foreign card. Withdraw in Naha — enough for ferries, food, gear rentals, and emergencies.

Wi-Fi and mobile data can be spotty. I used a Holafly eSIM during my stay and, surprisingly, the signal held up in most areas, even while scootering around. Some beach spots dropped out completely, but in town and near most guesthouses, it was solid. Still, don’t count on having full coverage everywhere. And definitely don’t plan on working from the beach, because this isn’t that kind of island.

Shops close early. You’re not getting dinner at 10 p.m. Most restaurants shut by 9, and kiosks even earlier. If you see something you want to eat, eat it. Waiting until later might mean convenience store bread, if you can even find a convenience store.

Pack properly. This includes reef-safe sunscreen and water shoes (the coral starts early on most beaches). If you forget anything, you might find it in one of the small local shops — or you might not.

Book tours when you arrive. Kayak and snorkeling tours are best arranged on-island. There’s no need to book in advance unless you’re visiting during a national holiday, then usually one day or two is enough. Just walk into one of the shops near the port or beaches and ask, as the operators are relaxed and used to last-minute planning.

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