The Kruger National Park is quite self sufficient. There are innumerable stores that sell everything from clothes to toiletries to photographic equipment that you might need during your stay. What's more, Internet and telephone facilities are also available. While prices in the shops are fixed, you are free to bargain at the open air markets and with street vendors. A good place to do all your shopping would be Phalaborwa. The town has malls with all the major stores, and also banks, just in case you fall short of cash!
In the middle of nowhere, at the relatively bigger Lower Sabie and Skukuza camps, you can buy just about anything -- wine, beer, groceries and even souvenirs. You could even purchase some good quality and reasonable artistic wood carvings.
Our Western Kruger Shopping Guide will help you gain some local insight into interesting shops and markets to browse around in. More general information about shopping in South Africa can be found in our South African Shopping Guide. And don't forget to treat your tastebuds as well, in some of the great Western Kruger restaurants.
Western Kruger Shopping Guide
Western Kruger has some decent malls too. The Riverside Mall is well-stocked and has all the shops you might require, including a Woollies and a food hall. There is also the Crossings Shopping Centre located on the corner of N4 and White River road. Besides a Woollies food hall, it has a Spar, which stocks some excellent meat. There are also many Pick and Pay stores all over the park.
Shopping in South Africa
The choices are innumerable. You could purchase arts and crafts, wine, jewellery, cloths and accessories, from the malls, chain stores, boutiques, street shops, factory shops or flea markets. The suburbs too are strewn with art and crafts markets and farm stalls, which give you a peek into South Africa's rich culture.
Whatever your reason for travelling to South Africa, it is natural that you would want to buy some souvenirs for friends and family back home. Thanks to its diverse cultures, South Africa is the perfect destination for those who love art, artefacts, crafts and curios. Although the jewellery, precious stones, and gold are sold at ‘global' prices, you will still find them to be a little cheaper in South Africa.
There are plenty of flea markets where cash is king and bargaining is a way of life. You could get beautiful wooden carvings, beadwork, traditional baskets and other African crafts at these markets. If you have time, then a visit to the shopping malls in Pretoria or Johannesburg may be worth the time. At these places you could purchase fashion wear, leather goods, jewellery, silver and even traditional glassware.
While hides are available everywhere, you should be cautious with your purchases. Ensure that you buy such stuff only from a dealer who can give you with a ‘vet certificate', which proves that the hide is not carrying any dangerous biological material. You are not allowed to import ivory, unless you have a certificate to prove that it is 100 years old.
Local arts and crafts are probably the first things you'd like to purchase. At the craft centres and street stalls you can purchase carvings, pots, baskets, beadwork and embroidery.
