Must-see shopping in Africa

  • La Botica de la Abuela Aladdin

    Chefchaouen

    Welcome to Chefchaouen's store of witchcraft and wizardry, where natural soaps and spices dangle from the ceiling like potions and elixirs at Hogwarts…

  • ALC/ALIF Bookstore

    Ville Nouvelle

    On the pleasant little campus of the American Language Center you'll find likely the best English-language bookshop in Morocco, with a huge selection of…

  • Koulchi Concept Store

    Essaouira

    Topped by a roof-terrace café, this tall medina riad is filled with covetable Moroccan design: bags, blankets, carpets, ceramics and more.

  • Galerie d'Art Damgaard

    Essaouira

    Danish art collector Frederic Damgaard first visited Essaouira in the 1960s and stayed. He was one of the first people to bring the artistic work of Swiri…

  • Pelegano Village

    Botswana

    Pelegano Village, established in 1982, is a wonderful artisan complex that offers local crafts such as hand-fired ceramics and wine bottles recycled into…

  • Maasai Honey

    Northern Tanzania

    This wonderful community-run concern has taken the local tradition of bee-keeping and transformed it into an income-generating project. It's been so…

  • Old Breweries Craft Market

    Windhoek

    This hive of tourist shopping euphoria contains a heap of small and large shops with a range of African arts and crafts on offer. A couple of our…

  • Ndau Collection

    Victoria Falls (town)

    This upmarket showroom stocks handmade individual pieces, including silver bracelets, rings and necklaces, made at its on-site studio. They also sell…

  • Boutique Terrae

    Chefchaouen

    The tiny boutique below Dar Terrae stands out from the rest of Chefchaouen's bazaar-style shops, offering unique bags, charming bracelets, cute notebooks…

  • Coin Berbère

    Medina

    At the corner with Derb El Horra look for this trio of long-established, well-respected shops, all owned by the same family. Together, they stock…

  • Krag Drag/The Strong One

    Johannesburg

    Krag Drag, which means 'the Strong One' in Afrikaans, is easily the best place in Jo'burg to shop for locally made gifts. Cleverly designed T-shirts,…

  • Central Africana Bookshop

    Malawi

    This long-running bookshop on two levels has an excellent selection of Africana, ranging from dusty old tomes to coffee-table books, and from novels and…

  • Kilombera Workshop

    Jinja

    Many of the colourful cotton textiles (place mats, table runners, bedspreads) for sale around Jinja are made on hand-operated looms at this Nile-side…

  • Berber Carpets

    Todra Gorge

    This cooperative in the Auberge Royal Palmas sells a range of handmade carpets, from simple kilims to more elaborate pieces that took many months to…

  • Mandala House

    Malawi

    Situated in Mandala House, the oldest colonial dame in the city, this eclectic gallery features vividly coloured, contemporary work by local artists, as…

  • La Chocolaterie Robert

    Antananarivo

    Madagascar's most celebrated chocolate maker has a lovely little boutique next to the Leader supermarket within sight of Pl de l'Indépendance. Some of the…

  • Souq Haddadine

    Mouassine & Central Souqs

    The blacksmith's souq is full of busy workshops where the sound of the metalworkers' hammers provides a staccato background beat. If you've been tempted…

  • Alert Handicraft Shop

    Addis Ababa

    Here the Berhan Taye Leprosy Disabled Persons Work Group produces and sells beautiful handbags, pillow covers and wall hangings, each emblazoned with…

  • Michael Adams' Studio

    Mahé

    Visit the studio of Michael Adams MBE, where silkscreen prints burst with the vivid life of the forests. They are irresistible and highly collectable, so…

  • Gallery 21

    Addis Ababa

    Of all the shops/stalls north of Haileselassie Alemayehu on Churchill Ave, this gallery has the biggest selection (if you ask to see the back room) and…

  • Kikis

    Harare

    Set in a homely showroom on a residential property, this Dutch-owned shop has an attractive range of furniture, art, hand-painted porcelain and Shona…

  • Épicerie Fine La Ferme de Morarano

    Antananarivo

    This shop sells the products of an organic farm in the highlands. It specialises in essential oils, which its uses in a range of natural lotions and…

  • Chapungu Village

    Harare

    Part of the Doon Estate complex, Chapungu has long been one of Harare's best places for Shona sculpture – one of the best things to buy in Zimbabwe. It…

  • Ndar Ndar Music & Cafe

    Senegal

    Ndar Ndar is a delightful little shop, with a small coffee bar in front and a spread of CDs for sale in back. There's reggae, jazz, folk and, of course,…

  • A Bernadette

    Jinja

    Young NYC fashionistas have partnered with local women to create well-made recycled bags and accessories in fun, bold designs. Items are fair-trade…

  • Wayawaya

    Livingstone

    A social enterprise founded by two Norwegian girls, Wayawaya sells quality, contemporary handmade bags put together by local women. Its principles are…

  • Matsimela

    Victoria Falls (town)

    South African body-care brand Matsimela has set up shop here with an enticing aroma of natural scented soaps, body scrubs and bath bombs (anything from…

  • Prime Art Gallery

    Victoria Falls (town)

    This quality gallery, run by two friendly brothers, represents more than 40 local artists, most notably it has original pieces by Dominic Benhura,…

  • Peter’s Antiques

    Swakopmund

    This place is an Ali Baba’s cave of treasures, specialising in colonial relics, historic literature, West African art, politically incorrect German…

  • Blue Bird Garage Food & Goods Market

    Simon's Town & Southern Peninsula

    This hip, artisan food-and-goods market is located in a 1940s hangar, once the base for the southern hemisphere's first airmail delivery service, and then…

  • Woodin

    Accra

    The place to come for Ghanaian wax print fabrics, Woodin has proved so popular that there are branches throughout Ghana. If you've no time to find a…

  • Kreolor

    Praslin

    Perhaps the best boutique on Praslin, Kreolor, at the entrance to Vallée de Mai, sells artfully designed wooden crafts (many in the shape of the coco de…

  • Tingatinga Centre

    Dar es Salaam

    This excellent centre is at the spot where Edward Saidi Tingatinga originally marketed his designs, and it’s still one of the best places to buy…

  • African Arts & Images

    Maun

    Next to the Bushman Craft Shop on the road near the airport terminal, this upmarket shop has an impressive range of books about Botswana and high-quality…

  • Ilala Weavers

    The Elephant Coast

    Sells a large range of Zulu handicrafts, plus there’s a museum and a local, slightly contrived ‘village’. It's a good place to pick up souvenirs and worth…

  • Ensemble Artisanat

    Chefchaouen

    This place houses some of Chefchaouen's best artisans, selected by their peers. Poke your head into each room around the central courtyard to watch the…

  • Makush Art Gallery & Restaurant

    Addis Ababa

    This gallery and restaurant has an excellent, carefully selected collection of high-quality furniture and paintings created by around 70 emerging and well…

  • Exclusive Books

    Gaborone

    Easily Gaborone’s best bookshop, this large outpost of a respected South African chain has literature, nonfiction and travel books, with excellent…

  • Die Muschel Book & Art Shop

    Swakopmund

    Swakopmund's best bookshop, with German- and English-language books. It's great for guides and maps, and esoteric works on art and local history are also…

  • KwaMambo

    Harare

    One of Harare's best spots for crafts, hand-painted ceramics and original paintings by local artists, plus cool clothes and Zimbabwean publications.