Princess Salme Spice Tour Zanzibar

The Princess Salme Spice Tour in Zanzibar is a half-day or full-day cultural and historical tour following the life of Princess Sayyida Salme, Sultan Said’s rebellious daughter (daughter of the first Sultan of Zanzibar). It blends history with a sensorial spice plantation experience, featuring visits to Mtoni Palace ruins, Kidichi Persian Baths, and a traditional lunch. 

Sayyida Salme, daughter of the first Omani Sultan of Zanzibar, stands out as the only known woman in the 19th-century Zanzibari Court who broke tradition by teaching herself to write, doing so in secret by copying Quranic calligraphy onto a camel’s shoulder blade.

She was born at the Mtoni Palace in August 1844. Her mother was a surie (secondary wife) from Circassia, in southern Russia. Salme later wrote Memoirs of an Arabian Princess, from which we learn many interesting details about life at court and the events of the time.

The Princes Salme tour starts with an informative talk about the history of Zanzibar & a fascinating look into the lives of the Sultans and, of course, Princes Salme.

090 Hours: We start our tour at the birthplace of Princess Salme, Mtoni Palace Ruins. The tour guides you through the ruins of the Sultan’s palace and offers insight into how Princess Salme and the Sultan’s other wives lived at the time.

You are then transported by boat (prepare for a short walk through some seawater to the boat, a 20-minute boat ride) to your next destination (Bububu). You will see one of the old, beautiful Omani houses, which once belonged to the nephew of Sultan Said (Salme’s father). 

It is said here that Salme rested on her way to her Kizimbani plantations. We take a stroll around the lush gardens and the impressive ruins. (Please note that this house is now a private hotel and not accessible if guests are staying.)

On arrival, you will be offered a cup of freshly roasted coffee, prepared the traditional way. From here, you are escorted through another heritage building that now doubles as a local school. It’s then onwards to the Spice Farm! Our guide will show you various spices and explain why Zanzibar is called the Spice Island.

You will smell, touch, and taste spices, and at the farms, you will have an opportunity to taste our exotic fruits. After the Spice tour we will invite you for an opulent traditional lunch in a local house, we will prepare traditional Pilau, fish masala, stewed bananas, kachumbari salad, several vegetarian dishes, an array of fruits, fresh fruit juice, and spice tea.

After lunch, we visit the impressive Persian baths in Kidichi, which were built for Sultan Said’s second wife, Sheherazade, who was the daughter of the Persian Shah. We now head back to Mtoni Marine by minibus, enjoying the sights along the way.

The tour starts at about 0900 hours and ends at approximately 1430 hours. It’s fun & informative! Do wear a hat & be prepared for some walking. Princess Salme’s tour supports a good cause. Part of the tour fee is towards renovating and maintaining historical buildings that would otherwise disappear.

Princess Salme Spice Tour Zanzibar Itinerary & Timing

0900 Hours – 090 Hours: Pick-up from Stone Town hotels or start at the Palace Museum – The tour begins at the birthplace of Princess Salme. You will explore the atmospheric ruins of the 19th-century palace, including its courtyards and bathhouses, while hearing stories of royal life

0930 Hours – 1030 Hours | Dhow Cruise & Coffee Ceremony – A traditional dhow boat takes you to the Bububu area (sometimes arriving at an Omani heritage house). Here, you participate in a traditional Zanzibari coffee ceremony, sampling freshly roasted coffee with dates and local sweets like kashata

1100 Hours – 1230 Hours | Spice Plantation Tour & Lunch: Travel to a mature spice farm (in Kidichi or Kizimbani ) to see, smell, and taste spices like cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg in their natural state. This concludes with an opulent Swahili lunch, typically featuring pilau rice, fish masala, and tropical fruits

1300 Hours – 1400 Hours | Kidichi Persian Baths: Visit the impressive Persian baths built by Sultan Said for his second wife, Princess Sheherazade. You can observe the remaining intricate stuccowork before heading back

1430 Hours | Return to Stone Town: The tour normally finishes with a drop-off at your hotel or the Stone Town waterfront

Useful Information

Duration: 3–5 hours
Highlights: Historical storytelling of Princess Salme, fresh fruit tasting, and authentic Swahili food
Preparation: Be prepared for light wading (up to mid-thigh) if your dhow requires boarding from the beach
Options: The tour is often combined with an 8-9-hour full-day trip that includes Jozani Forest and a city tour
Location: Our tour usually starts from Stone Town, but private guides can arrange pickups from beach hotels for an additional fee
Attire: Wear comfortable walking or hiking shoes and a hat. Due to the cultural context, conservative dress is highly recommended
Flexible Options: While the standard tour is half-day, some providers offer a Princess Salme Walking Tour that focuses exclusively on Stone Town’s historic sites and lasts roughly 2 hours

Princess Salme Spice Tour Zanzibar  Tour includes

✔ Boat ride to Bububu
✔ Spice tour in Kidichi
✔ Mtoni Palace entrance fee
✔ Coffee ceremony at Mtoni
✔ Extensive Lunch in Kidichi
✔ Transfer back by minibus to Mtoni
✔ Entrance fee to the Persian baths Kidichi

Princess Salme Spice Tour Zanzibar allows you to discover a captivating story of the smart and rebellious Princess Sayyida Salme, the youngest daughter of Sultan Said.

Born a Zanzibar princess in 1844, she was a remarkable woman of her time: she taught herself to write, had a clandestine affair with a German merchant, eloped to Europe while pregnant, and even converted to Christianity.

Her life was full of color, secrets, and adventure. Join a knowledgeable local guide to follow in her footsteps through palaces and plantations, and gain an insight into her incredible life, as well as the fascinating Zanzibar spice trade on a working plantation.

0800 Hours: Starting in Stone Town, you will be taken by a private guide to Princess Salme’s birthplace, Mtoni Palace, on Zanzibar’s west coast. The palace, Zanzibar’s oldest, was once home to nearly 1,000 people, most of whom worked on the surrounding spice plantations and the Sultan’s royal court.

In its heyday, it was a place where gazelles and peacocks strutted in an impressive, arched courtyard, where splendid fountains and palm groves dotted the grounds, and where the sultan admired his fleet in the ocean. But in the 1880s, Mtoni Palace was abandoned, and today, much of the building has crumbled.

It remains one of the most significant sites and buildings in Zanzibar’s history, though, and exploring the ruined bathhouses and atmospheric arches, listening to stories about palace life and Zanzibar’s rich history, is fascinating.

Your next stop will be Kidichi Persian Baths. The baths were built for the sultan’s second wife, who was the granddaughter of the Shah of Persia, and were used by the royals when they visited their spice plantations. You can still walk around the bathhouse, prayer room, and relaxation area. Keep an eye out for the decorative peacocks and flowers in the stucco render.

Finally, you will be taken to an established spice plantation. Zanzibar, well known as the ‘Spice Island’, has a history of growing and exporting spices, dating back to the 16th century. Spices, originally introduced by Portuguese traders, led to the establishment of plantations and trade routes to the Far East.

Today, spices are an integral part of everyday life for many Zanzibaris, bringing intense flavour to their cuisine and being used in medicines and rituals. A wide range of spices are still produced on Zanzibar, including cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, turmeric, black pepper, and ginger – to name but a few!

Take a stroll around the plantations where you can learn about the spices and discover their various culinary and medicinal uses. If the culinary possibilities tempt you, have a look at the Swahili cookery workshop excursion too.

You will round up the morning with a home-cooked lunch at the spice plantation, before heading back to Stone Town.

Start location/time: You will be met by your guide at your Stone Town hotel around 09:00, then driven to the Mtoni Palace to begin your tour.

Duration of excursion: This is a half-day tour and includes lunch; you will typically arrive back in Stone Town early afternoon. The exact itinerary for this excursion is very flexible and can be combined with the Life in Stone Town tour.

End location: Your tour will typically finish in Stone Town; however, you can drive from the spice plantation to a beach hotel.

Maximum group size: This is a private tour and will be booked exclusively for your party; each guide can take up to six people per tour.

Guide: We work with a handful of enthusiastic and articulate Zanzibar guides to lead this trip, including Anjam and Rajab, with whom we have personal experience. All of our guides have excellent English and make fascinating company, offering insights into today’s Zanzibar and the island’s history.

Princess Salme Spice Tour Zanzibar Rates Include:

✓ Spice tour in Kidichi 
✓ Coffee ceremony at Bububu house
✓ Donkey Ride from Bububu to Kidichi 
✓ Professional English-speaking guides
✓ All entry fees, service charges, and taxes
✓ Mtoni palace entrance fee + Boat ride to Bububu 
✓ Home-made Traditional Swahili Lunch in Kidichi
✓ Entrance fee to Persian bath,s Kidichi & Mzee Yusuf cutting cinnamon
✓ Pickup from your hotel in Zanzibar Stone Town and drop-off at your hotel 

Notes

* Do wear a hat & be prepared for some walking
* Please dress conservatively and wear closed walking or hiking shoes
* This is a private tour, and will be booked exclusively for your party; each guide can take a maximum of six people per tour
* All of our guides speak excellent English and have fascinating stories for insights into today’s Zanzibar, as well as the island’s history

Princess Salme Spice Tour Zanzibar Rates Do Not Include:

* Drinks
* Tips or gratuity
* Travelers Insurance
* Communication charges
* Minimum of 1 person required
* Visas, international airfares, and airport taxes; meals
* Sightseeing not included in the package; optional activities
* Personal expenses such as transfers to/ from the airport (supplement airport transfer cost applies for tours starting from the airport)

Mobile: +254-721-242-711
WhatsApp: +254-721-242-711
Reservations: +254 718-179-967
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://africanspicesafaris.com