Day 1
Nairobi Arrival
Arrive JKIA.
Transfer to hotel.
Coffee cupping with a Nairobi roaster.
Dinner.
Itinerary detail
← Back
— FOOD & WINE
Spice Route — Kenya to Zanzibar
Coffee highlands, Rift Valley wine, Swahili kitchens, and the original spice island.
Duration
10 Nights / 11 Days
Destinations
Nairobi, Naivasha, Mombasa, Zanzibar
Group size
2–6 people
Best months
Jun–Sep, Jan–Feb
Est. budget
$5,500–$11,000
Highlights
Coffee highlands, Rift Valley wine, Swahili kitchens, and the original spice island.
Overview
The full culinary arc of the region. Start in the Kenyan highlands with coffee, tea and Rift Valley wine, move to the Swahili coast for cooking classes and old-town food walks, then cross to Zanzibar — the island that gave the spice trade its name. Ends with four nights on the north coast.
Day by day
Day 2
Nairobi Food City
City Market spice walk and a butchery visit.
Cooking class: ugali, sukuma wiki, and nyama choma technique.
Evening at Carnivore for the full open-fire experience.
Day 3
Tea & Escarpment
Drive to Tigoni for a tea estate tour and tasting flight.
Estate lunch in the plantation house.
Continue to Naivasha.
Lakeside dinner.
Day 4
Rift Valley
Wine Vineyard tour and tasting at a Rift Valley winery.
Farm-to-table lunch overlooking the vines.
Afternoon boat safari on Lake Naivasha.
Dinner at the lodge.
Day 5
Fly to the Coast
Drive Naivasha → Nairobi.
Fly Nairobi → Mombasa.
Transfer to Old Town.
Spice market walk and Swahili coffee ritual.
Dinner in the Old Town.
Day 6
Mombasa Kitchens
Fort Jesus and a guided architectural walk.
Swahili cooking class — samaki wa kupaka and coconut rice.
Sunset dhow dinner cruise on the creek.
Day 7
Cross to Zanzibar
Fly Mombasa → Zanzibar (1 hr).
Transfer to Stone Town.
Afternoon Stone Town walking tour — the old slave market, the House of Wonders exterior, carved doors.
Dinner.
Day 8
Spice Farm Day
Full spice farm tour: cloves, nutmeg, vanilla, cinnamon, ylang-ylang.
Swahili lunch cooked in the farm kitchen.
Return to Stone Town.
Day 9
North Coast
Transfer to Nungwi or Kendwa (1 hr).
Beach lunch and an afternoon swim.
Seafood grill dinner on the sand.
Day 10
Ocean & Rest
Morning snorkelling at Mnemba Atoll.
Afternoon at leisure — dhow sunset cruise optional.
Final dinner at a beach restaurant.
Day 11
Departure
Slow breakfast and a last swim.
Transfer to Zanzibar Airport.
Connect via Nairobi or Dar es Salaam.