Dar es Salaam shops in layers: ebony carvers working under tin roofs at Mwenge, kanga wholesalers stacked to the ceiling on Uhuru Street, and glass-fronted boutiques on the Msasani peninsula. Three days to work through all of them, from bargained to fixed price.
Some 200 Makonde carvers work in open sheds off Sam Nujoma Road, chiselling ebony ujamaa 'tree of life' poles and blackwood masks. Buy straight from the man holding the chisel; small pieces from 15,000 TZS, large ebony from 400,000.
The cooperative founded by Edward Saidi Tingatinga's followers sells enamel-on-board paintings from the studio where they are painted, off Haile Selassie Road. Roughly 60 member artists; unstretched canvases roll flat for luggage.
A social enterprise where deaf and disabled artisans weld scrap metal, bottle caps and worn flip-flops into lamps, animals and jewellery. The workshop floor is open to visitors, so you watch the cutting and soldering before choosing.
The compact downtown market behind Kisutu Street trades cut flowers, cardamom, cloves and Zanzibar cinnamon alongside secondhand clothing. Late afternoon is when the spice sellers repack the day's stock into 100g bags for buyers.
A waterfront complex on Msasani Bay with about 30 shops: Tanzanian coffee roasters, Maasai beadwork, tanzanite dealers and a bookshop. The Sunday craft market fills the boardwalk with roughly 80 vendor stalls facing the water.
The low-rise arcade at the tip of the Msasani peninsula holds boutiques, a Tanzanian textile shop and an air-conditioned food court, with the Indian Ocean visible from the terrace. Quiet at midday and useful for a browse between markets.
Tanzania's largest mall sits on Sam Nujoma Road by the university with roughly 100 outlets over two levels, including Game, Woolworths and Tanzanian labels selling tailored kitenge shirts and dresses at fixed, non-negotiable prices.
A small Haile Selassie Road centre favoured by Dar's design crowd: a tailor cutting kitenge to measure, a jeweller, a deli and a bookshop. Fabric bought in the morning can be dropped here for a two-day turnaround on a shirt or dress.
Behind the reconstructed tribal homesteads on Bagamoyo Road, a permanent line of stalls sells drums, Zaramo carvings and woven mats made on site by artisans in the museum's craft programme. Quieter and cheaper than Mwenge.
The shopfront of Tanzania's best-known independent publisher on Nyerere Road stocks Swahili poetry, Tanzanian history and English translations you will not find in the mall chains, including titles from its own Nyota imprint.
A converted industrial yard housing about 20 artist studios, a print workshop and a small shop selling limited-edition prints, ceramics and textiles directly from resident Tanzanian artists rather than through commercial galleries.
The long Indian-Tanzanian trading street running through Ilala is lined with wholesalers stacking kanga pairs and six-yard kitenge lengths floor to ceiling. Kanga come in twos with a Swahili proverb printed along the border.