Uncovering the Magic of Nairobi: Exploring the Heart of Kenya's Capital City

The word "Wasafi" Is what I keep hearing over and over in my head and the taste of ginger beer. Although its's not a Kenyan word, but a Tanzanian record based company. You may ask , what does this have to do with Nairobi? I hear this word replay because it reminds me of all the fun I had with the young adults that I spent the afternoon with in the informal community of Kibera , but more on that later.

Nairobi known as the " green city of the sun" makes my heart skip a beat just thinking about the time I spent there. I'm still trying to figure it out this pull, this elated feeling of peace and calm that came over me while exploring this city. Arriving from the west coast, I flew on Qatar Airways non -stop from LAX. I will mention here that I had a brief stop over in Qatar which allowed me to explore the city. On Qatar airways website, you can book several different types of tours, depending on how long your stop over is. For me, I had an 8 hour stop over so I booked the the 3 hour city tour for $20 USD.

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Arriving on Juneteenth in the motherland was the greatest feeling ever. The weather was perfect upon arrival and around 70 degrees fahrenheit and I had just missed the rainy season which runs from March to May so if you are planning a trip go between July and October or January to February. From the airport you can take UBER to your hotel which would cost between $8-10 USD and will take around 45 min to and hour and a half depending on traffic. Nariobi National Park is so close to the city, when I was in the Uber I noticed some giraffe grazing out in the distance. It was such a sight to see and before I knew it I arrived at my hotel Ibis Style.

Ibis Style Hotel , which is located in the Westlands area is a prime location. This hotel is colorful, stylish, and has trendy touches for the savvy explorer. It is also located 3 miles from the Nairobi CBD ( central business district) making it an ideal spot. My room was nice with coffee machine, tea, hair dyer, wifi, Iphone charger, cable tv flat screen and down the hall an iron and ironing board was available. My stay also included a buffet breakfast which had plenty of vegetarian/vegan options.

The hotel also has two restaurants , rooftop bar with live music and a cafe. If you are in the shopping mood you can literally shop at the hotel for cool Kenyan items at the Maasai market right at the hotel. As a solo female traveler I felt really safe during my stay and security is top notch so please be at ease. Enjoy the happy hour two for one on the roof top, kick back and relax at Ibis! ( Side note, pick a room on a lower floor as you will hear live music on the rooftop playing late at night if you are a light sleeper).

After getting some rest due to jet lag, My first excursion was spending the day with a local named Raisa. Have you ever booked an Airbnb experience? I’m so glad I booked one with Raisa @theafricanthrillist and you can find her on instagram. Airbnb experiences are activities designed and led by inspiring locals. They go beyond typical tours or classes by immersing you in their unique world. Raisa was a gem! From the moment she walked up we hit it off!

My tour included a visit to the Kenyatta convention center in which I saw the Nairobi skyline then over to Uhuru park in which I learned that “ Uhuru” means freedom. Next we headed to the junction mall for the most amazing Maasai market ever! She really negotiated her skills and I walked off with amazing deals. We also had a great conversation over Ethiopian food that went from politics, love🤣 culture, and traditions. She really took care of me from the beginning to the end. If you are in Nairobi I highly suggest you book one of her tours. I also booked a tour with her to the giraffe center and the Kazuri bead factory. She truly is the African Thrillist!

Up next is my tour to Kibera. I took this tour to educate myself about the history, community and to have a memory of daily life. Kibera is the largest informal settlement in Nairobi. Undoubtably this is a very important experience for anyone visiting Nairobi. Touring in Kibera with Padox, the director of the Seed Foundation and his team pictured here Jack and Sylvester was an unforgettable experience. This picture is from my first stop as I tasted the sweetest banana I have ever had from a local vendor. The Seed Foundation works to support Kibera's community members through education.

On the last stop of the tour, Padox takes you to a women's co- op called "Power Women Shop". The Power Women are a group of twenty women who came together to reduce poverty in the community. The group chose the name “power”, meaning strength. “nguru” is a Swahili word for power. Some of the reasons for coming together was to reduce stigma in the community. As I entered the shop, I met Elizabeth (the chair lady of the group) and Rosemary (the treasurer). Their history starts back in 2004 when a few HIV-positive women suffering from discrimination gathered searching for a way to change their situation. They told me their inspiring story.

In the beginning, each one of the women was saving 10 Kenyan shillings (KSH) per meeting. With two meetings per week, the group quickly collected 3,000 KSH and could start crafting HIV/AIDS pins. They started reaching out to the community and distributing those pins for free to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS and break the silence and stigma of the disease. Later, they thought of making their initiative more sustainable by kicking off their own business: the Power Women Shop. At the shop, the women sell some handmade jewels made of beads and cow bones as well as bags made out of recycled materials. I was so happy to buy a bracelet handcrafted out of rolled magazine paper to support their efforts.

Overall, visiting Kibera is a social impact experience/tour where 100% of what you pay for goes to the foundation. It is absolutely insightful to see for yourself the conditions of Kibera and the challenges that so many need to overcome every day, but what I really took away from this experience was how incredible the community of Kibera is. The stories I heard and people I met will be with me the rest of my life. It affected me so much that I made an additional donation. Padox and his team were so full of joy, jokes and fun. We sang Afro pop beats as we walked along and kept whispering to each other " Wasafi". In Kibera, where hardships and challenges are faced daily, you will find while on this tour that optimism is still the leader.

Sunday’s in Nairobi is for the K1Klubhouse and the amazing flea market located inside. The K1 Flea Market Sunday has become a Nairobi favorite. There are plenty of vendors, brunch, cocktail happy hour, a tarot card reader, good music and a live band in the evening! Your perfect Sunday plan. Plus it has so many instagrammable photo ops!. I loved the decor inside with the colorful umbrella display. It was such a casual cool atmosphere filled with locals, and westerners. I must warn you, make sure you have a lot of energy, the party goes all night literally!

Indulge yourself everyday with a selection of the best DJ'S and a mouthwatering menu compromising of African and western meals. K1 is a convergence of various cultures that blend together to present the ultimate fun.

East Africa travel tip: Boda Boda!

You can't leave Kenya without riding on a Boda Boda! Boda bodas are motorcycle taxis commonly found in East Africa. 

1. Completely safe.

2. Use Uber to call one.

3. Other apps to use are Safe Boda and Boda Boda! 

4. Make sure the driver has a helmet for you and a vest.

5. Hold tight! 

6. Don’t take a random one from the street. 🏍

7. Be a boda boda bae!

Moving on to the Nairobi National Museum! You can’t leave Nairobi without visiting the Nairobi National Museum! Travel tip: No need to buy your tickets online like I did, it didn’t save time and in fact it turned out to be a hassle. I bought my ticket on trip advisor but it took 30 min for the museum to authenticate my ticket sigh. Live and learn! The role of this museum is to collect, preserve, study, document, and present Kenya’s past and present cultural and natural heritage. Interestingly enough, I was reading the history here and found that in some Kenyan communities, having a gap in your two front teeth is a sign of beauty! As a gap tooth woman, I was thrilled to find out this information. Thanks, ancestors!

Shop shop shop till you drop! I literally have never shopped so much while visiting a country! However, shopping is a way of boosting the country's economy and tourism and I was happy to do it. Some of my favorite spots to visit for shopping was the Yay Yay center, Junction mall ( which also included a musical market filled with African dancers.) Wasp and sprout in which I had an amazing lunch while visiting their shop above the cafe. Also be sure to check out the Village Market. This is the place where I found the best deals and the most unique items. From charming boutiques to open-air shopping malls and manic markets, the ones I mentioned above are the best shops in Nairobi. Just remember to take your time, browse, and bargin hard as shopping in Nairobi is truly an art form.

There are so many details about Nairobi that I probably left out and I could go on and on about it, but nothing was more beautiful then to end my journey in Karura forest. Karura Forest is an urban forest in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya. The forest was gazetted in 1932 and is managed by the Kenya Forest Service in conjunction with the Friends of Karura Forest Community Forest Association. I was lucky enough to take a three hour bike ride for ($5 ) with a local through this lush forest. The forest offers eco-friendly opportunities for Kenyans and visitors to enjoy a leafy green respite from the hustle and bustle of the city to walk, to jog, or simply to sit quietly and experience the serenity of nature in all its diversity. I really loved the waterfalls and, if you are lucky you might catch a glimpse of an antelope or two!

Overall, I really enjoyed my first trip to the motherland! Kenya wowed me in so many ways that I'm still thinking about it to this day. Intense traffic, a strong multicultural vibe, big global businesses — and yet you can still feed giraffes and elephants within the city limits! Soak up the vibe from your interactions with the boda boda drivers, the mango vendors downtown, the security guards at the shopping malls to the uber drivers. I found that as a solo female traveler it was easy to navigate the city and people are very helpful. It was also just felt good being in a city where I could use my black privilege lol! You will find such positive energy and inspiration for days. Like my title says Kenya , its not just a city, its a state of mind.