Zanzibar Spice Farm & Stone Town Private Tour with Night Market

Touch and taste spices straight from the plant, then navigate Stone Town's narrow streets to the evening food market.

A private tour of Zanzibar's spice farms and the UNESCO World Heritage Stone Town, with a guide who speaks your language and hotel pickup included. You'll handle the spices directly at working farms in Kizimbani and Kidichi village, watch a coconut tree climber perform traditional songs, then walk Stone Town's fusion architecture (African and Arab influences mixed like the Medina of Morocco) before the sun sets over Forodhani Gardens, where the night market opens with urojo soup, fritters, and local vendors.

Step-by-step itinerary

Spice Farm and Stone Town Tour

• Visit Kizimbani and Kidichi spice farms
• Smell and taste fresh spices
• Watch coconut tree climber perform
• Test unique Zanzibar fruits
• Buy spices as gifts
• Explore Stone Town World Heritage site
• Visit House of Wonder museum
• Discover Palace Museums
• See Historical Anglican Church
• Tour East Africa Slave Market
• Visit Mkunazini Slave Market chambers
• Shop at Darajani Historical Market
• Browse local shops and souvenirs

The experience

The tour starts at the spice farms where you touch, smell, and taste vanilla, cardamom, nutmeg, cloves, and black pepper pulled straight from the plants. A guide walks you through how each one grows and what role it plays in Zanzibari cooking and traditional medicine. You'll see coconut tree climbers perform while singing, and you get time to buy spices to take home. The farms sit in Kizimbani and Kidichi village, small enough that the scale stays intimate and the aromas stay sharp.

Stone Town fills the second half of the day. It's a World Heritage site built on the collision of African and Arab trade routes, so the architecture reads like a maze of narrow streets and sudden turns. You'll visit the House of Wonder for stored cultural objects, the Palace Museums, the Anglican Church, and the Darajani Historical Market where locals shop for everyday goods. The tour also includes the Mkunazini Slave Market chambers: a harder history, but one the guide will walk you through. By late afternoon, when the light softens, you're at Forodhani Gardens as the vendors set up for the night market. Skip the fish kebabs and move straight to the urojo stand: a thick mango and tamarind soup served with chickpea fritters, boiled potatoes, cassava flakes, and chutney.

Your guide speaks English, Spanish, Italian, French, or one of two other languages, and pickup from your hotel is included. The whole day runs seven hours.

What’s included

• Private transportation from your hotel.
• bottled water throughout the day.
• all entry fees and taxes.
• a guide in your chosen language.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDepartures at 12:00 and 13:00

AgesAdult (21 to 74 years) · Senior (75 and older) · Youth (13 to 20 years) · Child (4 to 12 years) · Infant (under 4): free

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish, Spanish, French, German, Italian and Russian

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

Easy physical levelWheelchair accessibleAccessible transportStroller friendlyInfant seats availablePets welcomePublic transport nearbyNot for heart conditions

Operated by mango travel & tours ltd

Is this one for you?Seven hours covers both the farms and Stone Town's main sites plus the night market, but leaves your morning free if you arrive early or want to rest before the tour starts. If you need a shorter outing or want to explore beyond Stone Town's core, this full itinerary may not fit your schedule.

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Top questions

What languages is the guide in?

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

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Youth (13 to 20 years); Child (4 to 12 years); Infant (under 4): free.

What spices will I actually see and handle on the farm?

Vanilla, cardamom, nutmeg, cloves, and black pepper grow on the farms you visit in Kizimbani and Kidichi village. You touch and smell them directly from the plants, and the guide explains how each one is used in cooking and as traditional medicine in Zanzibar.

Is Stone Town's night market the same as the daytime shopping I'd do on my own?

Forodhani Gardens transforms at sunset into an open-air food market run by local vendors. The daytime Darajani Historical Market is where residents shop for groceries and goods. The night market is specifically for eating, with urojo soup, fritters, and other prepared dishes you won't find during the day.

How much walking is involved in Stone Town?

Stone Town's streets are narrow and winding, and you'll move through several neighborhoods to see the House of Wonder, Palace Museums, the Anglican Church, and the Darajani Market. The guide leads the route, but expect steady walking on uneven surfaces typical of a centuries-old Swahili settlement.

Can I buy spices to bring home?

Yes. The tour includes time at the farms to purchase spices as gifts or for your own use. Fresh spices bought directly from a working farm in Zanzibar are stronger than what you'll find dried in most shops.