LUX* Marijani Zanzibar

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.

Start with a visit to the local market alongside the Mamas, choosing fresh ingredients while chatting about everyday life in Zanzibar. Back at the Mamas’ home, you’ll roll up your sleeves for a hands‑on cooking session, learning how to prepare up to ten traditional dishes — from chapatis and coconut rice to fish and vegetarian specialities — all guided by your Mama. It's more than a meal, this is a shared cultural exchange. You’ll sit down together to enjoy the food you’ve prepared, hear stories and gain a real insight into the role women play in sustaining family and community life. Interactive, welcoming and socially responsible, Mamas of Zanzibar is the kind of experience that feels less like an excursion and more like being welcomed into someone’s home. • Duration: half day (4.5 hours) • Timings: 9am to 1.30pm • Group experience Good to know To respect local culture, please wear clothing that covers the knees and shoulders.

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. 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 ecosystem. Afterwards, you’ll be transferred back to your hotel in Zanzibar.

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. Throughout the tour, your guide will point out everything from black pepper, vanilla and ginger to turmeric, cardamom and cinnamon. 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.