Private Tour

Private Market Tour and Tanzanian Cooking Class in Moshi

Overview

Available languages

English

5 hours 30 minutes

Mobile ticket

Visit a small market with your host to discover locally grown produce. Learn about the ingredients used in Tanzanian cuisine before taking a tuk tuk 20 min to your host's home. Marissa, her husband William and his mother Shida are a warm and welcoming family who host you in their simple, modest mud house for a cultural and culinary experience.

You will help Shida grate coconuts to make fresh coconut milk and prepare ugali, a traditional corn meal dish. Enjoy your meal sitting on benches outdoors with the entire family. Ugali is eaten communal style, with each person picking cake with their hand, rolling it into a ball, and using it to scoop vegetables or stew. A few other dishes you may try are uji (a millet and peanut porridge), beef and green banana stew) and rice with spiced beans. Dishes are cooked in coconut milk and simmered over a wood fire, giving it a distinct and delicious flavor! End your experience by sharing peanut brittle and Shida’s local brew with friends and family.

Additional Info

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

What To Expect

Experience an authentic taste of Tanzanian culture by visiting the home of locals Shida, Marissa, and William. Begin your journey at a bustling market where they’ll introduce you to fresh local produce—vibrant fruits, vegetables, and aromatic herbs. As you explore the stalls, your hosts will share insights into traditional ingredients and their role in Tanzanian cuisine, stopping by favorite vendors to pick up ingredients for your cooking class. Afterward, take a leisurely walk or tuk-tuk ride to Shida's home, about 20 minutes away, where you’ll join a hands-on, one-hour cooking class. Learn to make fresh coconut milk the traditional way using a buzi, a small wooden seat with a grinder to shave coconut meat. This coconut milk becomes the base for vegetable and stew dishes. Then, master the art of making ugali, a staple cornmeal dish served with sautéed vegetables. Preparing ugali is simple yet labor-intensive—a real art, and Shida takes pride in sharing this family favorite. This immersive experience is a must when visiting Mount Kilimanjaro, offering a memorable dive into Tanzanian flavors and hospitality.

Sample Menu

starter

Uji with tamarind and black pepper

or Fried bananas and cassava with pili pili (hot) sauce

main

Ugali with beef stew or vegetable soup or Mtori (banana stew)

dessert

Fresh fruit

dessert

Kahawa and Kashata (coffee and peanut brittle)

dessert

Local brew

(made from fermented bananas and grains...if you're a Kombucha fan, you'll love it!)

What‘s Included

Private transportation

Alcoholic Beverages

Transfers are included for city hotels (for airport/airport hotel transfers, there is an extra cost)

Private market visit and cooking class with your host Marissa

Vegetarian and halal meals are available upon request

Pickup points

Weru Weru River Lodge

Mailisita Machame Kusini Tanzania

Kilimanjaro Wonders Hotel

1st Kigoma Street, 40km from Kilimanjaro International Airport, Block K, Section 2 Moshi Tanzania

Options

Market + cooking + dinner

Pickup included

Market + cooking + lunch

Pickup included

Reviews

5.00

7 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

Good food, excellent people
460annikan,,Dec 28, 2024
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Highly recommend this experience! We had so much fun at the market and learning how to cook traditional food with William, his mother and her friends. We were made to feel part of the family. And the food was excellent! I’m planning to do the millet tamarind porridge myself. William was warm and friendly and we had great chats about the food, Moshi and general life with him.
Experience of a lifetime
Tammy P,,Sep 28, 2024
- Review from Viator
5.00
I wanted to experience Tanzanian culture and this was the perfect way to start off. Mama Shida's son William picked me up at my Hotel and gave me a private tour of the local market. We picked up local ingredients, talked with vendors, and I tried dried sardines and other fruits and vegetables. . When we arrived at Mama Shida's home, I was immediately welcomed and made part of the family and community . I was amazed as the the amount of work cooking traditional foods over fires/charcoal. I was taught to make coconut milk, and helped with beef curry, banana stew, ugali, and tried banana beer ( I don't like beer, but did enjoy banana beer). We ate a feast. I was sad to see the experience come to an end. I will hold happy memories of this experience for a lifetime. I would highly recommend this tour and would love to return with my daughters in the future.
Scrumptious dinner!
Nimnomster,,Jul 30, 2023
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Had such fun cooking with Williams mother and her friend! The market tour was nice and informative, we have looked, sniffed and tried new foods, all of which were amazing. We cooked with fresh produce and on a traditional wood fire, making the food delicious. The banana stew, beef stew and ugali were so tasty and nice. Looking forward to replicate at home!
Amazing cooking and cultural experience - strongly recommend
Julie S,,Sep 19, 2022
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
This whole experience was amazing. William picked my husband and I up from our lodge and took us through the local market to pick up some ingredients before travelling to his Mum's house where we started cooking with his Mum, Marissa and his family. We learnt how to make banana stew and local beef curry, including making coconut milk from scratch. We felt incredibly welcomed into their family and learnt a lot about their family, local cooking style and Tanzania. This was a memorable experience and I would recommend to anyone travelling to Moshi.
Amazing Local Experience!!
Rachel B,,Jun 9, 2022
- Review from Viator
5.00
This experience was a perfect way to wrap up our Tanzania trip! William (a local Tanzanian and Marissa’s husband) picked us up and took us through the market where he showed us local ingredients and let us try fruits and other items. He then took us to his mother’s house where we helped her prepare a delicious traditional Tanzanian meal!! Did I mention it was delicious?? We also for to try her home brewed banana beer as we cooked! I would absolutely do this again!! Thank you for a wonderful time!!
Amazing experience
val0rih,,Sep 6, 2021
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
William and his son picked us up from our hotel and brought us to the market to try many foods like peas, sardines, tamarind, fruits and more. It was a great way to see how the people of Moshi live. Then he brought us to his mothers house where we met Marissa and her girls. We had appetizers and then the kids took off to play. We got to learn the process of coconut milk, ugali, beef stew and more. Taught how to use ugali when you eat, dessert, and kids placed jelly bean boozle that we brought from USA. Highly recommended activity to do when in Moshi.
Local experience
yhampto,,Feb 13, 2020
- Review from Viator
5.00
Such a fun experience! I got to experience what it may be like to live in Tanzania without actually live there. My day started being picked up by William. We stopped by a local market to taste different types of vegetables and fruit. I was skeptical at first about cleanliness of the food and I purposely scheduled this event on my last day in Tanzania. Well, it’s been about 2 days now since then and I am not having any issues. William knows so many people at a market, it was fun watching him interact with the sellers. Upon arrival at his mother Shida’s house, she and a few other ladies welcomed me with open arms. They didn’t speak English but we communicated with help of William and some gestures. I did what I can to help them cook at their outside cooking area. I thought climbing Kilimanjaro was harder but who knew cooking traditional method takes a lot of muscle strength! It took us over 3 hours to cook but beef stew had amazing flavor. Shida has a great smiles and soon enough, I was addressing her as mama Shida. Her warm smile made me feel I was her daughter, teaching me how to cook. I understand why Marissa fell in love with this family and culture here. I enjoyed my short visit to their family and glad I got to experience this. I highly recommend signing up with them to get a true local experience.