Spice Tours
★★★ Spice Tour — Zanzibar's Most Fragrant Experience
Zanzibar is rightly called the "Spice Island". In the 19th century, the island was the world's largest producer of cloves, and to this day, vanilla, cinnamon, pepper, nutmeg, cardamom, turmeric, ginger, and lemongrass grow on the inland plantations in a density that overwhelms all the senses.
A Spice Tour is a must for every Zanzibar visitor. The guided tours (approx. 3–4 hours) take you to plantations where you can:
- See, smell, taste, and touch fresh spices
- Learn how vanilla pods grow (as an orchid!), where pepper comes from (a climbing plant!), and what nutmeg looks like (with its bright red mace covering)
- Drink fresh coconut and taste exotic fruits (jackfruit, rambutan, durian)
- Prepare and enjoy a spice meal
- Receive lipstick from turmeric and weave wreaths from palm leaves
The best tours lead to the area around Kizimbani or Kidichi (north of Stone Town). Book through your hotel or a local provider (20–30 USD per person, incl. transport and lunch).
💡 Tipp
Buy spices directly from the plantation — fresher and cheaper than in Stone Town. A particularly good souvenir: Zanzibar vanilla (more intense than Madagascan!) and freshly ground Zanzibar curry. But beware: some supposedly "fresh" spices in Stone Town's souk are industrially ground and imported.
