Maasai Market Guide: What to Buy, Market Days & Shopping Tips

The Maasai Market

The Kenyan Maasai Market is the place to shop if you are looking for affordable, beautiful, and colorful souvenirs to take home with you. It is an open-air market with a wide variety of items to buy, including African paintings, bags, clothes, jewelry, shoes, and Shukas.

For the ultimate experience of culture and color, the Masai Market offers the opportunity to get authentic African art, handcrafted beaded jewelry, and clothing as souvenirs, gifts and even decorating art you could use for your home locally or even back in your country. At very affordable prices, you can purchase as many items as possible and all the same promoting local craftsmanship businesses.

What to Buy at Maasai Market

Ceramic and Soapstone Sculptures

• Kisii soapstone is a soft, malleable material found in western Kenya. The artisans shape and polish it into beautiful sculptures, which are usually painted in bright colors or left in their natural state.
• Note that soapstone is fragile, so make sure the items are well-packed before traveling.

Maasai Shukas | Maasai Market Kikois

• Maasai Shukas can be found in various blends of colors from blue, green, orange, and yellow but most are usually red, these shukas are a fun way to remember the trip as they carry the Maasai culture, and they can also be used as bed covers, picnic blankets, or as an extra cloth(Kikoi) on a chilly day.

Artwork & Carvings

• The Market is always filled with some amazing art and most of them have that African culture to them. At their Market, you can get some decent pieces for a low price, but if you want something more unique, you can check out some of Nairobi’s art galleries—like those found at the Railway Museum or Kenyatta Avenue for some more variety.
• You’ll also find a decent range of wooden carvings, bowls, baskets, and dolls to add a little Kenyan culture to your home.

Leather Sandals and Footwear

• Leather footwear, sandals, and belts are durable and practical souvenirs. Look for items that are crafted using traditional methods to ensure quality.

Beaded Jewelry

• You will also find a wide selection of jewelry, from earrings to bracelets and Necklaces these are usually colorful and also come in many colors, here you can find some cool pieces at a relatively cheap price.
• Opt for authentic Maasai beadwork made by local artisans to support the Maasai community directly.

Wooden Carvings

• Kenya is best known for its exceptional woodwork, usually portraying the country’s rich wildlife, including giraffes, lions, rhinos, and elephants. Skilled artisans cave these items from jacaranda, ebony, or rosewood. Examples are Hand-carved animal figurines, masks, or sculptures.
• Tip: Look for well-crafted, detailed pieces, and avoid overly polished or plastic-looking items, which may be less authentic.

Kitenge and Batik Fabrics

• A visit to the Maasai market is a must. Batik scenes of everyday life, ethnic and animal motifs picked out on the fabrics with wax resist dyeing techniques. A sea of crafts is displayed on colored cloths and red blankets spread out over the ground; the atmosphere is one of wild excitement.
• The Maasai sit around on fundamental benches under protective parasols, busily hand-making a variety of objects, resting, chatting amongst themselves, or endeavoring to attract the concentration of the tourists.

Handwoven Sisal Baskets

• These baskets are usually crafted by Kenyan women, usually from rural communities, using traditional weaving techniques. Kiondos are eco-friendly, durable, and beautifully designed, with leather straps and detailed patterns.
• Kiondo baskets can be used as decorative pieces, storage containers, and handbags, and buying directly from women’s cooperatives supports local artisans.

Bargaining & Language

Bargaining is a fun part of the Maasai Market shopping experience. If you are not a local, you will be quoted a substantially higher price and should be prepared to bargain hard, but respectfully. Speaking some Swahili will help place you as someone who knows what you are talking about and who does not want to be ripped off.

Greeting someone with Jambo will mark you as a tourist while using “sasa” or “sema” will make you appear more familiar with the Nairobi geography. This may sometimes not come off as the kindest greeting so you should stick to asking how their day is going: ‘Habari za Leo?’.  The following are some more phrases that may come in handy.

Phrases one can use at the Maasai Market

• Si Leo—‘Not today’—Use this if you are not really interested in what someone has to offer.

• Nitarudi—‘I will return’—This can be helpful if you are actually interested in something at someone’s stall, but either want to shop around more or are hoping that they will come down on the price. It is always advisable to do a lap before purchasing. There will be a lot of similar products available but quality and prices will often differ, so feel free to look around.

• Ni Ghali—‘It’s expensive!’—Feel free to really over-exaggerate this one for maximum bargaining leverage.

• Bei ya Mwisho?—‘Last price?’—Use this to ask for the sellers’ final price.

Knowing some basic numbers to bargain in Swahili can also be a huge help, but don’t worry if you don’t master them all. The traders will be happy to let you know their prices, frequently with calculators in hand for some added drama.

Maasai Market Days in Nairobi

Maasai Market is usually open on most days of the week, running from 8 Am to 6 Pm but it’s closed on Monday.

Tuesday

• Westgate Shopping Mall in Westlands (the upper car park) relocated to Kijabe Street opposite the Norfolk Hotel

Wednesday

• Capital Center on Mombasa Road near the airport

Thursday

• Nakumatt Junction Shopping Mall on Ngong Road

Friday

• Village Market in Gigiri (the upper car park)
• Galleria Shopping Mall, the junction of Langata Road and Magadi Road

Saturday

• The High Court parking lot in the city center (behind the Hilton)
• Adams’ Arcade, Ngong Road

Sunday

• Law Courts Parking, City Center
• Safari Park Hotel, Thika Road
• Yaya Centre in Hurlingham
• Adams Arcade, Ngong Road

Maasai Market Hours

• Tuesday – 8 am–6 pm
• Wednesday – 8 am–6 pm
• Thursday –  8 am–6 pm
• Friday – 8 am–6 pm
• Saturday – 8 am–6 pm
• Sunday – 8 am–6 pm
• Monday  – Closed

Tips for Shopping at a Nairobi Maasai Market

• If you have a choice, avoid the High Court parking lot location on Saturday and adhere to the Yaya Centre or Village Market days.
• Avoid “gifts” as you may thereafter discover that if you don’t buy anything else from that seller, that trinket is no longer a gift.
• Also, if you want to avoid being overwhelmed with attention, wait until the market gets busy
• Enjoy the haggling and hope to come away with some amazing deals. Keep in mind that it is their livelihood if they stick to “no” you likely have gone below a price where they can make any money from an item.

Maasai Market Village Market

• This is a great place for shopping and for seeing the handicrafts of the whole country. I would recommend this shopping place for anyone looking to pick up some gifts from Kenya. They also have a little bit of everything that you would see in the shops all over the country. Beware of pick-pocketers (no personal experience).

• There is also a co-op there with arts and crafts from all over Kenya. The mall also has a grocery store where you could get wonderful tea to drink on the safari and a store that is well-made and well-priced Kikyo (spelling) cloth, much better quality than anything you could have seen in other stores around the country.