Best Places to Buy Arts And Crafts in Kampala – Most Uganda Tours will start and end in Kampala, or either start or end in Kampala and this gives a chance to make a choice of where to get good souvenirs. As you make communication with your tour operator about travelling to Uganda for your safari, you can ask them to include some time for making some local item shopping of Arts and Crafts so that the driver guide will pick you earlier or arrive in Kampala earlier at the end of the safari so that you can first go to places where these items are sold. Besides photos, these are other things that will always remind you of your Uganda safari to the Pearl of Africa.
Uganda has a lot of craft shops with a variety of crafts, arts and souvenirs that are worth being purchased for memories of your Safari in Uganda. It is however in Kampala where you can get several markets dealing in these items with a wide range compared to the remote areas where markets with these items are few. Purchase of these arts and crafts will not only be souvenir for remembrance of the safari but also highly impacts on the lives of the local people because you are supporting local market, the work of women and men out there in villages and development projects most of which are handmade using local materials. The art and craft items made include carvings and sculptures of animals and Africans, jewelry, baskets, t-shirts, trousers, paintings, drums and many more items.
In Kampala, here are places where you can purchase genuine arts and crafts which will keep lasting memories of the safari. Craft shops in Kampala
Here is a List of best Arts And Crafts Shops in Uganda
Exposure Africa
Exposure Africa is the craft market next to Daisy’s Arcade in Kampala on Buganda Road its the city’s biggest, with over 30 stalls and with almost every items found here is shipped from Kenya but not many Ugandan sellers would want you to know about that. You will find different prices for the same or similar items and the best thing is to bargain.
Uganda Art and Craft Village
Uganda Art and Craft Village near the national theatre – this place makes you think that most visitors to Kampala end up here. A lot of the stalls are filled with tourist tat including handmade items from Uganda, Uganda Rwanda and
even Congo. You can find a range of handcrafts from wood carvings to leather items, Ugandan shirts and dresses, nicely carved Ugandan chairs and tables, wildlife scene and many more but the norm is – compare prices between shops.
Nommo Gallery
Nommo Gallery is Uganda’s National Art Gallery which features exhibitions of works of wonderful art and crafts by both Ugandan and foreign artists. You will find artworks from local artists as well as other East African countries. The Centre also offers a snack bar, which claims to offer the “best African dishes served with best spices and ambience”, and the Craft Village, where locally made handicrafts are sold. Nommo Gallery is on Plot 4, Victoria Avenue, Nakasero – Kampala, near Sheraton Hotel.
Uganda Crafts 2000 Ltd.
Uganda Crafts 2000 Ltd. This is a Non-profit Fair Trade Craft wholesale and retail store.
They export Fair Trade crafts around the world and also run a local crafts store where many visitors to Uganda go for a variety of Ugandan, Kenyan and Congolese art and craft pieces. The shop is located at DLCO-EA House, plot 32-36 Bombo Road, Kampala, Uganda, between Teacher’s House and Bible House – in the basement shop on the west side of the building. The good thing here is that when you purchase an item, you are supporting the underprivileged such as orphans, widows, those living with HIV, single mothers, those with minimal education, as well as people with physical disability.
Banana Boat
Banana Boat has three exciting shops in Kampala, easy to find and less than 10 minutes apart from one another. Each shop is different, but if you are looking for tribal art, the Banana Boat shop in Kisementi has the biggest selection. They all have smart local items such as better batiks, jewellery, carvings, metal plus stuff from Uganda and several African countries. You even find Congolese carvings. Their shops are found in better shopping Malls which include Garden City Mall on Yusuf Lule Road, Shoprite Lugogo on Jinja Road, and Kisementi on Cooper Road – near the newly opened Acacia Mall. All outlets sell beautiful African crafts and tribal art with emphasis on homes and interiors sourced from all over the African. From skillfully woven baskets to handmade leather sandals all selected from top artists. Banana Boat also has fun designing and developing crafts with Ugandan women’s groups, families and small workshops combining traditional skills with fresh ideas.
