You have just had a fabulous holiday in Kenya and the final thing you want to do before you leave is to buy some good and authentic Kenyan souvenirs for your friends and family back at home. But the prices you are hearing in every souvenir shop you visit are unbelievably prohibitive.

If you are in this situation, you are not alone and this post might just save the day for you. Thanks to emerging open-air souvenir markets you are now able to buy reasonably priced and quality products in a hassle-free environment. In this article, we suggest 3 that are quite popular.

1. Maasai Market

Maasai Market is regarded by many as ‘the’ place to shop for curios and souvenirs in Kenya. The market rotates around various locations on different days of the week. On Tuesdays, it is at the Westgate shopping centre on the upper car park, on Fridays it is at the Village Market, also in the upper car park area. On Saturdays and Sundays, you will catch it in downtown Nairobi on the High Court parking and also at the YaYa Shopping Centre at the outside car park.

There is a new, quite extensive, market located at the Galleria Mall, at the junction of Magadi Road and Karen Road. It is about 3-5 KM from the main entrance to the Nairobi National Park. The market is on every Saturday and Sunday.

2. The Spinner’s Web

The Spinner’s Web, located on Getathuru Gardens, off Peponi Road, Spring Valley, Nairobi, was originally established to provide a show-place for Kenya’s many spinners and weavers. The shop has grown to a place where now more than 200 groups provide their products for sale to both residents and tourists.

There is a wide range of furniture and home furnishing suppliers to choose from with even options for custom designs for offices, hotels or homes. The Spinner’s Web is the exclusive outlet of Kenya Weaverbird Ltd., which makes beautiful hand-woven, custom-dyed pure wool or cotton fabric for curtains, upholstery, bedspreads, carpets, cushions, wall hangings and clothing.

3. Triangle Curios Market

Triangle Curios Market, located in the Westlands area of Nairobi, opposite the roundabout from Sarit Centre is another great place to shop for gifts and souvenirs. The market is stocked full of Kenyan handicrafts and souvenirs with some great bargain deals!

Other markets worth paying a visit include the City Market on Muindi Mbingu Street, which has dozens of stalls selling wood carvings, drums, spears, clothing and tribal jewellery from around Kenya.

Art lovers, on the other hand, will find Gallery Watatu on Standard Street a great place to shop for fine Kenyan art. The Banana Box, also in Westlands, sells traditional objects with a variety of modern uses.

We hope this makes your souvenir shopping easier. Happy shopping.