Traveling to Tanzania with a group, looking for Tanzania travel and shopping guide

Shopping in Tanzania

At the international airport in Dar es Salaam, we often see tanned foreign tourists, either holding a human-high wooden giraffe carving in their arms, or carrying gems hidden in their hands A stainless steel jewelry box, holding a lacquer scroll that requires special care, or simply wearing a full Kanga outfit.

Wood carvings, gems, paintings and national costumes are all classic Tanzania tourist souvenirs, with prices ranging from a few dollars to tens of thousands of dollars.

If you want to return home with great success, you also need to know the “do’s” and “don’ts” of traveling and shopping in Tanzania.

What you can do: shop around; reduce the asking price by two-thirds before negotiating; ask for a receipt after the transaction; try to shop in regular markets instead of being chased by touts on the street.

What not to do: Most ebony carvings are coated with shoe polish, be careful not to contaminate other items in the suitcase; wood carvings with bark cannot pass the plant quarantine of China Customs; do not squeeze or fold the painted scroll to Anti-damage white plaster and the paint attached to it; Tanzanite homespun fabric has a high shrinkage rate and is easy to fade. When buying ready-made clothes, do not buy the right size and prevent it from being stained when washing; Tanzanite sapphire must be sold in a security guarded store. When purchasing in a store, be sure to ask for a certificate of authenticity; conch shells cannot pass the animal quarantine of China Customs.

Taboo: Never buy ivory or ivory products. Once discovered by Tanzania customs, tourists may be imprisoned in a foreign country.