Whether your mom enjoys travel in general, loves Africa, or has a small obsession with elephant knick knacks, we have the perfect Mother’s Day gift ideas for her. Below, check out some of our favorite Mother’s Day gift ideas for the mom who loves all things Africa:
1. A Mother-Daughter trip to Africa: The relationship between mother and daughter is one of the most precious and cherished bonds. Celebrate this unique relationship with a trip to Africa, exploring foreign cultures, magnificent history, and riveting wildlife. See below for a photograph of our Mother-Daughter clients who took a trip to Botswana last year!
2. An African Culinary Gift Basket: Does your mom enjoy cooking and / or drinking wine? Create an African culinary gift basket just for her! Purchase South African wines at a local Whole Foods or Total Wines store and pair it with the A Taste of Africa recipe book, which features over 60 authentic African recipes. Make sure to include the adorable Serengeti napkin and Ellie Creamer from Anthropolgie in the gift basket. It’s perfect for holding gravy or cream, or even for adding some color to kitchen decor!
3. A fantastic camera: Although regular point and shoot digital cameras can take fantastic pictures, nothing can compare to the image quality of a more professional camera. The best cameras for wildlife photography, in my opinion, are any of the Digital SLR Cameras by Nikon (for wildlife photography tips, click here to view one of our past blog posts where we interviewed famous wildlife photographer, Dave Estment).
4. Elephant Salt & Pepper Shakers: The Pottery Barn Elephant Salt & Pepper Shakers are the perfect addition to any tablescape. Their silver color goes with virtually everything so there is no concern for them not matching your mother’s decor.
5. Sky Flight Basket from Uganda: Made in Uganda via Fair Trade practices, the Sky Flight Basket is a beautiful blue, handwoven basket, created using banana fiber and raffia palm. It’s perfect for filling with bread for dinner or utilizing as a decor piece in the home.
It’s also important to note that the Sky Flight Basket is crafted from local artisans of Uganda who are employed by Uganda Crafts. This organization is dedicated to providing employment and training to individuals who are suffering from disabilities and offers them a way to generate income and produce handcrafted works of art.
6. Binoculars: Every great safari-goer never embarks into the bush without a set of binoculars. So, if you know someone planning their trip of a lifetime to Africa, get them a gift that will bring them closer to wildlife then they could ever imagine with a set of quality binoculars. We recommend the Canon 10 x 30 IS binoculars (which is a great choice in terms of value for money and steady viewing). These binoculars are extremely well priced and knock the socks off the opposing brands with their fantastic image stabilization technology.
7. African Books: There are dozens upon dozens of fantastic fiction and non-fiction books about Africa that I love. But some of my favorite ones include A Story Like the Wind (fiction by Laurens Van der Post about a boy and his dog who meet a bushman), Whatever You Do, Don’t Run (True Tales of a Botswana Safari Guide) by Peter Allison, and the brilliant and heart-felt An African Love Story, written by the famous Daphne Sheldrick.
8. Luxury travel bag: Get your mom traveling in style with a luxury travel tote, duffle, or roller bag. There are a handful of fantastic luggage lines out there, so make sure to do your research and find one that will fit your mother’s needs. Make sure you know her travel style, too, as this will help you find a bag that is perfect for her specific travel needs. For example, if your mom enjoys long weekend getaways, consider purchasing a nice duffle bag for her. This can fit lots of clothing, shoes, and toiletries, and is super easy to carry on a plane or pop into a car trunk. If your mom already has a roller suitcase, consider purchasing a spacious tote for her that she can use as her “personal item” during her flights. This way, she can pack her neck pillow, nook / iPad, magazines, wallet, and travel documents, without throwing out her back!
9. Handmade Elemental Earrings from Kenya: These gorgeous earrings have been handcrafted in the Bombolulu Workshop of Kenya. This workshop provides employment for physically disable or blind individuals who are not able to access the mainstream employment market due to their disabilities. Bombolulu gives these individuals the opportunity to not only express themselves through artistic creation, but also earn a living and support themselves and their families financially. Click here to learn more.
10. African Yoga Mat Bag: Does mom like to relax by doing some yoga? If so, the African wax print yoga bags from ORIGINS Style X Nasozi is the perfect gift for her! This unique company creates handcrafted yoga bags and home decor items using African prints and fabrics with a hint of Brooklyn style. The colorful yoga bags created by ORIGINS Style X Nasozi are one-of-a-kind and have the ability to bring the spirit of Africa to life in any yoga setting.
Read our interview with the owner of ORIGINS Style X Nasozi here.
To view the yoga wax print bags or to purchase them, click here.
