The last bastion of the Omani Arabs, the slave trade, the spice route, idyllic beaches....that would be Zanzibar in a flash or.....a Swahili woman leaning against a Zanzibari door frame... 

That snapshot would single handedly typify Zanzibar as a souvenir to evoke strong sentiments (both happy and sad) and nostalgia for a way of life, now slowly being lost. 

This Zanzibar Shopping Guide gives you an idea of how best to go about shopping while you are in Zanzibar. Before splashing out on any big items, speak to a few local people to get a rough estimate of the ‘real price'. Remember that bargaining is an expected part of any shopping experience in Zanzibar, as is bluffing your way through it ....it's all part of the fun! General hints and tips about shopping throughout the country can be found on our Tanzania Shopping Guide.

Zanzibar Shopping Guide

A Zanzibar door speaks of the grandeur and opulence of a period while also alluding to guarded and hidden things within. The brass studs, the patina of the old hardwood that has lasted, some, over 150 years, the varied symbolic motifs, both Arabic and Indian, express the cultural mish mash that make up Zanzibar.

Pity that they are a piece of history, weigh a ton and that the artisans who crafted these masterpieces are now a dying breed, else we would all want one as a souvenir. Enter the adaptable makonde craftsmen who can re create them as miniatures and so add new art to their old and ancient skills.

There are hundreds of shops selling different types of mainland handicrafts ranging from tinga tinga paintings to wooden (makonde and generic) and soapstone carvings. Well worth buying are kangas or printed textile wraps which are normally sold in pairs. They have Swahili proverbs printed on them and can be used for a variety of purposes .... sarongs to an African version of baby björn!

Kikoys have similar uses but are not as busy and are woven with vertical stripes close to the bottom (assuming you are wearing them right!) Antiques and especially antique silver could turn up extraordinary finds. Local items such as the famous carved wooden Zanzibari chests, and hand-woven mats (mkeka) which, on the mainland are made of woven sisal, are made of dried and twisted palm fronds, in the archipelago.

You can also find a selection of aromatic oils, soaps and henna, as well as the must-have variety of spices, evocative of that which Zanzibar is still so famous for. And, for the coffee addicts out there, why not a tradition conical Arabic coffee pot with its attendant tiny porcelain coffee cups to re-create the smell of that Arabica coffee brewing on its tiny brazier on that hot, clear day in stone town. 

Shops are open from Monday to Saturday from 9am to noon and then again from 2pm to 6pm. On Sundays they open from 9am to 1pm.