Central Market
Spices, kitenge cloth and highland vegetables, spread over streets with no map.
Duration
45 min – 1 hr 30 min
Best time
In the morning
Open
Every day
Entry price
Free
Arusha's central market spills out of its hall across several streets, with no plan and no clear edge. It supplies the whole region: vegetables from the Meru highlands, spices, dried fish from Lake Victoria, and kitenge and kanga cloth sold in two-metre lengths.
Kanga carry Swahili proverbs printed along the bottom of the cloth, and the choice of proverb is part of the gift: you give a kanga for what it says as much as for what it is.
Getting there
In central Arusha, around Somali Road and Market Street. The centre is walkable by day.
Rules on site
Safari touts approach visitors constantly around the market: book nothing in the street — use a registered agency with a physical address. Bag in front, and phone away in the aisles.
