6 Workshops & Classes in Tanzania That Repay the Whole Day Out

1.Spice Farm Tour with Traditional Cooking Lesson

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 77 reviews · 3 hours · from $65Our pick

Spend three hours at an organic spice farm near Stone Town, guided in English or Swahili. Smell vanilla, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, and pepper straight from the plants, help make coconut milk and cassava dishes, taste young coconut and jackfruit, then eat the lunch you helped prepare. Pickup from beach hotels is available.

“Fantastic - our guide was incredibly knowledgable and the experience felt incredibly authentic. Not to mention the lunch was so tasty and was very cool to learn the process of making it with the spices grown on the farm.”

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2.Gifts and art lessons

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 35 reviews Top rated

Meet Peter and the Mama Africa team at their Moshi gift shop near Kili Kahawa. Browse Tanzanian-made paintings, jewelry, bags, wood figures, and custom art, then take a free Moshi town tour. The one-hour visit costs $25 per group, returns to the shop, and suits most visitors.

“Here you can find many souvenirs, including useful items. There are two stores: one in Uhuru Park and another in the city center near the main roundabout.”

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3.Cooking and Sewing & Jewelry Workshops in Arusha

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 14 reviews · from $33Best value

Meet WEHAF near Arusha’s Pillars Bar & Lounge, tour its mama center and daycare, then join Glory and local women for a cooking, sewing, or jewelry workshop. Make chapati or pilau, choose a sewn item, or create Maasai-style jewelry while supporting skills training for widows and families affected by HIV/AIDS.

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4.A private half day spice farm with a cooking lesson

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 13 reviews · from $90

Travel north from Zanzibar City after breakfast to see vanilla, cardamom, nutmeg, tropical fruit, and other plants growing on a spice farm. Guides such as Machano, Messa, or Mussa may lead the walk, followed by a cooking lesson in a local home. You will help prepare dishes such as pilau, coconut rice, or roasted plantains, then eat what you make.

“Best spicefarm maganga and we so big spice plantation and we learnmany things i enjoy the fruits thank you guys for your hospitality”

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5.Private Traditional Pottery Class near Arusha

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 6 reviews · from $50

In Tengeru near Arusha, local potters such as Kitomary show you how to prepare, turn, trim, and fire locally mined clay. Guide Reuben may also introduce you to Meru culture and The Small Things, a community project supporting children and families. The two-hour class includes tools and materials, with lunch available for $10.

“I loved this tour and the people I met along the day. It was fun, I felt welcomed all the time. This gives a very close and honest insight into village life and the wonderful tradition of pottery production. I could have stayed for days. The link between tourism and community help is very well done here - with respect for everyone's perspective and wishes.”

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6.Spice Farm Tour with Traditional Cooking Lesson

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 3 reviews · from $76

Spend four hours at a local organic spice farm with a village guide, touching, smelling, and tasting vanilla, cardamom, nutmeg, cinnamon, turmeric, and seasonal fruit. Watch a traditional cooking demonstration, eat a Zanzibari lunch, and travel by air-conditioned vehicle with round-trip hotel transfers. Guide Alhamisi and driver Juma have received especially warm praise.

“Perhaps the best experience on our entire trip. Amazingly beautiful and educational.”

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