Excite your senses with this Zanzibar day trip. Look for the rare, red colobus monkey in the jungles of Jozani Chwaka Bay National Park, then tour a spice plantation and see how exotic crops like vanilla, pepper and cardamom are grown, tasting as you go. You'll also see how glass bottles are recycled at Chako workshop. Kheri, one of our local guides, says, ‘Our Spice plantations are community-based smallholdings where various spices are grown together in one area. These little plantations demonstrate centuries of farming know-how inherited from our forefathers, and they're the reason that Zanzibar is dubbed Spice Island.'
Kick off at Jozani Chwaka National Park, home to endangered red colobus monkeys, bush babies, duikers, butterflies and birds. Keep your eye trained on the treetops, and you'll be in with a chance of spotting these elusive creatures as you make tracks through the park with a ranger to help explain what you see.
Next up is the Chako upcycling centre, where artisan tableware and lamps are created from waste bottles. The project promotes sustainability as well as social and economic empowerment. After this, we'll make our way to the spice plantation for a lunch prepared with the spices that grow here. You'll see all sorts of spices – think vanilla, pepper and cardamom – growing here, and get to try some straight from the tree. You'll also find out how spices are used in local dishes and which plants have medicinal properties.
