Ajuma Nasenyana in Wasp & Sprout
Let's face it: like this, by boat soon, the only reason we can think of to tell you to go to Nairobi is that you stay in Giraffe Manor , the famous mansion with an English country air where giraffes wake you up by sticking their heads out your bedroom window.
With a bit of luck, its owner, Mikey Carr-Hartley , he won't be on safari with Peter Beard or Richard Leakey and you'll be able to chat with him about his latest fossil-hunting adventures in northern Kenya.
This and to visit the house of Karen Blixen , where, in addition to the gramophone on which the writer listened to Mozart and the cuckoo clock that left the Kikuyus so perplexed, you will see that the real Finch Hatton looked nothing like Robert Redford.
Yes, the famous farm on the slopes of the Ngong Hills of Memories of Africa It is located in Nairobi, 19 km – at rush hour he calculates almost a couple of hours – from the city center. Because, What other plan could we propose?
Elephant Sanctuary at the David Sheldrick Foundation
You can go shopping at the mall... If that's what you want, you're in the right place: in the city there are fifty shopping centers and markets every day of the week. Or to try a restaurant... There are good ones, even very good ones, like Talisman , but nothing that will surprise us being where we are from. And most likely you will spend the day in a traffic jam and unable to walk for fear of being robbed. 'Nairrobery' , they are calling her. Doesn't sound too appetizing, no...
However, in these pages we have set out to convince you that Kenya's capital deserves more than a logistics stopover between safaris.
Because what if it turns out, after all, Nairobi is cool ?
This is precisely what they think Nes Cuatrecasas and Marc Oliver Sancho , founders of ** Mille Collines **, one of the African fashion firms that has caused the most talk in recent times. Made in Africa for Africa , using only fair trade materials and processes and with an unusual degree of craftsmanship, Mille Collines signs all the looks that it wears in this report Ajuma Nasenyana , the top Kenyan who was an angel of Victoria's Secret in 2006 and today it helps young Turkana women from the north of the country to develop their talent.
Nallah Sangare, Reportage Makeup Artist
In 2009, Inés and Marc left Barcelona for Kigali (Rwanda) to launch their firm and soon made the leap to Nairobi . “It's where the action is, the entrepreneurs, the business... Kigali is fantastic, but a bit boring. Quite the opposite of Nairobi” says Mark.
Now, since they moved to Cape Town a year and a half ago, they take advantage of any excuse to return to what they consider “their city”.
Here still lives its star designer, Nanmyak , and many of the artisans they work with. “Kenyans are good businessmen. We always find the fastest way to get where we want”, says the designer.
If you ask them what they miss the most, the answer is the same: “ Energy. Makes anything possible, even when things go wrong ”. And Marc adds: “And the bhaji of the gastro plant of the Diamond Plaza ”.
Namyak, designer of Mille Collines
Nairobi is often compared to Lagos, Nigeria – “but without steroids” , Marc points out– and with Johannesburg , both with a reputation for being difficult, violent, ambitious and with unlimited opportunities for those who are not afraid. “The real Africa”.
And it is that, despite its lack of urbanism, its tangles of cables and those walls crowned with barbed wire, Nairobi exudes the life force and exuberant sensuality of tropical cities in which nature makes its way through the asphalt.
It may not be what you say 'pretty', but it has its point and a perfect climate, always at 21 degrees.
In an increasingly artificial and aging world, Nairobi's appeal is that it is real, authentic and very, very young . As a city it is little more than a century old and almost three quarters of its population have not yet reached the age of 35. A society of millennials, cosmopolitan and multicultural in a hurry to conquer the world.
It's no wonder she's so open and, at the same time, so strict. "You can't smoke in the street or we'll take you to prison," the policemen threaten.
Although the Maasai had settled in this 'place of fresh waters' for centuries - that's what they called it, Enkare Nyorobi – south of Mount Kenya, the capital was born under a British passport as a simple crossroads on the railway line that joins the p Mombasa Port with Lake Victoria and grew rapidly to be the undisputed nerve center of the region.
Sharon Machira, radio host and digital journalist
Headquarters of embassies, political organizations and non-governmental offices around the world, in the last decade it has also become a magnet for private investment and start-ups . It is the technological capital of Africa, the 'Silicon Valley of the savannah ’.
And diplomats, bureaucrats and social officials are now joined by senior managers and entrepreneurs. Its presence is reflected in the appearance of lifestyle hotels with tapas bars and yoga classes , such as the Tribe, full of African art, and its brother, the recently opened Trade, and places to the taste of newcomers that offer Vegetarian menus, craft beers, and wall-mounted bikes . This is the case of ** Wasp & Sprout ,** a coffee shop in which the furniture, restored by its owner, angela neale , they are for sale.
Nairobi's climate is fertile for business. This is a good place to make money, or at least spend it. It smells like new bills and a speculative bubble . The price of land increases and buildings are projected higher and higher: 25% of the skyscrapers being built in Africa are located here.
One of them is the complex Pinnacle Towers , which will feature, if ever completed, the tallest building on the continent: 320 meters.
At these heights, Nairobi is the perfect vantage point to observe what is happening in the rest of Africa. An example of this is the frenetic creative moment that the country is experiencing.
Ajuma in Wasp & Sprout
“Going on safari is a unique experience. Nothing can be compared to having a wine among lions, but witnessing what happens in the Kenyan art scene is just as exciting if not more ”, assures Danda Jaroljmek , founder of Circle Art Agency , a contemporary art gallery with consulting services for artists and collectors.
Jackie Karuti, Boniface Maina, Soi, Cyrus Kabiru, Anthony Mugo, Peterson Kamwathi, The Nest Collective, Ngene Mwaura, Osborne Macharia... Painters, sculptors, photographers, digital creators to keep track of.
Not only will you find their work in the increasingly numerous art centers (Shift Eye, One Off...), but you can also see them at work in their studios, in creative incubators such as ** Kuona Trust , Karen Village or The GoDown Arts Center **.
"In Nairobi, collectors find very good prices and they also have the opportunity to enter the scene, to socialize with the artists," he explains. Jaroljmek . "Until eight years ago, art was understood as an element of decoration, and the only ones who approached it were tourists, expatriates, the international market," she recalls.
Since its opening in 2013, Art Circle's mission has been to build local audiences, "offering the necessary platforms to appreciate art and developing the concept of value," she summarizes. Along these lines, every year it organizes an already mythical auction. “Kenyans love to push, dress to the nines, drink champagne, rub shoulders with different people...”.
Views from The Sarova Stanley Hotel
Danda she has spent most of her life in Africa, the last 28 years in Nairobi, where she settled almost without realizing it. “There is a lot to do here, the people are tremendously hospitable, and if you have good ideas and the right attitude, the results come quickly.”
But she warns: It is not for everybody . I have seen many leave because they couldn't stand the madness of Nairobi, having to negotiate even the simplest things. here nothing is easy . You have to know how to adapt. But if you work hard you can change things. Look at all the noise we've made with such a small gallery!"
And boy have they done it. “Slowly, the domestic market has begun to become aware and to value even artists that would have been unheard of before. Now our main clients are local collectors and companies that commission artists for commercial projects,” he says. kenjie kisim , director of Kuona Trust , a non-profit organization that has been providing artists with spaces for creation and access to the market for two decades.
It is associated with another creative laboratory, Karen Village , to offer residence to artists. And not only them: visitors interested in 'art safaris' can stay in twelve simple but charming rooms where everything is made in Kenya.
Street art in Nairobi
Another of the key architects in this change of sensibilities is TheBus , a production company and cultural project that claims the use of public spaces beyond the mall. “Kenya's strength is in the audiovisual, in art and in photography. Good electronic music is also made, with groups like **EA Wave**. There is a new current that questions whether African music has to sound African”, he tells us. Vincenzo Cavallo.
Together with Silvia Gioiello, he drives this old London bus –no one knows where it came from or how it got here–, his office, which, although without an engine, is moved every two or three years to a new location. “Moving it around town is a nightmare. Imagine with this traffic! ”.
Traffic, Nairobi's number one enemy. With a rush hour that extends from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. and from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m., you have to plan your movements well if you do not want to spend the day in traffic. And we are not exaggerating.
Those who say that Nairobi is ugly is because they have not seen it in the right light or eyes . At 5:30 in the morning, as the streets become congested as quickly as the sun reaches its zenith, the dawn light brings out the best in the art deco buildings dotted around the center, the CBD (Nairobi Central Business District).
Nearby is the tower of the Kenyatta International Conference Center, the KICC . From the heliport on its roof you can enjoy 360º panoramic views, but it is better to wait until sunset. Until then, and since you will surely want to get out of the car, we suggest you go for a walk around the Karura Forest , the forest that the Nobel Prize Wangari Maathai saved from speculation – it has a super nice restaurant with a terrace and jazz music – or the elephant orphanage in the David Sheldrick Foundation ; It only opens from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m., the time of your breakfast.
Another good option would be to go and have a coffee where they did it in their day Hemingway or John Huston (yes, almost better order a drink) . In Stanley , whose history goes back to the origins of the city, organize a tour in which You will learn more than in a museum.
And of course you can't stop going to The Alchemist . An open space with local designer, vinyl and comic shops, food trucks, bars and DJs. And no, it's not another mall. Whatever time it is, day or night, The Alchemist is 'the place', and something interesting will always be happening: concerts, markets, projections, theme parties or, don't be surprised, the recording of the video clip of the group of the moment. After all, Nairobi sure is cool.
Ajuma leaving The Bus in a Mille Collines shirt dress with Swahili motifs in a pop version
HOW TO GET
Turkey Airlines ; from €738
The easiest and fastest way to fly from Spain to Nairobi is with the Turkish airline, always via Istanbul, a city to which it offers 74 weekly flights from Madrid, Malaga, Barcelona, Valencia and Bilbao . Now, also, if you decide to stop over and stay in transit in Istanbul, Turkey Airlines gives away a hotel night to Economy travelers and two nights to Business travelers. Two trips in one for the same price.
GETTING AROUND
Car with driver (254 723 736403) To move with confidence and safety, avoiding traffic jams as much as possible, hire a trusted driver to accompany you and wait at all times.
WHERE TO SLEEP
Sarova Stanley of Preferred Hotels & Resorts ; from €105. The history of the Stanley goes back to the origins of the city – don't miss the guided tour. Charismatic and very comfortable, it has just opened an executive lounge while the pool bar is popular during after-work among workers in the financial center. A ten to his Thai restaurant.
Tribe Village Market, Westlands, by Design Hotels ;from €150. Pioneer in style and concept, it houses an extensive collection of African art. It has a heliport, yoga classes, swimming pool, lively brunches and scandalous suites.
Giraffe Manor; Gogo Falls Road, Karen ; from €480 per person. Approaching the giraffes, free in the gardens and which you can feed by hand, is their main attraction. The other, stay in one of the most special hotels in the world.
WHERE TO EAT
About Thyme; Eldama Ravine Rd, Westlands. Eclectic and imaginative menu with proposals from all over the world. Ideal for romantic dinners.
Abyssinia Restaurant . The rich diversity of the capital allows for proposals as exotic and exciting as this Ethiopian restaurant, with a location in the Westlands and another in Kilimani.
Chowpaty Diamond Plaza Shopping Center; Parklands . The best Indian food outside of India, also to take away. Try the bhajis.
olepoles . 34 km southwest of Nairobi on Magadi Road. To try the traditional Nama chota (grilled meat) .
Talisman . 320 Ngong Road, Karen . Pakistani carvings and Afghan rugs dotted around the gardens create the romantic, bohemian atmosphere of the best restaurant in town. At the table, a fusion of European, Pan-Asian and African cuisines.
** Wasp & Sprout ; Old Loresho Shopping Center, Loresho Ridge Road.** For eggs benedict for breakfast, a delicious salad for lunch or to buy original furniture and gifts made with recycling as a philosophy.
WHERE TO BUY
Mille Collines ,Village Market; Westlands. Pop into the Mille Collines store at the Village Market and you'll understand why they're creating such a stir. Clothes and accessories for everyday or for a special occasion.
** The Souk , 30 Dagoretti Rd., Karen.** The 'anti-mall', that is this small collection of local boutiques where you will find Linda Camm belts or Sally Dudmesh jewelry.
The first piece designed by Mille Collines, exhibited in its Village Market store
ART & CULTURE
Circle Art Agency , 910 James Gichuru Rd. This little gallery it has changed the way East Africa looks at and understands art.
Karen Village . This ambitious project 'art village' offers spaces to artists, to work and live; and a small hotel to travelers who want to know this other Nairobi.
Kuona Artists Collective Likoni Cl., Kilimani. Since the 1990s it has been the most influential art incubator in the region. Go in the afternoon to meet the artists in their studios. You can see exhibitions online.
DO NOT MISS
Alchemy t. There is always something interesting in this open space that combines African brand stores, food trucks and the funniest parties in the capital.
Karura Forest . 50 km of trails that take you to a waterfall, a bamboo jungle, several caves and an idyllic restaurant.
Karen Blixen Museum . Karen Rd.; The house where the author lived Memories of Africa , and the film was shot.
David Sheldrick Center . In 1940 there were three million elephants; today, less than 300,000. Since 1977, this center has rescued 396 pachyderms without a mother.
Nairobi P.N. . It is the oldest national park in Africa, and the only one in the world within a capital.
*This report was published in **number 120 of Condé Nast Traveler Magazine (September)**. Subscribe to the printed edition (11 printed issues and a digital version for €24.75, by calling 902 53 55 57 or from our website). The September issue of Condé Nast Traveler is available in its digital version to enjoy on your preferred device.