Arusha · Experience
The Maasai Market
The craft market in the centre of Arusha, a short walk from the clock tower: beadwork, carving, painting and basketry, stall after stall, sold by the people who make it and the agents who sell for them.
What it is
An open-air market of craft stalls in the centre of town. Maasai women sell their own beadwork; carvers, painters and basket-makers from across the region sell alongside them.
What you find
Beaded collars, bangles and enamel mugs wrapped in beadwork; painted plates and bowls with rhino, zebra and elephant on them; canvases of the plains; masks, baskets and bags stacked to the roof of the covered stalls.
Buying
Prices are asked rather than written, and a little bargaining is expected on both sides. Your guide can help you settle on a fair one. Buying is never part of what we sell you.
Fitting it in
It sits inside A Day in Arusha, between the Cultural Heritage Centre and the streets around the clock tower, and it can be visited on its own on a free afternoon.
A sense of the place
Questions
Questions, answered
Do I need a guide?
Not strictly, but it is a busy market and a guide who knows the stalls makes it a better hour. Keep valuables close, as you would in any market.
Can I pay by card?
Expect to pay in cash. Ask your guide on the day.
Is there a price?
Walking the market costs nothing; what the day includes is agreed with you when we build the itinerary.
Pairs well with
Arusha
Lake Duluti
A small volcanic crater lake at Tengeru, east of Arusha, ringed by forest reserve. Canoe it, walk the rim, or both.
Arusha
A Day in Arusha
The town every safari begins in, given a full day: the Cultural Heritage Centre, the markets and the streets, with Mount Meru above it all.
Arusha
Arusha Town Walk
Arusha on foot with a guide: the clock tower, the markets and the streets between them. Ask us for the route.
Arusha
Napuru Waterfall
A waterfall in the Meru-Usa forest on the lower slopes of Mount Meru, outside Arusha, reached on foot through the trees.
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