24 hours in Nairobi
Nairobi is usually a stopover city skipped over by travellers understandably eager to make their way out of town for that once-in-a-lifetime safari trip or to soak up the sun on the coast. Nairobi can feel hectic, sprawling and all-around intimidating — but for those in the know, it’s an energetic city full of great places to eat and hidden gems to explore. My parents and grandparents grew up in Kenya, and everytime I visit I discover new places, as well as revisiting old favourites that have withstood the test of time. If you only have 24 hours in Nairobi, here’s my little guide for the what, where and how of your day.
After landing in Jomo Kenyatta Airport, my first port of call is always Java House to grab an iced black coffee with just a smidge of syrup, and a cheese pie — the perfect way to re-energise after a long-haul flight. Traveller’s tip — make sure to have the Uber app downloaded to your phone and connected to a card that allows you to pay in Kenyan Shillings (I use Revolut), as it’s the easiest and most convenient way to get around town — and an Uber ChapChap will rarely cost you more than £6–8 a trip.
My family have always held great affection for elephants; elephant was the first word that my sister learnt to say in Gujarati and I will always miss seeing the way my late Nani’s eyes would light up whenever she saw them; the graceful adults and the galumphing babies. For this reason, going to the 11am feeding session at the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust has become a kind of essential pilgrimage for whenever I’m in Nairobi. The Trust, founded by Dr Dame Daphne Sheldrick, have rescued and rehabilitated over 265 elephants and is loved by first-time visitors and locals alike.
Nearby, is the Giraffe Centre, the site of my first kiss — a very wet lick from a giraffe after my dad dared me to balance the food pellet on my face — offering a unique opportunity to get up close and, in my case, a bit too personal, with some gorgeous Rothschild giraffes. If you’re lucky you might even spot a warthog or two.
If you’re not an animal lover, try heading into the CBD instead to check out the magnificent view of the entire city from the helipad of the KICC Tower and grab a chocolate dipped vanilla ice cream cone from Sno-Cream, a dessert so beloved by my family that my cousin had it at one of her wedding events.
When it comes to shopping, Kazuri Beads is one of my favourite Kenyan brands, having started out as a small jewellery workshop experimenting with hand-crafted ceramic beads made from clay from Mount Kenya. It has since grown to employ over 340 women, most of whom are single parents. I particularly enjoy visiting the workshop in Karen where the beads are shaped, painted and fired in the kiln.
Pallet Café is a great next stop. This outdoor café and community space in Lavington not only serves great food and cold tall glasses of fresh tree tomato juice, it also provides training to members of Nairobi’s disabled community in the food service industry. Finding places like these that try to engage with all of Nairobi’s urban population, not just an enclave of a privileged few, is important to me. Whilst Nairobi is an exciting place, it is also a deeply unequal place and whilst it’s not easy to make a tangible difference as a short-term visitor, try to support social enterprises like Pallet Café and others including BananaBox and OceanSole.
If there’s one thing you’ll never get enough of in Nairobi, it’s opportunities for great food. One of my all time favourite places, ever since my uncle got us takeaway masala chips and egg chapatis from there, is Mint Shack. It’s the perfect place for a koroga, which is a typical Kenyan style of cooking and eating outdoors. Koroga comes from the word ‘stir’ in Kiswahili, and usually involves ordering a load of ingredients to make your favourite Indian meal and cooking it together, while sipping on a Tusker, a classic Kenyan beer. Excitingly, they now also do the mango tequila shots rimmed with chilli salt that I loved from the sadly recently closed Gipsy Bar, a watering hole for my parents during their time in Nairobi. The music scene in Nairobi is unstoppable and to get a taste of it, head straight to The Alchemist, an open air event space that turns into a nightclub with live performances of up and coming Kenyan artists. A day that starts with black coffee and ends with a dance sounds like a day in Nairobi well spent.
Nairobi is a city with effervescent potential and I’m excited to return as soon as I can. If you’re planning a longer trip, you can check out my Bimble here for more recommendations of things to do in Nairobi like Spinner’s Web, Nairobi National Park and the Masai Market but for now, 24h in Nairobi. Sorted.
All photos by Sarina, unless stated otherwise.
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