Nairobi

Nairobi isn’t  all concrete  jungle — it’s the gateway to your Kenyan safari.  The city is full of  jacaranda trees  that blossom  purple  every October and  Nairobi National Park  is  just  a few kilometres from  the city  centre  (in fact, you can see the skyscrapers from the park!).  If you can’t wait to get your fill of Kenyan wildlife, visit the  Sheldrick  Elephant Orphanage and the Giraffe Centre.   

Nairobi also has a vibrant  nightlife and plenty of  great restaurants  for international or Kenyan cuisine.  It’s worth adding a day or two in Nairobi to your itinerary to spend getting acquainted with this  multicultural capital.   

• The main languages are Kiswahili  and English.  
• There are two airports: Jomo  Kenyatta International Airport (NBO) serves international flights and Wilson Airport (WIL), where you’ll usually catch light-aircraft flights to Kenyan safari destinations like the Masai Mara. They are 20 km apart, which takes anywhere between 20 minutes and an hour to drive, depending on traffic.  
• Nairobi traffic is notorious. Always leave enough time to get to your destination  (for example, when transferring between airports).  
• You can use Uber, taxis or a  transfer service to get around. It is not recommended to walk after dark.  
• There are plenty of ATMs where you can get Kenyan shillings, including at the airport.  

Nairobi was established in 1899 by British colonists as a depot for the Uganda Railway. It replaced Mombasa as capital of the British East Africa Protectorate in  1905  and retained its status after Kenyan independence in 1963. Nairobi National Park was the country’s first national park when it was founded in 1946.  

Nairobi is derived from the  Maa  words for ‘cool water.’ Today, it’s often called the ‘City in the Sun’ and is one of the largest cities in Africa, with a population of nearly 4 million in the city itself and around 6.5 million in the greater metropolitan area.