Barely a decade younger than Kigali, Nairobi has its origins as a swampland, and it was never intended to be a city. The English colonial administrators had planned a railway depot and labour camp here for African migrant railway workers. It was assumed the migrant labour force would return whence they come eventually (they didn’t, and the story of the Sudanese soldiers of the KAR and the origins of what is now Kibera slum, is a fascinating piece of city origins, identity and tenure history).
What the colonial masters also didn’t predict was the blood lust of the ole boys back at home, who descended upon nascent Nairobi to hunt wild animals, sparking a tourism gold rush that propelled Nairobi into a permanent settlement.
Given Nairobi’s bloody tourism start, it shouldn’t be a big surprise that even as a large, complex, hip, contemporary and middle aged urban metropolis, it is still not a tourism destination in its own right. Nairobi is still very much the transit zone for travellers heading out to watch the incredible wildlife Kenya has to offer.
We have partnered with journalist and cultural producer Maureen Shelmith of JazzSymphonic to create a portfolio of off-the-shelf and custom-made experiences that reveal the Nairobi that makes us all so excited about its present and the future.
Take a look at our range of experiences, and get in touch with us to create something tailor-made. From tech to spirituality to food and fashion and history, the possibilities are endless.
