Shopping in Zanzibar is varied, cheap, and culturally exciting. The best shopping is available in Stone Town, where local goods and items imported from other African nations, as well as India, Arabia, and the Far East, are good value provided you bargain.There are a number of shops on Gizenga Street and Kenyatta Road that sell quality local artefacts, clothing, jewellery, massage oils, and spices - everything quintessentially Zanzibar! Here visitors can find colourful kangas or kikoys (sarongs), which make great souvenirs. Wooden chests and tinga tinga paintings are also sought-after Zanzibar souvenirs. Look out for street-side stalls where Masai women sell curios, jewellery, and batik fabrics.The silver shops on Gizenga, as well as in Sokomohogo Square, trade in antique or handcrafted silverware and jewellery, while gold is offered in stores on Tharia Street. On Darajani Street visitors can buy almost anything, including fresh produce from the Central Market.Most Zanzibar shops are open Monday to Saturday from 9am to 12pm, and then from 2pm to 6pm. Few shops will accept credit cards, so be sure to bring enough cash. US dollars are accepted at resorts and on the beaches, but the exchange rate will not be in your favour and you will most likely get a better deal by using local Tanzanian shillings.
