On my way back from Madagascar, I stopped over in Addis Ababa and Nairobi for a few days. My perception was definitely skewed, after living in what is now classified as the least developed country in the world, but Nairobi felt like paradise. I honestly couldn’t have told you how it was any different than London or LA, except Nairobi has GIRAFFES!
I was there for two days and have a basic itinerary everyone should follow. I’ve also got some tips – basically don’t be me and book the cheapest accommodation you can find. My room was full of mosquitos and though malaria isn’t really a worry in Nairobi, after spending months being extremely sceptical of any mosquito it was really unpleasant to hear them buzzing in my ear all night. I’d either book a legit hotel, as I did in Addis, or stay in Karen, which isn’t that close to the city centre but is really close to a lot of the tourist places.
I booked a tour and I have to say it was really unnecessary. Uber is huge in Nairobi and I could have easily just Ubered myself to each of the places on the tour – most come with their own guides so our official tour guide didn’t even come inside most of the places. He was basically a glorified driver, though he was the one who brought us on our safari of Nairobi National Park – and it was clear he wasn’t a professional. Top tip: hire a real safari guide for NNP and uber the rest of the way – unless you’re flying solo like I was and wanted some forced company. I had two cool women on my trip and one took loads of photos for me, so that was pretty bomb.