Nairobi travel guide

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Nairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The city and its surrounding area form the Nairobi Province. The name "Nairobi" means "the place of cool waters" and is famous for its scenic beauty. Nairobi is a colonial creation that sprang up from the construction of the Mombasa to Uganda railway in the late 19th century. Since then it has developed in leaps and bounds to become a centre for international business and now has become a cosmopolitan and multicultural city. But the city has maintained a strong British presence, and a lasting legacy from colonial rule.

Nairobi is also known as the safari capital of Africa. It offers lot of thrill and adventure due to its proximity to the Africa's natural wildlife park. The city has many shopping complexes, eating outlets and several tourists attractions. The perfect weather and the rich culture make it an excellent place to visit.

Fast Facts

√ The National Museum

√ The National Archives

√ The Railway Museum

√ Jamia Mosque

Nairobi is Kenya's capital and home to fascinating monuments, places and the stimulating mix of cultures. A cosmopolitan collection of shops, a rich blend of cultural activities, long chain of restaurants and friendly people makes it an ideal holiday destination. Nairobi has so much to give that you will actually have to extend your stay over here. Here you have an endless list of things to do to distract yourself and escape from the hustle and bustle of the city life. Take the complete advantage of the city's location and closeness to the national wildlife reserve and enjoy the thrill.

Nairobi has a wonderful and exhilarating nightlife, waiting for you to explore. But it may be wise to start with any of the popular bars instead of the discos and clubs since they aren't busy until midnight. Several clubs and bars such as Gypsy's, Sohos, and Kengeles and so on, are there which feature music, traditional delicacies and drinks.

Nairobi has an unbelievable array of excellent restaurants. The wide range of local and traditional cuisines available will satisfy your taste buds. Both the city centre and the suburbs are home to an ever increasing chain of restaurants, with a remarkable diversity in cuisines. Although majority of people living in Nairobi are Africans but still you will find several international cuisines being served, depicting a rich blend of various cultures. In Nairobi one can choose between African, Indian, British, French, Italian, Lebanese and many other restaurants. Most also serve vegetarian meals, but often the Indian restaurants offer the most choice in vegetarian food.

Carnivore Restaurant
An outing to this restaurant, just outside the city, is an essential part of any visit to Nairobi. Nairobi's most famous nyama choma (literally "roast meat") restaurant no longer serves plains game.

Nairobi offers you all the pleasures of shopping. Here one can definitely satisfy all the shopping desires and temptations. Some of the best shopping spots in the city are located in Westland, Parklands and Gigiri. The popular shopping malls include The Village Market Gigiri and Sarit Centre Westlands. Both of these have popular brands, expensive boutiques, some of the finest food courts and cinemas etc. Nairobi is the best place in East Africa to buy handicrafts and artifacts. Visit the Zanzibar Curio Shop on Moi Avenue or the Zebra Crafts on Koinange Street for crafts, carvings, fabrics etc. Groceries and general shopping can be done from either Nakumatt or Uchumi chain of supermarkets which offer items at reasonable prices.

The town is well served by an extensive bus network that takes you around almost anywhere in the city.

The most popular means of local transport is Matatus (minibuses) that are often crowded and even not safe to travel. But these have become a part of Kenyan culture and are very much preferred by the locals.

Walking is the best way to get around the city and explore the beauty around. Most of the people choose to walk mainly because of congestion on roads and traffic jams.

Taxis are widely available and convenient mode of traveling around the city and commonly used by the tourists coming here.

Nairobi is served primarily by Jomo Kenyatta International Airport which is the largest one in Central Africa. It handles millions of passengers and is a major transit hub for passengers flying to Africa. Reaching Nairobi by air is the easiest option available. The buses are available for traveling from one city to another. Getting to Nairobi by bus is cheap but it is very time consuming.