Nairobi Shopping

You will find a great variety of Hand-carved wooden sculptures and carvings with more traditional themes in the markets of Kenya.

Even in the Open Markets you will find them.
You can bargain if you enjoy bargaining. Here a bargain is a must.

I am not sure if you are a person who collects masks.
They are very popular here in Nairobi.
I would not buy one, or get one even if somebody gave it to me as a gift.
I hate having masks hanging on the walls of my house.

Shop of a community support group in Lodwar that helps Turkana women to get an income. The shop is located in Viking house where a number of interior design shops are located already.

What to buy: there are a few prints and fabrics, but mainly you can buy baskets in all sizes, from big laundry baskets to small fruit baskets, simple but with some pattern. the big baskets might not be easy to get home, but your can always let them be wrapped up at the airport and use them as additional, though bulky baggage

What to pay: a big basket cost about 1000 KES

Every visitor to Africa goes home laden with souvenirs - from the smallest pieces of Masai jewelry to a six foot wooden giraffe. Africa is renowned for its fine craftsmanship and souvenirs are available in shops and markets just about everywhere between Nairobi and Cape Town. Remember that while it’s easy enough to store these items on an overland truck, at some point you will have to fit all your souvenirs into your backpack - and be able to carry it! Souvenir specialties include:

Kenya – Masai beads and blankets; batiks and wooden giraffes (Nairobi city market); kikois and tangas - a male and female version of the sarong (Nairobi shops)

What to buy: If you are after quality artwork, it is probably wisest to look in galleries and shops that deal in it rather than trading in the informal sector.

What to pay: Pay in Kenyan shillings from the Local Markets and bargain if you can.

As in most African countries, there is a huge range of cheap souvenirs to be purchased along the roadside while on your Kenya safari. These are handmade but mass-produced, so always check the quality before buying.

Materials include ebony, soapstone and ivory. Note that it is illegal to export products that contain any elements of elephant, rhino or sea turtle.

There will be plenty of opportunities to purchase souvenirs during your trip When on Safari there are curio shops wherever you stop for a rest break whilst travelling between game parks, all with people trying to get you to part with your hard earned money. On the coast you will find plenty of people operating on the hotel beaches trying to persuade you to buy anything from a carved key ring with your name engraved on it to a weeks safari. Listed below are a few of the most common souvenirs on offer. Make sure you barter for your gifts and aim to pay about a quarter of the original starting price.

What to buy: Wooden Carvings

These can be found almost everywhere you find a tourist normally depicting wild animals or tribes people.

Soapstone

You will find a verity of objects carved from soap stone which include chess boards, soap dishes, candle sticks, bowls and drinks coasters.

Baskets

Kiondos are woven sisal baskets and are sold everywhere; they are strong, durable and long lasting.

Textiles

All sorts of brightly coloured textiles are offered for sale the most common being cotton kangas which are traditional wrap-arounds

You can change your money at any Bank in Nairobi.
If you come from Europe don't bother to change your money into dollars.
Euro is much stronger than Dollar and you will avoid exchanging currencies twice.
Check the exchange rate all the time when there.

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As far as I could see it, Nakumatt is the biggest chain of department stores in whole of Kenya, everywhere you go this name is following you, inside city areas or along the roads. Nakumatt offers all what an family needs, like grocceries, cloths, technique etc, but it is slightly expensive than Tusker, Uchumi or small retail shops. Most of Kenyans, with average salaries, avoid NaKumatt because they cannot afford such a high prices.

What to buy: Take a piece of Nairobi with you when going back home by going to City Market or Maasai Market to buy some very nice handcraft beaded slippers, necklace, bracelets some made out of bones from camel, cows etcs. or even the nice maasai shawls.

Shopping in the Kenyan capital couldn't be easier. There are a multitude of supermarkets around town selling all sorts of food, drinks and household goods.

Nakumatt is possibly the most popular of them all. This is a company that started out as a couple of mabati roofed dukas in Nakuru selling hardware goods. The shop then was called Nakuru Mattress. They have a bunch of shops around town, unfortunately the one I used most was Nakumatt Downtown that had the fire.

Uchumi are still in business somehow after financial difficulies. But I actually prefer Ukwala or Tuskey's.