It has been more than a month since I’ve seen the beach. Zanzibar feels like a lifetime ago, yet I’ve not posted all I want to tell.
One of the outings we signed up for was to tour a spice farm. It wasn’t a spectacular tour – but it was interesting. We arrived at one of these farms for lunch and was escorted into a half-closed structure and sat on the floor on grass mats with the food bowls in front of us. We all hungrily dug into rice, fish, a vegetable stew and chips.
Spices
I never wonder where my spices come from. I buy them in a bottle or packet at the supermarket – like any normal person would do. However, now that I’ve seen the spices in their natural growing form, I can appreciate the intricacies of the grow and harvest periods.
It was quite surprising to see just how ordinary some of the spices looked in their natural form – and how fragrant they were! They break leaves, branches and whatnot for you to smell… very interesting!
Butterfly Man in the coconut tree
The coconut part of the tour was my favorite. The Butterfly Man entertained the group with an ascend up a palm – whilst singing.
The Butterfly Man was quite an older gentleman, so his antics up a tree was quite astounding. He displayed great acrobatic skills and topped it off with a melodic tune.
After his performance we all received a coconut to eat and drink from… and as we all know, I love coconut!
What can you buy on your spice tour?
- Spices
- Teas and coffees mixed with spices
- Perfumes & soaps
Why you should go on a spice tour in Zanzibar
It’s not like you would be able to do spice tours in South Africa… and it is something different. I wouldn’t do it as a standalone tour, but would combine it with a Prison Island and Stone Town Tour on one day. The spice tour with lunch is about 2.5 hours.
