In days past, Zanzibar was known as a spice island, exporting cloves, vanilla, nutmeg and cardamom across the world. The spices were brought over from Asia and South America and flourished in the tropical climes. Nowadays, the plantations are a tribute to the island’s past, swapping spices for tourism, combining both in a spice tour, one of the most popular excursions on the island.

Walk through the spice farm with your guide. Touch, smell and taste different spices and tropical fruits. Try to guess which is which, from the crushed leaves, the fruit, shoots and vines and creepers crawling up the trees. Learn about their properties, their origins and their use as medicines and in food and drink. Depending on the season, you can find anything from vanilla, cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg, turmeric, lemon grass, cloves, ylang ylang, cumin, coriander, pepper, tamarind, chili and more! Fruits can include banana, pineapple, jack fruit, custard fruit, oranges, star fruit, tangerine, passion fruit, mango, avocado, pear, p paya,grape fruit and many others. After your tour of the spice farm, you’ll be whisked away for some spice shopping in the market. From here, you’ll put your purchases to good use with a Swahili cookery lesson from the skilled chefs at the Zanzibar Serena Inn Learn to make different traditional Swahili dishes, flavoured with spices grown on the island.

Advisable
• Suitable for individuals and groups
• Comfortable closed walking or hiking shoes and pants.
• Sun hat and sun cream.