A spice tour is the easiest half day out of Stone Town: a guided walk through a farm where you see, smell and taste the cloves, nutmeg and vanilla that made Zanzibar famous. This guide explains what happens on a Zanzibar spice farm, how to combine the visit with other trips and how to buy spices to take home.
A broad introduction to Zanzibar's culture, flavours and coast for first-time visitors. It takes about five hours and includes lunch, so it fits into a half day.
from €49 per person
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Suits curious travellers who want to see how farmers grow and harvest spices, then learn how they are used in everyday cooking. The guide shows each spice using fresh examples; lunch can be added.
from €15.41 per person
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Suits first-time visitors who want a sampler of Zanzibar's island, old town and spice growing in one outing. It takes about five hours, so plan a half day.
from €31 per person
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A good first look at Stone Town for visitors interested in its history and street life. The route covers the winding alleys, the former slave market and the Forodhani Gardens food scene.
from €18.13 per person
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Suits food lovers who want to see how local spices grow and how they end up on the plate. A relaxed outing of around three hours with a culinary element.
from €28 per person
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Suits families, couples and food lovers who want more than the beach. Farmers guide you past clove, cinnamon, vanilla and cardamom plants, with fresh fruit to taste; pickup is included.
from €22.67 per person
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Suits curious travellers who want to see how spices grow in local villages, watch villagers climb the trees and hear about the history of the island's spice trade. Explored on foot with a guide.
from €27.20 per person
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A simple farm visit for anyone who wants to see, smell and taste Zanzibar's spices and fruits. A common excursion that works well for a first-time visitor to the island.
from €31.73 per person
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Cloves reached Zanzibar in the early 19th century. Under Sultan Seyyid Said, who ruled Oman and Zanzibar and moved his court to the island, landowners were ordered to plant clove trees, and by the middle of the century Zanzibar and Pemba were the world's largest producers of cloves. That wealth was built on the labour of enslaved people, which is worth asking your guide about.
Cloves are still grown on both islands, historically with most of the trees on Pemba, while the farms near Stone Town now combine working plots with gardens laid out for visitors.
A guide walks you through the farm and invites you to guess each plant before naming it: clove buds on tall trees, nutmeg wrapped in its red mace, cinnamon bark cut fresh from the trunk, vanilla orchids climbing a support, black pepper vines, ginger, lemongrass, cocoa and the iodine plant used in local medicine. You crush leaves, smell roots and taste as you go.
Most visits end with a tasting of tropical fruit, whatever is in season, which might include jackfruit, pineapple, mango or starfruit. Helpers often weave you hats and rings from palm leaves, and someone may climb a coconut palm singing: both are done in the hope of a tip.
Most spice tours visit farms in the countryside around Kizimbani and Kidichi, north-east of Stone Town. At Kidichi you can also stop at the Persian baths that Sultan Seyyid Said built in 1850. The farm walk takes about two hours, so with transfers it fills a morning or an afternoon from Stone Town; from the beach resorts, add the drive across the island.
Because the farms are in the centre of the island, the spice tour is easy to combine with a walk around Stone Town, a boat to Prison Island or a visit to Jozani Forest, on the way to or from the east coast. Some farms serve a Swahili lunch cooked with the spices you have just seen, occasionally as a cooking class.
At the end of the walk you are taken to a stall selling spices, oils, soaps and perfumes. There is no obligation to buy, and prices are usually higher than at Darajani market in Stone Town, though the packs tend to be better sealed for travel. Ask beforehand whether tips for the guide and helpers are expected on top of the tour price, and carry small notes.
To take spices home, choose whole spices in sealed packs (cloves, cinnamon sticks, nutmeg, vanilla pods), which keep their flavour longer than ground ones. Check your home country's customs rules on plant products, which are strict in places such as Australia and New Zealand. More ideas are in places to visit and all our Zanzibar tours.
About two hours on the farm, so a half day including the transfer from Stone Town.
Mostly around Kizimbani and Kidichi, in the countryside north-east of Stone Town, about half an hour by road.
For most visitors, yes, especially combined with Stone Town or Jozani Forest. It is short, easy for all ages and explains a large part of the island's history.
Dried spices in sealed packs are usually allowed for personal use, but rules vary by country and are strict in Australia and New Zealand, so check before you fly.
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