Shopping in Zimbabwe
Shop for wood carvings (including giraffe carvings that can be up to 20 ft/6 m tall), copper wall plaques, jewelry, minerals, dolls, floppy woven hats, wooden spoons, beads, baskets, spears and other native weapons, safari clothing, thumb pianos (they’re called mbiras), stone sculptures made of native verdite (very heavy, but impressive) and snuffboxes (made of everything from dried gourds to animal horns). Even though Zimbabwe has one of the few controlled ivory trades, keep in mind that you cannot import any ivory into many countries.
Related Travel Information
Shopping in Botswana
If you fly directly into and out of game camps without spending time in the cities, you won't find much in the way of souvenirs. Even in the cities, there isn't the type of selection you'll find in South Africa or Zimbabwe - generally speaking, this is not a place to shop. However, Botswana's baskets are very distinctive in both weave and design, and they make excellent gifts. Other possibilities include weavings, stamps, herero dolls (portly female figures adorned in the bright Victorian hoopskirts brought to Herero by German missionaries), colorful tapestries, wood carvings, pottery and San-made ostrich-eggshell
Zimbabwe: Chizaria National Park
This national park in western Zimbabwe is one of the country's most remote and least-developed reserves. The park sits astride the dramatic Zambezi Escarpment and is filled with steep cliffs and river gorges. The wildlife, particularly in the Busi Valley, is abundant. There are a few camps in the park, but the Chizaria Wilderness Lodge, just outside the park is the lodging of choice if you can afford it. Be aware that there are no facilities within the park, so you'll need to take along your own supplies. 200 mi/320 km west of Harare.
Shopping in Cameroon
Cameroon is a main center of African wood sculpture. You can shop for masks and other wood carvings. This place is also fabous for masks with galss beads. If you're interested in buying African sculpture, first visit a museum with an African collection or get a library book about African art to familiarize yourself with what's available. Don't be fooled into thinking you're getting an original art treasure, Salesmen in Cameroon are very smart: Everything is an imitation of objects once used in traditional ceremonies. (That doesn't mean you shouldn't consider purchasing what's available - many of today's
Shopping in Ghana
Andinkra cloth, wooden stools, dolls for fertility and other magical purposes, real or simulated gold weights, wood carvings, ceramics, jewelry, brassware and oware game board are some specialities of Ghana. Custom-made coffin is a unsual stuff which your eyes can catch. In choosing your specialized coffin, the tradition is to select something that represents you, or something you always wanted but could never have. (Businessmen might choose a Mercedes-Benz-shaped coffin; fishermen might choose one carved to resemble a big fish.)
You can look for kente cloth, an expensive material worn on ceremonial occasions. The colorful geometric patterns have historic
Shopping in Ethiopia
It is better to check with government authorities or the National Museum before purchasing antiques (including Ethiopian crosses) or animal skins. Amber, biblical-story pictures, wood carvings, silver, coffee, original uniforms of Haile Selassie's army, tribal daggers, leather shields and local handicrafts. You can visit the Ethiopian Handicraft School in Addis to see craftsmen making handicrafts. Beware of some old coins: Millions of Austrian Maria Theresa thalers, all minted with a date of 1780, were produced by the Italians for use during their occupation of Ethiopia between 1935 and 1937 - the 1780 date was never changed because
