Central African Republic Travel Guide

Central African Republic — Shopping

Browse the Central African Republic Photo Gallery

Shopping

Bangui has reasonable shopping facilities, notably for ebony, gold jewelry, butterfly collections and objets d’art made from butterfly wings. However, one of the best methods of finding bargain souvenirs is by bartering with villagers outside the urban areas for their handmade goods.

Shopping hours: Mon-Sat 0800-1200 and 1600-1900. Some shops close on Monday. The market in Bangui is open 0730-dusk.

Currency

CFA (Communauté Financière Africaine) Franc (XAF) = 100 centimes. Notes are in denominations of XAF10,000, 5,000, 2,000, 1,000 and 500. Coins are in denominations of XAF500, 100, 50, 25, 10, 5 and 1.

The Central African Republic is part of the French Monetary Area. Only currency issued by the Banque des Etats de l’Afrique Centrale (Bank of Central African States) is valid; currency issued by the Banque des Etats de l’Afrique de l’Ouest (Bank of West African States) is not. The CFA Franc is tied to the Euro.

Currency Exchange

Currency can be exchanged at banks in Bangui and Berbérati.

Credit Cards, Debit Cards, and ATMs

Credit cards are not generally accepted, except in major hotels.

Travelers Checks

To avoid additional exchange rate charges, travelers are advised to take traveler's checks in Euros. Even so, commission rates can be very high.

Currency Restrictions

There is no restriction on the import of foreign currency provided it is declared upon arrival. Up to the amount imported and declared can be exported. If importing local currency from Benin (Rep.), Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal or Togo there are no restrictions. If importing local currency from anywhere else it can be up to an amount of XAF75,000.