Nairobi - One of Africa's powerhouse cities

Nairobi’s reputation precedes it.

I found it to be OK, although many tourists pass through – it’s not really a tourist city.

It’s one of Africa’s powerhouse cities. A city of skyscrapers, crowds and shantytowns where money passes through the country. But the truth be told you won’t spend much time here. It’s more than likely that you will be here at the start and end of your safari. Which is a shame because it is a city with uniquely African attractions and it has a buzz and life to it that is worth experiencing?

You may not think so at first. Nairobi is exceptionally busy – traffic is at a standstill, people rush along the battered pavements and many of the buildings in the centre look as if they have decayed from their sixties heyday. But there is a sense of occasion here – a sense of being caught up in humanity. There are some bad areas and you must take the same precautions you take in any big city but at the same time there are some charming areas. The suburbs in the west are like green Elysian fields with mansions overlooking wooded canyons. Nairobi is a strange mix of have-seen-better days seventies architecture, modern skyscrapers, green parks, shanty towns and very heavy traffic.

But occasionally you get a flash of the exotic – a Maasai walking down the street wearing his red robes, marabou storks perching in the trees, safari vans roaming the streets and an African street market to end all street markets. Also, can you think of a capital city in the world which has a game park within its city limits? A stone’s throw from skyscrapers - zebras graze, giraffes browse and lions patiently wait for game.

Quick Tips

Nairobi entered my consciousness as a child. For me it was a place of landrovers, khaki decked rangers and bungalows where animals are hand reared (usually in films with Virginia McKenna). The reality is something different. It’s a big crushed city with the centre consisting of seven griddled roads in a square block. University Road is to the north. Uhuru Park to the west, the mighty Kenyatta Avenue to the south and infamous Moi Avenue to the east.

Everything you will need for your safari will be between these streets – Foreign Exchanges, safari operators, petrol garages, banks, clothing stores, supermarkets, Curio shops and government offices. Your hotel may be in this area (one of mine was) but more likely it will be in the surrounding green streets. Kenyatta Avenue is the main attraction and is lined with skyscrapers and impressive buildings. East of Moi Avenue is a supposedly dodgy area but you are unlikely to need to go there.

Nairobi has a reputation for crime. Nothing happened to me but it does help to take precautions such as leave all valuables back in the hotel like any other city. The worst thing you can do is let paranoia ruin your stay. The centre is perfectly safe in the daytime – in fact you will be ignored as another wuzungu (foreigner) as people move about their business. But if you take care to talk to Nairobi residents you will learn they are actually very charming and, occasionally, big fans of their city.

How to get about

Nairobi is most people’s first stop when arriving in East Africa.

Even if you are whisked off on safari immediately on touchdown you may need the city for those little essentials such as camera batteries and changing up money. Taxis are the best way of getting around and two good taxi ranks are Kimathi Street and the Muranga Road. The rates are reasonable costing about 1000 shillings out to the airport.

Most people get out to the suburbs in Matutus which are small buses which set off when there enough people in them. They are mostly used by Kenyans and are perhaps not the best way for visitors to get around. Intercity buses are in the notorious "River Road" area east of Moi Avenue and I would ask your hotel to purchase tickets for you rather then go to the agencies in River Road itself and also take a taxi to and from the station.

Interestingly there is a railway service from Nairobi down to the Swahili Coast. The train does a night service to Mombasa for about £60. It departs every two days and takes 14 hours, a slow but classy service which travels through Tsavo National Park just as dawn breaks. 

The airport is five miles out and is a pretty modern effort with tight security. Arriving is not much of a culture shock as it has all mod cons and a taxi to the centre costs about £11. If you are flying down to Kilimanjaro and the Tanzanian "northern circuit" then you have to go via Wilson airport. The road into Nairobi skirts the national park and early in the morning giraffes or zebra can be seen from the road.