Nairobi

Kenya’s capital city has risen in a single century from a brackish uninhabited swampland to a thriving modern capital. Nairobi is Kenya’s beating heart, an exciting, maddening concrete jungle that jarringly counterpoints the untrammeled natural beauty to be found elsewhere in the country. This is a place of great contrasts where race, tribe and origin all become facets of a unique Nairobi character.

Nairobi’s polarizing character ensures that the city is reviled and loved in equal measure, and even those who love it might well admit that it’s the kind of place many rave about only once they’re away from it. For those who call it home, the city’s charms include a vibrant cultural life, fabulous places to eat and exciting nightlife. If you have the time and you’re in the mood for a steak dinner, then be sure to visit the world-renowned Carnivore Restaurant where a bewildering array of meat dishes are prepared on hot coals, and if you have a day or two to spare then a Nairobi safari is just one of the many surprises this city has to offer.

This is not a modern capital separated from the great wilderness that surrounds it. With a fabulous national park on its doorstep, some wildlife-centric attractions, the excellent National Museum and a series of quirky sights, Nairobi’s reality – like that of so many places with a bad reputation – will often come as a pleasant surprise.