Mitus Spice Tour Zanzibar

Although spices no longer dominate the Zanzibar economy as they once did, Zanzibar is still home to many active spice plantations.  Some of the many locally grown spices include nutmeg, cinnamon, pepper, ginger, vanilla, tamarind, menthol, cloves and many others.  At one time, Zanzibar produced ¾ of the total world supply of cloves.  It was these spices that brought the sultans of Oman across the Indian Ocean by dhow on the seasonal trade winds.

 

On a spice tour, a friendly and knowledgeable guide will escort you on a walking tour where you will pick leaves, fruits, berries and more, and invite you to smell and sometimes taste them to guess which spice they are.  Many of the spices are truly beautiful to behold, and rarely does the leaf or berry visually resemble what’s on your spice rack at home.  Depending on the season, you may see, smell and sometimes taste between 25-50 different spices, fruits and other plants.

 

Your guide will give detailed descriptions of what each plant is used for, and not all are for food.  Some are medicinal in purpose while others such as the henna tree produce a dye used to elaborately decorate the hands and feet of women on celebratory occasions.  

 

And as an added attraction, local children will follow you around while weaving palm leaves into animals, hats, purses and more in the hopes that you will purchase them for a small amount.

 

After the tour we invite you for a delicious lunch, where you can taste some of the many spices and fruits you learned about on the tour.  You will also have the opportunity to purchase high quality and plantation fresh spices and spice oils at unbelievably low prices.