Zanzibar is a great place for shopping and bargain hunting. You will inevitably come across the odd ashtray carved out of a coconut shell, but there are enough locally made arts and crafts to fill a whole suitcase with tasteful souvenirs. Take the hassle out of the hunt, and join Gallery Tours on a shopping excursion, which promotes local handcrafts in various shops around Stone Town.

On this half day tour, your guide will accompany you to local shops around town, starting at the kanga bazaar, where you can read and interpret the kanga proverbs, and learn to wrap a kanga the traditional way. Visit the leather sandal making workshop that has been supplying sandals to the island since 1976, and watch as the women of SASIK, one of the most successful womens cooperatives in Zanzibar, hand stitch their elaborate cushion covers and wall hangings.

Observe the building of beautiful hand crafted furniture from coconut wood, and the amazing process of making the traditional kikoi at the local factory. Watch as local craftsmen create wood carvings, from the very small and intricate designs, to much larger pieces. Visit the workshop where the traditional Zanzibar doors are created, and also the shop in which they are then sold. For those with an artistic flair, watching a Tinga Tinga painting being created is a must, and getting decorated with the traditional henna art form from the artists at ZAYAA Gallery the perfect gift to yourself. The tour ends with a stop at the Gallery Bookshop and the Zanzibar Gallery Shop.