🛍️ Zambia: souvenirs
Zambia's souvenirs are copper, chitenge and carving - the metal that built the country turned into craft at Victoria Falls' markets. Here is what travellers bring home from Zambia, where the good versions live, and the export questions worth a look - alongside our 43 written places.
🛒 The classic buys
Copper craft
The Copperbelt's metal in bowls, bangles and wall art - Lusaka's Sunday market and Livingstone shops sell hammered and etched work.
Chitenge fabric
The printed cotton of Zambian life - buy lengths at markets; tailors sew dresses and shirts in a day.
Wood and stone carving
Hippos, giraffes and bowls from Mukuni village and Livingstone's craft markets - bargaining is expected and friendly.
Baskets
The plateau's tight weaves - Tonga baskets from the south are collected worldwide.
Zambian gemstones
Emeralds and amethyst from licensed dealers with certificates - Zambian emeralds are world-class; paperwork is everything.
Honey and coffee
Forest honey from the north-west and small-estate coffee.
⚠️ Check before you buy
- Gemstones need licensed-dealer certificates for export - informal stones are illegal and often glass.
- Wildlife products need permits - buy nothing ivory or skin.
✗ Better left behind
- Ivory - banned and enforced at the airport.
- Informal emeralds - licensed dealers or nothing.
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.