Zanzibar Cooking Class & Spice Farm Tour: Stone Town included

You choose the ingredients at Darajani market, then cook lunch in a traditional Zanzibar kitchen

A private tour combining Stone Town's historic sites, a working spice farm, and a hands-on cooking class in a traditional home. You visit the Old Fort and House of Wonders, meet a rural farmer and learn African farming methods, then prepare an authentic Zanzibar lunch using spices you've just learned about. The guide is a live professional who speaks English, Spanish, Italian, French and one additional language.

Step-by-step itinerary

Stops and time spent at each

1. Old Fort15m · entry included
2. House of Wonders2h · entry included

Explore Stone Town and Spice Farm

• Visit Old Fort
• Explore House of Wonders
• See slave monuments and Edward Steers tomb
• Visit Freddie Mercury House
• Discover old sultan's family lifestyle
• Tour local spice farm and learn farming
• Shop at Darajani market for ingredients
• Cook authentic Zanzibar food in traditional home

The experience

The day starts in Stone Town, where your guide takes you through the Old Fort (a former prison with an old amphitheater and traditional handicraft), and the House of Wonders, where you'll see bronze guns captured by Persians in 1622, curved Zanzibar doors, and preserved dhows. You walk through the slave monuments and the tomb of Edward Steers, then visit the house where Freddie Mercury lived. The tour also shows the old sultan's family's style of life, grounding the island's history in the places where it happened.

From Stone Town, you head to a local spice farm to learn how Zanzibar built its wealth on cloves, nutmeg, and cinnamon. You meet a rural farmer, watch and perform African farming methods yourself, and spend an hour on the farm before moving to the cooking class. The spice tour is not a walk-through: you're doing the work alongside someone who knows the land.

The cooking class happens in a traditional Zanzibar home. Before heading there, you stop at Darajani market to choose your own ingredients (fish, vegetables, coconut, the spices you've just learned about), so you're not following a preset list. You spend roughly an hour cooking lunch with the guide in the home kitchen, then eat what you've made. The meal and drinks are included. You leave with the skills to make these dishes again.

What’s included

• Services of an experienced professional tour guide.
• entrance fees to the Old Fort and House of Wonders.
• one hour on the spice farm with a local farmer.
• ingredients and instruction for the cooking class.
• spice lunch and drinks.
• shopping time in Stone Town and at Darajani market.
• hotel pickup and drop-off (Stone Town area).

Options for this experience

4 options

From Stone TownGuide in 5 languages · 08:00, 08:15, 08:20 and 08:30Pickup from the urban/west coast: applies to clients staying in Zanzibar City (Stone Town Area, Chukwani, Mbweni, MangaPwani, Kama & Chuini). Pickup is included.

Departing from Matemwe and KiwengwaGuide in 5 languages · 08:00, 08:15, 08:20 and 08:30Pickup from the east coast: applies to clients staying on the east coast (Matemwe, Pwani Mchangani, Kiwengwa, Pongwe, Chwaka and Uroa). Pickup is included.

Departing from Jambiani, Paje and MichamviGuide in 5 languages · 08:00, 08:15, 08:20 and 08:30Pickup from the south coast: applies to clients staying on the south coast (Kizimkazi, Makunduchi, Jambiani, Paje, Pingwe, Bwejuu and Michamvi). Pickup is included.

Departing from Kidoti, Kendwa and NungwiGuide in 5 languages · 08:00, 08:15, 08:20 and 08:30Pickup from the north coast: applies to clients staying on the north coast (Kidoti, Kendwa and Nungwi). Pickup is included.

You pick the guide language when booking.

You'll see the exact price of each option when you check availability.See dates and prices

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDepartures at 08:00, 08:15, 08:20 and 08:30

Book up to4h before

AgesAdult (35 to 50 years) · Senior (51 and older) · Youth (8 to 17 years) · Child (3 to 7 years) · Infant (1 to 2 years): free

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish, Spanish, French, German and Italian

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated yesterday

Good to know

Low physical effortPets welcome

Operated by Zanziflowers Tours And Safaris

Is this one for you?Choose your pickup location at checkout (Stone Town, Matemwe and Kiwengwa, Kidoti and Kendwa and Nungwi, or Jambiani and Paje and Michamvi), so the day fits where you're staying. The full itinerary runs 9 to 12 hours, giving you time to move through Stone Town without rushing, spend real time on the farm, and cook without feeling hurried.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English, Spanish, French, German and Italian.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Youth (8 to 17 years); Child (3 to 7 years); Infant (1 to 2 years): free.

What exactly do I cook in the Zanzibar cooking class?

You prepare authentic Zanzibar dishes using ingredients you select at Darajani market and spices from the farm you visited earlier. The guide teaches you in a traditional home kitchen, and you eat the lunch you've cooked together.

How does the spice farm visit work?

You meet a local farmer and learn the history of Zanzibar's relationship to spices. You watch and perform African farming methods yourself during the roughly one-hour farm tour before moving to the cooking class.

Which Stone Town sites does the tour include?

The Old Fort (a former prison with an amphitheater and handicraft displays), the House of Wonders (with preserved bronze guns and dhows), the slave monuments, Edward Steers' tomb, and Freddie Mercury's house are all part of the Stone Town portion.

Is hotel pickup included?

Pickup and drop-off from your hotel are included if you're staying in or around Stone Town. Pickup points in Matemwe, Kiwengwa, Kidoti, Kendwa, Nungwi, Jambiani, Paje, or Michamvi are available as separate options at checkout.