Seaweed farms in Jambiani and Paje: visit, price and seaweed soap (2026)
Visiting a seaweed farm in Zanzibar is done at low tide, on the shore of Jambiani and Paje, with a farmer who shows how the seaweed is tied and harvested. Allow 3 to 5 hours as an excursion and about 50 to 145 dollars per person depending on the offer (listings read in October 2026, to be confirmed); a walking visit with a local guide costs much less. Around 90% of the island's seaweed farmers are women according to a 2025 article.
Highlights
Farmers at low tide
They work in shallow water, tying seaweed to stretched lines. This is the time to visit: at high tide the plots are under water.
The Paje plots
On the east coast the seaweed lines trace the shore. Ask the guide how it is dried and sold.
The Mwani Zanzibar centre
It shows how seaweed becomes soap (clove, turmeric) and cosmetics. Its figures (up to 900% more income for farmers, 30 dollars a month for many farmers) are the centre's own; do not call it a cooperative, it describes itself as a women-led company.
The soaps
A good souvenir that pays producers directly; ask the price before buying, we found no reliable rate.
Practical info
Tips
- Choose by time: about 50 dollars for seaweed plus Starfish Beach (3-4 h), about 103 dollars with the Kuza cave (5 h, pick-up included), about 145 dollars with Jozani as a full day. A walking visit with a village guide is possible from Jambiani: negotiate and ask what is included. Bring a hat, sunscreen and water shoes. Respect the farmers: ask before photographing and buy directly.
How to get there
Jambiani is about 1 hour to 1 hour 15 from the airport and Stone Town (guides' estimate), Paje a little less; excursions offer hotel pick-up. See Paje and Jambiani.
Opening hours
Nearby
See on the map →
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