🛍️ Mozambique: souvenirs
Mozambique's coast traded ebony and silver for a thousand years - today the buys are Makonde carving, capulana cloth and peri-peri in every strength. Here is what travellers bring home from Mozambique, where the good versions live, and the export questions worth a look - alongside our 46 written places.
🛒 The classic buys
Makonde carving
The ebony family-tree sculptures and spirit figures of the north - buy from carvers and cooperatives; real ebony is heavy and cold to the touch.
Capulana fabric
The printed wraps of Mozambican life - fabric shops in Maputo sell hundreds of designs; tailors sew quickly.
Peri-peri sauce
The birthplace of the style - local brands and market bottles range from warm to weapons-grade.
Silver from Ibo Island
The Quirimbas silversmiths work in a centuries-old tradition - filigree from the island workshops.
Batik and painting
Maputo's art scene sells bright work at the FEIMA craft fair.
Cashews
A national crop - roasted and bagged everywhere.
⚠️ Check before you buy
- Ebony and hardwoods - buy finished carvings from established sellers; raw wood and large pieces face export scrutiny.
- Marine products - shells, coral - are restricted; the archipelagos are protected.
✗ Better left behind
- Ivory - banned.
- Shells and coral from the reefs - protected.
- 'Ebony' that floats or scratches pale - stained softwood.
Markets shift, workshops close and open, and the best souvenir is still the one with a story you were there for. Buy from makers where you can, keep receipts for anything substantial, and when a deal feels too good, it usually is.