Top 5 Fun Facts About Nairobi

Top 5 Fun Facts About Nairobi

I believe anyone coming to East Africa knows Kenya, and anyone coming to Kenya knows Nairobi.

This is because Nairobi is one of the most dynamic cities in the continent, the most economic city in East Africa, and the largest city in Kenya, with a population of over 4 million people.

The city is full of culture, it is fun, there are lots of things to do during both day and night, and best of all, it is affordable for the most part.

Nairobi also has the country’s main international airport – the Jomo Kenyatta International airport, and so many tourists coming to Kenya will most probably land in Nairobi first before preceding to other parts of the country.

Nairobi started as a railway camp, where the British rested as they built the Mombasa to Uganda railway line. It was previously known as “Ewaso Nai’beri”, but the British had a problem pronouncing the name so instead they coined their own name, “Nairobi”.

There’s a lot more I can say about Nairobi, but let’s check out some fun facts you probably didn’t know about the city.

Nairobi attractions

Did you know that Nairobi has some of the best attractions in Kenya? To begin with, Nairobi is home to the Nairobi National Park, the only national park that boarders a capital city. This makes this park particularly special, as you get the opportunity of watching wildlife with a backdrop of the city skyline.

Nairobi is also home to the David Sheldrick’s Trust, best known for protecting orphaned baby Elephants. It is an orphanage that is open to the public for one hour every day where you get a chance to be educated about the animals, watch them being fed, and what’s more, you can adopt one!

Nairobi is also home to the Giraffe Centre, a popular tourist attraction for both the international and local tourists. Here, you have the opportunity of feeding, touching, and taking photos with Giraffes.

The Bomas of Kenya, an open air museum, is also located in Nairobi. It is a place that offers an opportunity to experience cultural performances, and learn about the Kenyan tribes, among other things.

Other attractions to visit in the city include the “Mamba” (Crocodile) village, the Karura Forest, the Maasai markets among others.

Nairobi night life

Nairobi never sleeps, a fun fact you will quickly realize especially if you happen to be in town at night. The city is actually one of the most popular in Africa when it comes to its night life.

The number of night clubs, bars, and “locals” (small gathering areas in the estates) in the city is amazing. What’s more, everyone has a place they will fit, according to their budget. There are clubs where the richest in the city hang out, there are those for the middle class group, there are the “locals” for those who couldn’t be bothered to go to town, and then there are small clubs that serve much affordable drinks to the local “mwananchi” (citizen).

Some popular nightclubs in Nairobi include the B Club located in Kilimani estate, 1824 on Langata Road, 40Forty lounge in Westlands, and Brew Bistro & Lounge along Ngong Road.

There are also many big restaurants all over the city that operate until late.

©Trending.co.ke

Transport in Nairobi

Anyone that has ever visited Nairobi will tell you about the streets in Nairobi, the “Matatus”, which are the main public transportation, the “Nduthis” (motorbikes), another popular transportation in the city, and the taxi services including “Uber”, “Bolt” and “Little Cab”, among others.

Matatus are mini buses or smaller vans that provide transport for city dwellers coming from their homes to the city and back. They are pieces of artwork, and can be very interesting to see especially for someone coming to Nairobi for the first time. They are decorated with graffiti, images of international pop icons, contemporary topics, etc. They also play really loud music, and are very popular with the younger generation. There are also some that are not as decorated and not as loud, mostly favoured by the older generation.

You will almost always need to use either or a combination of all the various transportation options in the same day, depending on what you are doing in town, and how fast you want to get from point A to B.

You see, Nairobi is crazy busy. People, in big numbers, are always walking up and down the city. Matatus are almost everywhere and can be noisy sometimes, there will be people pushing carts depending on which area of town you are in, the nduthis are everywhere, and it can get chaotic. But it is also fun to try any of the transportation, albeit for the fun of it!

Nairobi Malls

Nairobi carries the most number of malls in Kenya.

From the Two Rivers Mall along Limuru road, to the Village Market Mall also along Limuru road, to the Garden City Mall on Thika road and the Thika Road Mall also on Thika road, the Hub Mall in Karen, the Waterfront Mall also in Karen, the Junction Mall along Ngong road, to T-Mall and Galleria Malls on Langata road and many more, it’s no wonder the city is renowned as one of the most developed in Africa.

A mall like the Two Rivers Mall is actually the largest shopping centre in East Africa, and the largest mall in sub-Saharan Africa except South Africa, occupying a space of 65,000 square metres.

©Reuters

Nairobi Slums

As you enjoy fine restaurants in the city and see lavish spending in some of the nightclubs in Nairobi at night, you might be forgiven to think that this is the way of life for everyone living in the city.

But it is not. There are some folks that are not so privileged, and these are the ones that live in the slums.

There are two main slums in Nairobi, the Kibera and Mathare slums.

Kibera is actually one of the largest and poorest slums in Africa.

These slums are where some of the Nairobi’s poorest people live. But it is also where some very successful Kenyans have come from, and who have gone back to help out the younger generations growing up where they grew up, and giving them hope for a better future.

There you have it. Top 5 fun facts about Nairobi! There are many more, but you now have the opportunity to come and see and experience them for yourself! See you soon!