Zanzibar Hotels & Resorts

Learn how Zanzibar’s world-famous spices are produced at a local farm. On this half-day tour, you’ll be picked up from your hotel and taken to one of the island’s top plantations, which has been growing various spices for generations. The farm is also home to tropical fruit trees such as coconut, mango and papaya, some of which your guide will pick for you to sample.

Throughout the tour, your guide will point out everything from black pepper, vanilla and ginger to turmeric, cardamom and cinnamon. Learn how these precious spices are produced, from seed to harvest, and then exported all over the planet. One of the most famous spices you'll see are cloves, which locals often sun-dry and then squeeze to extract their oil for use in medicated soaps.

Visit the Jozani Forest to spot rare wildlife and explore boardwalks over the mangroves. This three-hour tour starts with a transfer to the forest, which is a protected natural reserve and part of Zanzibar’s only national park, Jozani-Chawaka. Covering over 6,200 acres, it’s a haven of trees and plants known for their medicinal qualities, as well as wildlife including monkeys, bush pigs, tree hyraxes, dik diks and over 40 species of birds.

You’ll take a guided walk along the forest trails, stopping to look at the local flora and wildlife. Jozani Forest is filled with various species of trees, including eucalyptus, baobab, mahogany and teak and is a sanctuary for red colobus monkeys. Previously endangered, there are now about 2,500 in the reserve and their numbers are slowly increasing. The monkeys are very relaxed and used to visitors, so you can get incredible photos of them playing in the treetops and feeding on fruit.

Next, you’ll head over the other side of the park to see the mangroves, which are formed by salt water flooding in from the ocean. There’s a wooden boardwalk here which you can wander along for a glimpse into this lush eco-system. Afterwards, you’ll be transferred back to your hotel in Zanzibar.

Discover UNESCO-listed Stone Town on this half-day trip, from its decorative Arabic doors to daily market life and Freddie Mercury’s former home.

The guided walking tour starts in Stone Town’s slave market, which lies next to the Anglican church and has a moving memorial sculpture. Here, you’ll learn about the sobering legacy of the slave trade in Zanzibar. You’ll get the chance to explore Darajani Market too, which is a hive of activity for locals. Wander around stalls filled with colourful produce and spices, taste some fresh sugar cane juice and spot the town’s famous carved doors.

Next, you’ll move on to visit the former home of famous Queen singer, Freddie Mercury, the Old Fort and House of Wonder, which was built by some of the island’s first British settlers. After learning about these key landmarks, you'll have time to go shopping for wooden carvings, spices or Tanzanite jewellery. The tour ends with a visit the Forodhani food market. This is the most popular place for locals and tourists to gather in the evening on Zanzibar, as it’s full of Swahili food stalls selling all kinds of seafood, pilau dishes and Indian cuisine. If your tour is in the afternoon, you’ll enjoy a golden sunset from this busy market.