Nairobi, the Big Bang of East Africa
Land at dawn at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. A clueless giraffe may greet you at the exit, as the road into the city center laps through Nairobi National Park . Don't waste your nerves in the chaos downtown. Don't run out on safari either. Nairobi can be unpleasant at first sight, but it hides gems that the visitor should not miss.
Founded in colonial times, Nairobi still has some treasures from that time , as the Train station , hardly modified since its construction, at the beginning of the 20th century. Nearby, the most recent history looms in the Memorial of August 7 , on the site of the United States Embassy in Nairobi until the attack on that day in 1998.
Continue through the Moi Avenue and visit the National Archives to soak up the local culture, then continue on to the Kenyatta International Conference Center to go up to the heliport and contemplate the city from above. End the day with a concert at the French alliance , or with Congolese music and grilled meat ( nyama choma ) in Simmers.
Nairobi's financial district, however, has little to offer. The rich neighborhoods in the north of the city and Karen have not succumbed -yet- to the wild housing bubble and it is in them that you will find a green breath , as in the leafy Karura Forest or Nairobi National Park . If you are in love with Memories of Africa , go to Karen and explore the ancient domains of the Baroness Blixen . In them they can feed giraffes or visit an elephant orphanage.
Because although Nairobbery (“Nai-robo”) has earned the fame of an insecure city, a little common sense is enough to enjoy her pleasures without suffering from her headaches.
Nairobi National Park
FEATURED PLACES
Karura Forest
The Karura Forest is the lung of Nairobi . The only green area in the city where you can stop hearing traffic noise. You can explore it on foot or by bicycle (which they rent in the park itself). Take some food with you and have a picnic in the park, take a nap in the shade on a Maasai blanket and head into the forest to look for the waterfalls and caves where they hid from the British settlers the Mau Mau liberators . After the independence of Kenya, in the years in which corruption and the real estate bubble (now consolidated) began to appear, Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai fought in Karura for green to remain green . And she won.
Kiambethu Farm
Kenya's colonial past is on display at places like the Kiambehu Tea Plantation. The hostess, an elderly white Kenyan woman of British descent, she offers a tour of the history of tea and the brewing process from when she is plucked from the bush until she lands in your cup . A lunch in the spectacular garden of the house and a walk through the nearby forest and tea plantations complete the visit. A little over half an hour by taxi from the center of Nairobi (if there is no traffic), and you will feel like you have changed planets.
Nairobi National Park
Sleep in an American chain hotel, have Japanese food for dinner, and spend the day in the savannah? Nairobi National Park is often overlooked at the expense of the great nature reserves, but it is well worth a while: make yourself some sandwiches and go eat during Spanish time . Take advantage of the sunset hours looking for lions and driving between antelopes , seeing rhinoceroses with the center of Nairobi in the background and, to top it off, watching the sun go down behind the ngong hills.
Nairobi National Park
Train museum
The history of Kenya and the history of the railway in East Africa can hardly be separated. The British articulated their holdings in the region with an iron scar linking the port city of Mombasa with Kampala , the capital of Uganda . They founded a city from a railway camp in an area with fresh water (which is what 'Nairobi' means in Maasai) and from there, it got out of hand. The crazy railway project to connect the coast with the interior of the continent earned him the nickname of Lunatic Express . The feat of construction (some workers ended up in the stomach of the lions) and other curiosities is explained by this museum, used in recent years as a concert stage. The Lunatic Express still runs between Nairobi and Mombasa , from the nearby station, and constitutes quite an experience.
Train museum
McMillan Library
Teetering on the fine line between charming decadence and in need of a good lick of paint, the he McMillan Library presides over downtown Nairobi. Located next to the Friday Mosque and with the palm-shaped figure of the Kenyatta International Conference Center on the horizon, this colonial building encloses an oasis of silence and the smell of old books. If you manage to mislead the librarians and sneak upstairs, you might find yourself on a lion rug welcoming you into a room with books covered in two fingers of dust. A supposed restoration would have tidied it up. Or not. This is Nairobi.
Karen Blixen Museum
Yes Memories of Africa it's your fault you're in Nairobi, Karen Blixen's house-museum it is a must see. Located, indeed, at the foot of the Ngong Hills, the handsome colonial home features furnishings by Baroness Blixen, but it's more of a display of movie paraphernalia. Not far from there (by car) you can visit the grave of Denys Finch-Hatton . In the Railway Museum is the train that was used in the film.
Karen Blixen Museum
TOP RESTAURANTS
Sno-Cream ice cream parlor
Can you imagine an ice cream parlor from the 50s? And in the XXI century? Far from vintage fashion, Sno-Cream has remained as is since its opening, in colonial times. Yellow and white tiles, naive drawings of the products painted on the walls, high stools in front of the bar, old posters of soft drinks, and traditional ice creams made with ancient machines. If one didn't come across downtown Nairobi on the way out (specifically, at the junction of Koinange and Monrovia streets), and instead had a Cadillac parked with Betty and Marlon waiting, it would look like something out of a Yankee movie. The best gastronomic treat in the city center.
Alexander
The best patisserie and sandwich shop in Nairobi is in the yaya mall , in the Kilimani neighborhood. Go up the stairs to the right of the box and sit on the terrace to avoid the hubbub on the ground floor of the mall. You can create a sandwich as you like, although do not expect serrano ham or loin. The chocolate croissants and fruit and cream cakes are fabulous. They're not cheap, but don't let that make you back down.
Talisman
Probably the best restaurant in Nairobi. Continental food with exotic touches in a neat colonial-inspired building with a large garden. Located in the leafy and exclusive neighborhood of Karen, Talismán is an excellent option to eat during the weekend , when traffic volume is lower in the Kenyan capital. Feel like an aristocrat of the early 20th century and take a seat at this restaurant after visiting the nearby home of Baroness Blixen. (It is advisable to book in advance).
The restaurant where you have to be
Purdy Arms
Forget the hustle and bustle of Nairobi at this English tavern-restaurant in the Karen neighborhood. The best service in the entire city in the midst of endless gardens and good western and local dishes, ranging from Tilapia hamburger with orange sauce . It fills up (and gets very lively) whenever there are rugby matches to watch on TV.
English tavern-restaurant with weeping hamburgers
Fogo Gaucho
If you are a meat lover, the Brazilian picanha of Fogo Gaucho will not disappoint you . Especially since, for a fixed price, you can have your fill of beef, pork, chicken, lamb and even crocodile. Also salads. which, washed down with the best caipirinhas in town , make this establishment one of the most appropriate starting points before venturing out into Nairobita at night.
About Thyme
continental food in a pretty Westlands garden house . Original dishes at an acceptable price in a perfect setting for a dinner with your partner. It is located a few hundred meters from the ruins of what was the west gate mall , until a terrorist attack took it away in September 2013, in case you need to appease your morbid appetite as well.
A garden house with a kitchen of 10
TOP HOTELS
Hotel Oakwood
A good mid-price option for staying in the heart of Nairobi. Colonial look, full wood panelling, an old lever elevator, and a bar and restaurant for a break from the hustle and bustle of the capital. From the terrace of the Oakwood and with a bottle of the local Tusker beer by your side , the tingling of Nairobi's inhabitants is more entertaining. The restaurant serves both western and local food. Of course, do not expect the luxury and service of the big hotels.
Sarova Stanley
Located across from the Oakwood, the Stanley is one of the most luxurious and traditional hotels in the city . It is where the aristocracy traditionally stays: from Ernest Hemingway to Ava Gardner, or, more recently, Sean Connery. Stately atmosphere and staff sometimes too helpful. The newsstand next to the hotel, also owned by the Stanley, is one of the few places to find international newspapers: when hotel patrons throw away newspapers they've taken on the plane, they return to a recycled life at that newsstand.
**Fairview Hotel**
The best choice for luxury accommodation in central Nairobi. Located in a safe neighborhood (courtesy of the nearby Israeli Embassy), the Fairview Hotel offers very competitive prices for services at the level of large international hotel chains . Comfortable, pleasant, with several restaurants to choose from and well-kept gardens.
** The Norfolk Hotel **
Founded two years after Sarova Stanley, the Norfolk is also closely associated with Kenya's colonial history . The list of personalities who passed through it can help you get an idea of what to expect from its facilities: Winston Churchill and Theodore Roosevelt opted for it. Somewhere in Africa has some scenes shot on it.
**African Heritage House**
Is house-museum-hotel treasures art from all over the continent. The owner, an American who came to Kenya in the 1970s, created a large export company for African art and, after going bankrupt at the turn of the century, retired to this Malian-inspired house on the Swahili coast. Guided tours with lunch or dinner can be booked, as well as overnight stays in the original rooms of the building, with views of the Nairobi National Park . Each room and each bathroom are works of (African) art in themselves.
sankara
Nairobi loses its hostile aspect from the roof of the Sankara. The cocktails at the bar and the pool (with one end suspended in the void) will make you feel more in Europe than what one usually imagines of Kenya. Sankara has become one of the benchmarks of luxury in the Kenyan capital , and the spa service will give you an idea of why.
The best option to stay in the city center
SHOPPING:
**Web Spinners**
This large store houses all kinds of necklaces, ceramics, paintings and other original products from more than 200 merchants. If you are looking for higher quality jewelry than that offered in the classic Maasai markets, give Spinners a try . They also sell children's toys and bedding and other textiles.
bookstop
On the second floor of the Yaya shopping center, hides what is probably the best African-themed bookstore on the continent . In recent years it has quadrupled its space and grounds are not lacking. Chan and company will be able to give you a legion of titles, whatever you are looking for. If you spend new, maybe it's not a bad time to get hold of A Guide to the Birds of East Africa . It is not an ornithological guide, but one of the funniest and most tender romances that have been written with Nairobi as the setting. In Spanish it is called A dance in Nairobi .
**Kitengela, 30 km from Nairobi**
Although it has stores spread across various malls in Nairobi, visiting Kitengela Central Studio is more than just shopping. See how recycled glass cups, vases or trays are made in the ovens, products that are then put on sale in the establishment itself, well compensates for the trip. This original business has made a name for itself in the world of glassware, but also in the world of art.
Bahati
African-inspired fashion at affordable prices? Bahati has bags and accessories for sale but, above all, dresses: choose a fabric, choose a design and at Bahati they take care of customizing it for you in a few days for much less than you think. This female bane is located within the precincts of the popular K1 bar, in the Parklands neighborhood.
Nairobi Market
Located in the financial district of the Kenyan capital, this art deco building that looks like a zeppelin hangar from the First World War It houses a labyrinth of shops from which, if it depended on the will of the vendors, you would never escape. Trinkets of all colors, sizes and prices (inflated shamelessly, but always dribble ), flowers, fruit, and even meat and fish in the neighboring warehouse. Another option for classic souvenirs are the Maasai markets that the shopping centers organize every weekend.
Kuona Trust
Tired of the classic “African” souvenirs? Are you interested in contemporary local art? Kuona Trust houses the workshops of some twenty painters and sculptors who work with any material at their disposal: from bottle caps to advertising papers, through glass or wood. In general, they are extroverted people who will have no problem chatting with visitors to explain their work. They have a store where they put their works on sale.
*** You may also be interested in...**
- Kenya guide: what to do in the superlative country
- Movie Kenya: the country of the African blockbuster
- Everything you need to know about Kenya
- Uganda: the country to live without a phone
- Africa in one bite in Madrid
If you are looking for higher quality jewelry...