Nairobi cultural souvenir shopping tour with a local
Description
This is a carefully crafted experience that provides both character and quality. Between unfair exploitation in un-regulated open markets and the prevalence of low-quality goods, souvenir shopping in Kenya can be a minefield. Navigate it with ease on this door-to-door private tour, with your driver/guide on hand to translate, carry heavy items, and advise if required. A typical tour includes stops at four high-caliber stores: Kobe Beads Factory, Utamaduni Crafts Centre, Golden eagle art gallery and Aqeeq Galleria. Our tour is specially crafted to afford you the opportunity at your pleasure the chance to acquire a precious stone, with our visit to the gemstone store. The gemstones range from Tanzanite garnet, Amethyst, Rubies, Red Garnets, and Aquamarine which yes, are all mined in Kenya & East Africa. Souvenirs are a memorable way to remember your travel experience as these objects hold a sentimental value to yourself, friends & loved ones.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Start of at Kobe Tough Beads and Leather. This is a pottery company that makes one of the world most beautiful beads. You will be shown firsthand all the stages from the start to the finish. It’s also a unique factory as it employs single mother parents from the poor neighborhood who earn a living to support their families. It's a women empowerment center for the community. The center was started by women who formerly worked for Kazuri beads factory when it shut down during the pandemic. This was reprieve for them as they could continue to provide for their families.
After exciting beads factory tour, we will continue to utamaduni crafts center. The best African craft shop in Nairobi, Utamaduni is a must to drop into on the way to some of the exciting venues in Nairobi's green suburb of Karen/Langata, known for the famous writer, Karen Blixen's original farm with beautiful views of the Ngong hills. Incorporate a visit to this unique house of crafts on the day of your visit Nairobi. The shop, a converted Kikuyu house with 18 shops, is a treasure trove of African crafts, antiques and art, with friendly staff to assist and help pack or ship if needed. After shopping stop and have refreshments in the large beautiful garden restaurant and if you are a bird watcher the many exotic birds will keep you entertained. Make sure you make Utamaduni a part of your Kenya holiday itinerary.
This is a Kenyan community-based art gallery with the goal of providing customers artistic products, promote and encourage creative and authentic artwork. They offer paintings and drawings, jewelry, African attire, crafts and carvings, antiquities, malachite, soapstone and much more.
This is an exclusive store based in Mombasa and Nairobi, the 2 largest cities in Kenya. They deal in authentic sustainably sourced gemstones and jewelry in both precious and semi-precious. They offer an array of massive selection of gemstones. Some of them include Tanzanite garnet, Amethyst, Rubies, Red Garnets, and Aquamarine which yes, are all mined in Kenya & East Africa.
Quality bronze work from small jewelry pieces to giant monstrosities you have to see to believe. The bronze art is handmade by the founder and artist, Denis Mathews.Denis' daughter, Esenya, has started our 'silver range' (called SAFARIA) - an elegant selection of handmade, pure silver jewelry, as well as our bronze art mixed with a silver touch. Alongside the gallery and foundry, there's also restaurant.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Kindly wait at the reception or front entrance of your residence as our guide will be there to pick you up.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(13)
If I could rate this tour higher, I would! Kelvin was AMAZING and his vehicle was pristine. He was personable friendly, I actually wanted more time with him. He knew the balance between too much talking And just enough. It was wonderful to spend the day with a true professional.
Kelvin was amazing. He knew the best places to recommend and all were exactly what we were looking for. The prices were very reasonable and not superficially increased for tourists. Kelvin was extremely patient and very polite the entire time. Would recommend him any time!
Dear Eva, thank you for writing such a gracious review of your tours & time with us. We're so glad you had an amazing day with our stellar guide Kelvin. We appreciate your time, and we hope to see you again soon on our next adventure. Thank you,
Kelvin is a wonderful tour guide and driver. He’s so knowledgeable about the country, culture, safari, and the ecology of the land. He took us for a day trip through the city. You will not be sorry going with Rustic Nature Tours. Very worth the cost.
Dear Gwen, What a lovely experience you had . With thank you for such a gracious review of your tours & time with us. We're so glad you had an amazing day and are always happy and ready to make our guets as comfortable as possible. We appreciate your time, and we hope to see you again soon. Thank you,
My friends and I had an incredible experience with Kelvin, our wonderful tour guide! From punctual pick up and a clean and comfortable transport vehicle to taking us to a variety of cultural shopping destinations (artisan shops, bead making, crystals & more), Kelvin was so accommodating, allowing us to take our time to browse each shop. He went above and beyond, letting us stop for lunch and taking us to a local grocery shop before dropping us home though these pit stops were not part of the itinerary. He made our first day in Nairobi an unforgettable one. If you’re looking for a unique experience with a kind and affable tour guide, I’d stop your research here!
Dear sowonm, What a lovely experience you had with Kelvin.With thank you for such a gracious review of your tours & time with us. We're so glad you had an amazing day and are always happy and ready to make our guets as comfortable as possible. We appreciate your time, and we hope to see you again soon. Thank you,
Kelvin was a great tour guide! This was our first trip to Nairobi, day 1 activity and he showed us around while explaining each stop. My favorite stop was the Kobe Tough Women! Thank you for such an amazing experience!
We had a wonderful time with Kelvin and would highly recommend this tour! He was so welcoming and kind and we had so much fun!
Our guide gave us a great tour to go shopping and also a good overview of the history and culture. He was patient, asked us our interests and addressed them well.
Dear Thomas, What a fabulous review! Thank you so much for your detailed review highlighting your experience. We are grateful for such a stunning review, which only attests to the joy your wholesome experience brought to you on your visit. This was made possible by our well-crafted tour that ensures you have the best viewing experience and the professional guidance of our guides. As promised, at Rustic Nature Tours Ltd, we strive to give nothing but the best possible experiences for our esteemed guests. Professionalism per excellence. It's wonderful to note you loved and appreciated the wholesome experience, with our guide Kelvin. Truly, we look forward to your next visit to explore more of magical Kenya. Thank you for recommending us to all travelers with absolute trust. Any guest is welcome to join us for once in a lifetime memory from safaris to day tours. We promise nothing but utmost excellence and great memories! Warm and best wishes
This is real value for money. Kelvin was very flexible with my schedule and itinerary. I even managed to insert a one hour meeting at the office! And a trip to the Karen Museum. The shops we visited all had good quality. Be prepared to shop! Kelvin is a young intelligent man and it was a treat to talk with him and understand Kenya and Kenyans. I’m very glad I booked this at the last minute. I made good buys, met some interesting people, and had good conversations. Perfect day!
Kelvin took us to places we needed to see and buy our souvenirs. Also, some of the places were full of art works to admire the beautiful art created my Kenyans.
Dear Bernadette, Thank you so much for your most gracious, kind words. We are grateful for such a stunning review, which only attests to the joy your wholesome experience brought to you on your visit. As promised, we strive to give nothing but the best possible experiences for our esteemed guests. Professionalism per excellence. Thanks to Kelvin, for giving you an absolutely great shopping experience in our quality gift shops. Truly, we look forward to your next visit to explore more of magical Kenya. Warm and best wishes,
Our tour guide Kelvin from Rustic Nature Tours was the most Outstanding professional. From history lessons, descriptions, and a line up that covered all our needs. He catered to our last minute requests and was extremely timely. On a scale of 1-10 I give him an 11. Thank you Kelvin.
Dear Josiane S, Thank you so much for your most gracious, kind words. We are grateful for such a stunning review, which only attests to the joy your wholesome experience brought to you on your visit. As promised, we strive to give nothing but the best possible experiences for our esteemed guests. Professionalism per excellence. Thanks to Kelvin, for giving you an absolutely great shopping experience in our quality gift shops. Truly, we look forward to your next visit to explore more of magical Kenya. Warm and best wishes,
