nairobi.

a glimpse of kenya’s capital city.

punch buggy blue! nairobi national park :: nairobi, kenya.

in march i traveled to kenya where i celebrated my 30th birthday in nairobi! i only spent a few quick days exploring the capital – a whirlwind tour of the city! with a population of more than 3 million people, nairobi is brimming with diversity and full of wild contrast. sprawling out from a bustling downtown, the city center is surrounded by lush villa suburbs with colonial architecture, british names, and modern shopping centers. yet, nairobi is also home to one of the largest urban slums in africa: kibera is about the size of new york’s central park and has over 1 million residents who live in roughly constructed shanty dwellings without electricity or running water.

nairobi’s national park is less than 5 miles from the city center – a safari crazy close to a metropolis – with skyscrapers providing a surprising backdrop for the roaming wildlife.

i was anxious to get to the coast, but absolutely enjoyed the days i spent roaming nairobi – crisscrossing downtown on foot, dining by candlelight when the power went (a frequent occurrence in the city), skirting the wild rains, taxi-safari-ing through the national park (chasing zebras off road!) and of course fearing for my life on (possibly one too many) wild matatu rides through infamous nairobi traffic at breakneck speeds.

enjoy!

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the nairobi railway station: