Matemwe Seaweed Gardens

The tidal flats off Matemwe are some of the most visible seaweed farms on Zanzibar. At low tide the lagoon empties to expose long parallel rows of stick-and-rope frames where two species of red algae — cottonii and spinosum — are cultivated and harvested by hand. Women wade out before dawn to tend the lines, returning hours later with bundles of dripping seaweed that are then spread on the beach to dry in the sun.

You can walk among the gardens at almost any low tide. The villages on the road behind the beach also have small seaweed cooperatives where the dried weed is bought, weighed, and prepared for export. Several lodges arrange short tours with the cooperatives that include an explanation of the process and, in some cases, demonstrations of the soap, oil and scrubs that local women now produce as a higher-value sideline.

things to do sight
A story
Zanzibari seaweed farming was introduced in the 1980s and rapidly became the second-largest export earner for the islands after cloves. It is overwhelmingly women's work — over 90 percent of the farmers are women — and has given thousands of village families an independent income. Most of the harvest is exported to East Asia for processing into carrageenan, a thickening agent used in toothpaste, ice cream and cosmetics worldwide.

Other places in Things to Do