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There are plenty of Bazaars in the narrow roads of Stone Town - and the key is always to BARGAIN! These shops offer all kinds of local crafts such as souveniers, statues, batik, chess sets, masks etc. Many of them are from the mainland though.
My recommended real true authentic Zanzibari souveniers were : the jewel boxes shaped like Zanzibari antiques, zanzibari incense and associated accessories, and of course Zanzibar Spice packs, which are attractive and useful!
As much as you dare to bargain for! Leave a Comment Theme: Local CraftDirections: Stone Town historic center
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It's a small shop located in the middle of the residential part of Nungwi Village. The locals call it the "department store". It carries everything from tolettries, to paper goods, to groceries. The postcards here are the cheapest (gift shop at Anman has a smaller selection and higher prices) and the store keeper is extremely friendly! Leave a Comment Theme: Department Store
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The winding streets of Stone Town contain plenty of shops to distract you in your wanderings, many of them selling local arts and crafts that make excellent souvenirs. If you have the money to spend you could buy a genuine antique – maybe even one of the trademark Zanzibari wooden doors (although in my view these are best left in their home town) or a piece of furniture. If you’re in the market for something like this, consult an expert about the best and most trustworthy shops, and remember to budget for shipping costs – you won’t easily fit an eight foot wooden door in your luggage allowance!
For the rest of us on more modest budgets there is still plenty to appeal. Some suggestions:
~ wooden carvings – we bought and still treasure an elegant ebony figure
~ colourful paintings – the traditional folk art is known as tinga-tinga though this didn’t really appeal to us
~ kikoi sarongs – Chris bought me a lovely blue and gold batik one as a birthday present :-)
~ baskets, mats, fans etc woven from palm leaves
~ spices – an obvious choice on this scented isle, and very easy to pack, so they make great little gifts for friends and family
~ jewellery – from simple craft items to pieces featuring the local gemstone, Tanzanite
A figure similar to the one we bought will cost between £10 and £15 at today’s prices, as will a small painting. Tanzanite jewellery can be expensive but folk pieces are cheaper of course. Spices can be found for just a couple of pounds and the palm-woven goods are also excellent value. At the other end of the spectrum, a carved teak door made to measure for your home will set you back about £1,000, with a further £500 to ship it home Theme: Local Craft
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If your after a special gift for a special person consider Memories of Zanzibar. Perhaps the prices are expensive but i found the right gift for the right person
souvenirs, gifts, clothes etc
i payed alot for my special gift Leave a Comment Theme: GiftsAddress: Kenyatta RoadDirections: stone town opposite the post office on Kenyatta road
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I knew I had to set aside time to add this tip for anyone planning a trip to Zanzibar. You MUST visit this Souvenir Emporium!!
Two levels of incredible African goods....from clothing, jewelry, art, books, music, I mean EVERYTHING!
We happened to stumble upon this store when strolling along Kenyatta Road.
With just a few hours before our plane departed back for Kilimanjaro, we only had 2 hours to set aside for shopping on the Spice Island. We saw our friends back at The Africa House who were nice enough to hold our luggage for us while we shopped.
You can reach Kenyatta Road from The Africa House, and there are several clothing boutiques, jewelers, and art shops were you can find souvenirs, but once I discovered Memories, I didn't need to go anywhere else!
It was a bummer that I only had about 45 minutes left for shopping.......but probably also a blessing (any more time in that emporium and I could have done some serious damage! ;-)
I went bonkers over their collection of jewelry and stylish, casual, cool clothing (with an exotic twist).
The prices for the gemstones were nothing close to what they could charge in the U.S.....so everything you come across is a bargain.
Prices are VERY reasonable compared to what they would charge outside of Africa. Leave a Comment Theme: Department StoreAddress: P.O. Box 3670, Stone Town, ZanzibarPhone: +255-24-2239376Directions: Kenyatta Road, opp. Post Office, Shangani.
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I managed to find birthday gifts, souvenirs for family and friends, and a few little goodies for myself.......all on the first level! (Due to time constraint, I never made it upstairs!)
The staff was very knowledgable and helpful (which makes you want to buy more!) and Memories is definitely worth a return visit (set aside a couple of hours if you're a true shop-a-holic)
As you can see.....all the ladies in the group came out of there satisfied customers! Leave a Comment Theme: Department StoreAddress: P.O. Box 3670, Stone Town, ZanzibarPhone: +255-24-2239376Directions: Kenyatta Road, opp. Post Office, Shangani.
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I was surprised finding shops at the airport (including a duty-free) with a very good variety and excellent prices. They sell anything from kangas to vanilla pods.
The duty-free shop has a very good selection of books, they also accept credit cards.
Most local craft
Spices
Soaps and oils
Books
Textiles
Fixed prices Theme: OtherDirections: At the Depature Hall
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There were a few curio shops along the beach in the area around the hotel where we stayed. They sell very much the safe stuff that you will find in Stone Town.
Textiles (Kanga, Ki-koi etc)
Mokondo Art (Masks etc)
Tingatinga painting
Soap, oils etc
Haggle, haggle, haggle Theme: Other
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Spent my birthday doing a Dsicover Scuba dive with the East African Dive Company off Mnemba Atoll and loved it so much. Have recently completed my open water course and am now looking forward to returning to Zanzibar and doing some more diving.
A must dive place if your into diving.
scuba lessons, scuba diving and other watersports. Leave a Comment
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Couldn't tick off one category only for this shop: this is a shop that carries a range of goodss for tourists, such as as beach wear, casulal and formal clothing, knic-knacks, handicrafts and artifacts. Probably low on "real stuff", but you cand find more authentic antiques etc elsewhere. You can certainly get what you need for the moment in this shop.
Beach-related stuff.
Gifts for those unfortunates back home. Leave a Comment Theme: OtherAddress: Hurumzi St., PO box 4269 Stonetown, Zanzibar.Phone: 2232077Directions: Downtown in the old part of Stonetown.Other Contact: zanzibar_curio_shop@hotmail.com
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