Nairobi is the gateway to countless adventures including many types of safari (the Swahili word for “long journey”) and the region’s wars and humanitarian crises. The city definitely has a buzz.  It is also dusty, from the red earth in that part of Kenya, and, at an elevation of nearly 6,000 feet/1,800 meters, chilly-cold especially at night and early morning. I’ve been here several times including a month long stint about four years ago. For now, this is the best way to where I’m headed on the next leg of my trip, Somalia. 

There are some great hotels and some great restaurants here. On the high end is the Norfolk Hotel, a former haunt of British colonials and Big Game hunters like Ernest Hemmingway. It is worth stopping by for a drink or meal on the veranda. Also towards the high end is the Fairview Hotel which is a good bet. My room here has all the normal facilities and is on the second floor with half a view over the gardens. At the low end, there are plenty of places that charge by the hour and some good backpacker hostels.    

Nairobi National Park, practically in town, is also seeable in less than a day. Most of the big animals are seen here and sometimes with the city skyline in the background. There are also a lot of smaller animals like those in the tree in this photo.   

The city is itself half a slum (Kibera is the second largest in Africa after Soweto in South Africa) and home to considerable unrest. On the night I arrived, a public rally in Uruhu (Freedom) Park ended when someone threw a grenade killing six people. It’s still a great place to visit and pass through on the way to other adventures but always follow big city rules with plenty of caution.