Get ready for a wild adventure without leaving the comfort of your own home! We’re about to take you on a journey through the best African gifts for someone traveling to Africa or someone who is obsessed with this enormous continent. Put on your safari hat, grab a bag of peanuts (for the elephants, of course), and let’s embark on a journey to uncover the most unique and unforgettable African gift ideas around. Who needs a passport when you have this list of treasures at your fingertips?
Are you short on time? Check out the editor’s top three African-themed gifts by budget.
- Large budget: Wooden map of Africa (#2)
- Mid budget: Home handicrafts (#15)
- Small budget: Necklace of Africa (#24)
Table of Contents
Save these Africa gifts
Don’t forget to save these African gift ideas for the next time someone you love is headed off to Africa!
African gifts for large budgets
#1 A trip to Africa
If you are looking for the best African gifts and you’ve got a rather large budget to spend, then this is by far the best gift; a trip to Africa!
Check out Skyscanner for flight and hotel options or head over to Viator to book fun tours in Africa. The latter is a great gift idea if the recipient already has a trip planned to Africa.
Of course, it would help if you knew which countries in Africa they would like to visit. But for a true Africa lover, it doesn’t even matter which country as long as it’s in Africa.
#2 Map of Africa
This beautiful wooden map of Africa is definitely one of my favorite African gifts. And I am sure that Africa lovers will agree with me.
Alternatively, check out Etsy to find all sorts of maps of Africa.
#3 Handmade safari snack bowls
These adorable handmade snack bowls are actually the number one selling gift from my Kenya gift guide.
And for good reason.
They are handmade by Kenyan artists, who use locally sourced wood, and who receive a fair wage for their work.
It’s a win-win.
#4 African spices
If you are looking for African gifts for foodies, this Middle Eastern and African spice gift is exactly what you need!
It contains 9 different spices in tin boxes and it’s wrapped in a beautiful and colorful sari cloth.
The 9 spices are fenugreek, baharat, berber, ras el hanout, sumac, za’atar, harissa, pul biber, and urfa biber.
#5 African coffee
If you are looking for Africa gifts for someone who also loves coffee, this coffee sample of 6 different African coffee beans is the perfect gift!
It includes beans from
#6 African gifts for safari lovers: elephant bookends
Are you looking for Africa gifts for someone who also loves safaris?
Then you should definitely check out my safari gift guide!
One of my favorite gifts from that list was the animal-themed bookends, such as these elephant ones. (Probably because I have a similar set of giraffe bookends that I bought in Uganda).
#7 Sustainable African gifts: adopt a giraffe
Adopting animals is the best sustainable African gift idea for people who don’t want anything.
The money that’s spent on this gift goes to the People’s Trust of Endangered Species and is used for the conservation of the habitats of giraffes in Africa.
The gift comes in a cute box with a welcome letter, a poster, a postcard, and information about the gift as well as about giraffes.
For other animals to adopt, symbolically, check out Ethical Superstore.
#8 Elephant-themed photo album
This beautiful photo album is another one of the best Africa gifts for sustainable travelers.
Why?
It’s completely fair trade and the paper is made from elephant dung and recycled paper.
I know. Elephant dung?!
I was quite surprised that elephant dung could be used for paper too, but apparently, it works because this photo album looks beautiful!
#9 African gifts for music lovers: djembe
If you are looking for African gift ideas for someone who loves music, a djembe is a great idea!
And the best part is that this djembe is actually handmade in Africa. The company that sells it (NOVICA) is a known fair-trade brand that gives fair wages and uses its profit to improve the lives of local communities too, making this a beautiful sustainable gift too!
You can buy the djembe from their shop directly or from Amazon.
#10 Africa gifts for her: traditional dress
If you are looking for Africa gifts for her, this dress is a great gift idea.
It’s made from African wax cotton, a beautiful typical African textile that’s used for dresses and other types of clothing.
You can either buy from Amazon or head over to NOVICA and actually support local African communities with your gift!
African gifts for mid budgets
#11 Africa travel guides
Lonely Planet: Africa
If you are looking for Africa gifts for someone traveling to Africa on a budget, this is the best gift. It is also one of the few guidebooks that cover the entire continent.
The complete guide to African safaris with South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania, Botswana, Namibia, & Rwanda
This is another one of the best African gifts for people who love safaris.
Lonely Planet East Africa
If you know that the recipient is going to East Africa, this guidebook is the perfect gift.
#12 African-themed clock
This unique wall clock is another one of my favorite African gifts.
(Okay, I’m not going to lie, pretty much all 25 gifts on this list are my favorites).
Half of the clock is a vinyl record and the other half is made in an African theme with a map, animals, and the classic African tree.
The description of the clock says it’s non-ticking, but that’s not actually true, so keep that in mind when buying this gift.
For more unique clocks, check out these 25 travel-themed clocks.
#13 Books about Africa
The Fortunes of Africa: A 5000-year History of Wealth, greed and Endeavor
If you are looking for Africa gifts for people who love history, this book is the perfect gift. It’s a super detailed and thick book, so excellent for bookworms.
A girl from Africa
This memoir by Elizabeth Nyamayaro tells her story about how a drought in her village shaped her life and inspired her to become a humanitarian who changed the world.
Long walk to freedom by Nelson Mandela
If you are looking for Africa gifts for people who are interested in political history, South African history, the apartheid regime, or Nelson Mandela, this is the perfect book.
#14 African-themed board game
Ticket to ride is one of my favorite board games! So if you are looking for African-inspired gifts for a board game lover, this is definitely the best option.
Now, I’ve only played the European version of Ticket to Ride, but the aim of the game is going to be the same as the African version. The only difference is the way the board looks.
If you’ve never played Ticket to Ride. The aim of the game is to collect the most points by building railroads across the African continent.
#15 African handicrafts
If you are looking for traditional African gifts for the receiver’s home, these handmade bowls from Not on the High Street are the perfect gift.
They’re weaved by local artisans in Swaziland from lutindzi grass (a type of wild grass that grows in the area). So by buying this gift, you are also supporting the local community.
For more handmade Africa gift ideas, head over to NOVICA.
#16 African-themed tote bag
With over 6000 different African-themed tote bags on Zazzle, I am sure that you can find one that your recipient will love!
I quite like the one with the African mask, but again, check out Zazzle if you prefer different African-themed gifts.
#17 African cookbooks
Flavors of Africa: discover authentic family recipes from all over the continent
If you are looking for African gifts for foodies, African cookbooks are a great gift. Flavors of Africa is one of the best overall cookbooks with recipes from nearly every African country.
The Africa Cookbook: Tastes of a Continent
This is another one of the great Africa gifts for foodies. It includes over 200 recipes from different African countries.
In Bibi’s Kitchen: The Recipes and Stories of Grandmothers from the Eight African Countries that Touch the Indian Ocean
This is the best cookbook for people who love East/Southern African countries, or more specifically, countries that touch the Indian Ocean (South Africa, Mozambique, Madagascar, Comoros, Tanzania, Kenya, Somalia, and Eritrea).
#18 African hot sauce
Are you looking for African gift ideas for someone who loves spicy food? Then this peri peri sauce duo is the perfect gift.
For more spicy food gifts, check out the chili gift guide!
#19 African-themed passport cover
Passport covers are great practical African gift ideas. If you buy one of the 391 African-themed passport covers on Zazzle of course!
For people who love African print items, the passport holder with African print is the perfect gift.
African gifts for small budgets
#20 Gift from their favorite African country
Do you know your recipient’s favorite country in Africa? Then finding a gift that’s related to that country is the perfect gift!
For example, if you are looking for Africa gifts for someone who loves South Africa and tea, these tea bags are the perfect gift.
Or check out the destinations page to find gift guides for more African countries.
#21 African dance class
If you are looking for African gift ideas for someone who is into dancing and music, then an online African dancing class from Udemy is the perfect gift!
Or try to find a live African dancing class in the area where the recipient lives.
#22 African-themed luggage tag
If you are looking for small and practical Africa gifts, luggage tags are great ideas!
You can find 1855 different African-themed designs on Zazzle. Or go for the funny rhino one that says “save the chubby unicorns”.
#23 Africa-themed travel journal
This Africa travel journal is a great Africa gift idea for anyone who is leaving for a trip to Africa soon.
They can keep all their travel notes in this journal, so when they come home, they’ll have a cute memory book of their trip.
For more general journals, check out these 25 awesome travel journal ideas.
#24 African gifts for her: map necklace
If you are looking for cute African gifts for her, this necklace in the shape of the map of Africa is the perfect gift.
It’s small, sweet, and it looks cute!
The necklace is available in gold, silver, and black.
#25 The Countries of Africa adult coloring book
This coloring book for adults is one of the great African gift ideas for people who could use some relaxation.
Save these Africa gifts
Did you save these African gift ideas to Pinterest yet?
Final notes on Africa gifts
If you made it all the way to the last section of this post, you probably haven’t decided which gift to buy yet. So let me help you by giving my top African gifts for each price range.
- Large budget: Wooden map of Africa (#2)
- Mid budget: Home handicrafts (#15)
- Small budget: Necklace of Africa (#24)
