Diani Beach Cooking Class with Local Market Tour

Cook traditional Kenyan dishes in a local home, with a guided Ukunda market visit and homemade dinner included.

Getting started

Meet your local guide at the meeting point inside Naivas Supermarket Mall in Diani. After a short introduction, you set off together toward Ukunda market, either on foot or using the optional transport to the market by tuk-tuk. Wear comfortable clothing for the market trip and come with an empty stomach and a positive attitude.

What to expect

Ukunda market visit

This first stop immerses you in everyday life at Ukunda market, where your host helps you choose the fresh ingredients for your dishes. You get to see how local shopping routines shape what ends up on the family table later that day.

Features

• Time at Ukunda market lets you observe how locals bargain, shop for produce, and select items that go into traditional Kenyan dishes you will soon cook.
• Food and beverages are included for the experience, so the ingredients you pick here form the base of the meal you later prepare and enjoy together.
• Optional market transport by tuk-tuk is available, giving you the choice between a short local ride or a walk, depending on your preference and comfort.

Local home cooking class

After the market, you arrive at a local home where your cooking session with a local guide begins in the family kitchen. Here you move from ingredients to preparation, learning step by step how Kenyan home cooks approach their recipes.

Features

• The cooking session with a local guide shows you how traditional Kenyan dishes are built from scratch, from chopping and seasoning to cooking methods used in local households.
• Food and beverages are provided during the class, so you can taste elements as you go while understanding how each component contributes to the final meal.
• With your host guiding you through each stage, you are encouraged to participate hands-on, ask questions, and see how everyday tools and techniques shape local flavors.

Homemade dinner in a local home

Your experience continues into the evening as you sit down to enjoy a homemade dinner in a local home, sharing the dishes you helped prepare. This mealtime gives you space to talk with your host and appreciate how the recipes fit into daily life.

Features

• The homemade dinner in a local home becomes the centerpiece of the visit, with the dishes from your class served in a relaxed family-style setting.
• Vegetarian options are available for the homemade dinner in a local home if you specify this when booking, so dietary preferences can be accommodated without missing out on the shared table.
• Food and beverages remain included throughout the dinner, letting you focus on conversation with your host and on tasting what you cooked together.

Optional village tour

Once the meal is over, you can choose to extend your time with your host by joining the optional village tour. This part of the experience shifts your attention from the kitchen to the surrounding community.

Features

• The optional village tour lets you walk around the local area, giving context to the home and market you visited earlier in the day.
• You see how everyday spaces such as homes, paths, and small shops connect to the cooking traditions you have just experienced during the class and dinner.
• Hotel pickup and drop-off are not included in this experience, but are available at an additional fee of 30 USD per vehicle, so after the optional village tour you can either arrange this service or make your own way back using your preferred transport.