5 Cooking Classes in Tanzania to Build a Week Around

1.Zanzibar Cooking Class & Spice Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 77 reviews · from $40Our pick

Join Lutfia, Rashid, or another local host for a five-hour Zanzibar food experience. Shop for ingredients at Darajani Market, taste fruits and spices at a community farm, then cook and eat classic dishes such as pilau and banana. Morning and afternoon starts are available, with hotel pickup and drop-off in Stone Town.

“this tour was very well orchestrated...from pick to drop off. loved shoping with her, cooking with her..food was good. it was an enjoyable day...”

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2.Spice Farm Tour with Traditional Cooking Lesson

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

Visit an organic spice farm near Zanzibar’s Stone Town, where an English or Swahili-speaking guide introduces you to cloves, cinnamon, vanilla, nutmeg, and more. Help harvest cassava leaves, make coconut milk, cook local dishes, taste young coconut and jackfruit, then enjoy lunch. Hotel pickup is available across Zanzibar.

“The spice tour was so fun! It was very informative. I loved learning about all of the plants and their uses. Everyone was very kind, and our guide and driver were especially great.”

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3.Half-Day Kuza Cave Swimming Adventure and Cooking Class

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 44 reviews · from $13Best value

Spend four hours at Kuza Cave Culture Centre near Jambiani swimming in clear cave water, learning Swahili history, cooking with Zanzibar spices, and eating a local lunch. Music and dancing may take place during your visit. Transport is not included, and drum or dance lessons require a separate booking.

“Most beautiful caves we have seen. We however had to ask to be shoen the other attractions as the guide was attending to four groups. The tea garden was disappointing. But once again - the caves were stunning and swimming there was some experience. We did not partake in the vooking as my wife was not well”

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4.NGO Lifted Strong – Traditional Tanzanian Cooking Class

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 39 reviews · from $50Top rated

Spend about three hours at Lifted Strong in Arusha cooking with Joyce, her team, and local Mama cooks. Prepare dishes such as samosas, soup, ugali, rice, vegetables, and cooked bananas while learning Swahili ingredient names. The small group, capped at 10 people, welcomes vegetarian and vegan diets with advance notice.

“We did the cooking class and really enjoyed spending our time there, meeting these nice women, learning about the project and get some amazing food out of it. We made the Ungali with vegetables and rice and the cooked banana. Both dishes were amazing and we were even allowed to take some home because we made so much. Highly recommended!”

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5.Traditional Tanzania Cooking Class & Food Market Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 34 reviews · from $42

Spend four hours with a local guide such as Israel, James, Jack, Lameck, Magret, or Bariki, depending on the day. Visit Arusha’s central food market, choose two Tanzanian dishes, shop for fresh ingredients, then cook and eat in a traditional local kitchen. Hotel pickup and drop-off near the city center are included.

“We were really excited since we booked this experience and the most amazing part is when we started with a food market tour, the smell was beautiful, everything was local and fresh from the 2 different sides of the central food market (Read more”

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