Tanzania Shopping – Shops, Stores, Best Buys & Inside Tips

Tanzania Shoppping

Tanzania is an East African country with a diverse climate and people. From the spring like town of Arusha to the island of Zanzibar off the coast of Dar es Salaam, here are some tips for Tanzania shopping.

Buying Tanzanite in Tanzania

Tanzanite is a beautiful blue/purple mineral gem-stone found in the mountains of Tanzania. The cheapest place to buy Tanzanite is in Arusha, near Mount Kilimanjaro where it is mined.  Avoid buying Tanzanite at the airport where it is much more expensive.

Maasai Items in Tanzania

If you want to bring home some authentic Maasai items like woven baskets, jewelery, wood carvings, colorful fabrics and more. Haggle for a good price, as it is expected. The shops in hotels, however, will have fixed prices on their Maasai merchandise. You can also visit a Maasai village to shop for souvenirs or many of the curio shops throughout Tanzania.

Curio Shops in Tanzania

Tanzania sports many curio shops where you can buy the local crafts such as tribal jewelry, batik and wood carvings, paintings and other gifts and souvenirs unique to Tanzania. Nothing will have a price on it and you are expected to bargain. After some coaxing every shop attendant will demand outrageous amounts of money. Just keep pressing for a much lower price. At the end you can simply offer a little bit more and ask for another object to be added to your shopping list. Local artists often live and work on site and appreciate every sale they make.

Editor’s note: The information contained on this page was compiled using real traveler reviews about shopping in Tanzania.