As the sun rises each morning in equatorial East Africa, Nairobi, Kenya, is already bustling with traffic, streams of pedestrians and people pushing carts. In Nairobi's markets, the floors are washed and fresh produce is artfully arranged, tea sellers unlock their stalls and light their fires, and merchants raise the iron screens from their store windows. Flowers are everywhere, and it is particularly attractive on some of the city's main avenues and in Uhuru Park around December when the jacaranda trees are in bloom.
It is said that Nairobi is one of the only capital cities on the planet with a national park within its city limits. Those who travel on regional and safari flights from Wilson Airport get an up-close look at just how close the urban area is to this park.
Travelers will find that Nairobi is more cosmopolitan and less stressful than many capital cities in Africa. The city center has a lively and modern Central Business District (CBD), some fine colonial buildings, and spacious squares and leafy well-tended parks that are popular with office workers at lunchtime. The attractive and peaceful suburbs to the west, which peter out to the picturesque Ngong Hills overlooking the Rift Valley, are where most of the sights and better accommodations are located.
Still, be prepared for frustration and inconvenience. Nairobi is a place of contrasts, combining high-rise office blocks and upscale shopping malls with frantic matatu and bus stands, heaving markets, and the slums and townships that ring the city. Traffic jams are a frustrating and grueling way to waste time; they are all too common.
Most travelers to Kenya spend a couple of nights in Nairobi before or after a safari. This is time enough to do some curio shopping or perhaps visit some museums or other tourist attractions.
Lying on the outskirts of the city, Nairobi National Park is one of the easiest to visit in the country. Combined with visits to the Animal Orphanage and Safari Walk at the entrance, a half-day visit is a good introduction to the wildlife you are likely to encounter on a longer safari in the rest of the country. Nairobi also boasts the best restaurants and nightlife in Kenya; the most famous is Carnivore, which is on most travelers' itineraries.
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