This Tanzania Shopping Guide gives some information about the best things to purchase on your trip. All tourist destinations have numerous shopping options for you to browse through and possibly buy something.

Tanzania Shopping Guide

Shopping around

Some parts of the country are especially famous for the high quality of craftsmanship of the local artisans. The cooperatives where artists display and create their work, gift shops and craft centres are just some of the places where you can buy great pieces of work at unbelievable prices. Whether it is baskets, paintings, carvings or jewellery you are buying, these are the places to go to.

Bargaining

Remember, you can bargain in Tanzania and it is expected at the cooperatives and small shops. Over here the goods are sold directly by the craftsmen and the margins are high, so haggling is a possibility.

Hotels and larger stores would frown upon bargaining; prices are fixed and fixed high. Shop here only if you don't have the patience to bargain in small shops and have a loaded wallet. These stores usually accept foreign currency.

A great alternative to the standard hotel lobby shop is the street-side stall.  Women of the Masaai tribe often lay out their wares on streets and you can pick up curios, jewellery or even batik work.

When do you know if the price is right? How do you check if what you've just bought is the real McCoy? A simple rule of thumb is to check carefully before you buy a product - look for evenly woven baskets, fabric without holes or gaps in the weave, paintings with an even application, carvings without rough edges. However, the ultimate acid test is your happiness! If you walk away feeling happy, you have paid the right price!

Local curios

If you're looking for a typically Tanzanian product, there is a lot to choose from - Masaai beadwork, spears from the North, carvings depicting animal life of the region or even wooden carvings of local tribal people.

Mkeka mats are hand woven and make great alternatives to boring rugs. These simple, plain mats made from sisal come from the Karatu area (the region close to the Crater Highlands). Coastal specialties include brighter versions of the mkeka mats with vivid patterns woven in. These are usually made from palm fronds that have been dried.

Baskets are another great buy that double up as storage when you get home; so unlike the oddities one usually picks up on holiday, you won't come home and wonder why on earth you bought this one! Some can even work as chic handbags and the place to get the very best work is Singida. You can, however, find the same work retailing in stores in Arusha and Dar es Salaam.

Zanzibar has its own unique wares - old-style carved chests made of wood to remind you of the days of the spice route trade or smaller products like the tile work and bowls will be a wonderful reminder of the intricate work you see on monuments on the island itself.

Unusual Souvenirs

Besides these more common souvenirs, you can pick up fabric and garments in all the hues of the rainbow! The locals love colour and the garments reflect this love for brightness. The local dress or the kangas make an unusual gift for friends and family since they have a clever line or two printed on them, usually in the local language. Kangas are a sign of the times and the trendy ones are what you'll see the locals wearing, right from Dar es Salaam to the distant shores of Lake Victoria. The men folk of the Swahili coast, meanwhile, have their own version called the Kikois that are a lot like sarongs. Usually striped, these are simpler than the women's version.

Spices are an ever popular takeaway from the spice island of Zanzibar. Precious aromatic vanilla beans, huge bags of cloves or nutmegs are a welcome gift for folks who love to cook. Organic honey from Tabora is another specialty.

Beware!

The government and tourism board of the country actively promote responsible tourism and encourage travellers to buy products that are environment friendly. Buying animal products like ivory or hides is both irresponsible and strongly discouraged. The damage caused to animal life from the often cruel extraction of these items, including corals and turtle shells, is irreversible.  For wooden products too, check to see that the source is renewable.