Reviews: Princess Salme Spice Tour

"This was an extremely informative tour and we very much enjoyed it.

We enjoyed the coffee making experience and found the spice farm really interesting.

We were a little bemused to be conveyed to lunch on a donkey cart whilst wearing crowns, which seemed to amuse the people in the local village enormously, but this has made a great story now we're home!" Read more about this whole safari

"This exceeded our expectations.

Our guide (Rajah), having worked as part of the archeologist team, was very knowledgeable about the Ntoni palace. The spice farm was great: the coffee ceremony (and especially the coffee treats!) was lovely.

But the real highlight for us was learning about the different plants and spices. It was fun and informative. Be prepared to eat lots of delicious fruit and a very large and tasty lunch!" Read more about this whole safari

"The Spice Tour was an excellent activity for a trip to Zanzibar.

We had a great time visiting the spice farm, and the boys who guided us on the farm were a lot of fun. They had us try pieces of fruit and spices, and then we had to guess what they were. It's harder than you think!

This was a great way to spend a part of a day." Read more about this whole safari

"This is a nice tour if you have children. They will spend they right amount of time (40 minutes) wandering around in a spice plantation, where the guide will make you smell or taste everything. Then we had the cooking session in a local house. It took a bit longer than we wished (3 hours) but it was interesting to be part for a few hours of the local lifestyle. Children enjoyed very much the cooking part." Read more about this whole safari

"This tour isn't worth the time or the discomfort of the high heat and humidity. The Princess Salme portion is conducted entirely in front of a ruined palace. Her story is interesting but nothing is gained by hearing it there. Perhaps some day the palace will be restored.

The spice tour would be OK if you have never done anything like that. If you have, it is pretty standard stuff." Read more about this whole safari

"The spice plantation tour was very interesting and eye-opening. Trying to identify various everyday spices from the scent of the leaves or the taste of the bark was more difficult than we thought - but also unique and not an experience we could have anywhere. The landscape around the plantation was also beautiful and contrasted with the hustle and bustle of Stone Town and the sandy beaches of the resort areas, with its hills and lush vegetation.

The homemade lunch was also really tasty and one of the highlights - being able to the try the local cuisine that used many of the spices we saw on the tour was great.

The only complaint was that the guide was not fully engaged - he was often on his mobile phone and rushed us a bit at the end of lunch as he had another tour starting immediately afterwards. It can be difficult to strike the right balance between an authentic and tourist experience, and seeing numerous others tourists walking around Stone Town with the same woven crowns and headbands was a little disappointing." Read more about this whole safari

"The Princess Salme tour was outstanding! Informative,entertaining and delightful describes our guide Anjam.

We did have a slight issue with Fishman tours office as they insisted we had not pre paid. When our driver brought me to the office, a woman there showed me the body of an e-mail from Expert Africa asking for payment. The e-mail did not show a client name or reference #. When I asked to see both she reluctantly showed me the client name and # which was a different party entirely. I pointed this out and we were on our way. We not only enjoyed the tour but the included lunch was outstanding as well. We truly enjoyed the experience." Read more about this whole safari