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progressive
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Nairobi gets mixed reviews depending on how long you stay and what you're looking for. People who spent extended time there, particularly as a base for digital nomad life or travel within Kenya, generally enjoyed the experience. The climate is consistently pleasant, and people are described as friendly and welcoming. Nairobi is viewed as a good launch point for travel to surrounding nature areas such as safaris, beaches, and mountains. The city is also fairly cosmopolitan with a growing tech and nightlife scene, and Uber is commonly used to get around.
On the downside, those staying short-term often found it lacking. Common complaints include high costs relative to what you get, especially for a city with poor infrastructure and low walkability. The internet and general digital services were noted as being spotty by some. Nairobi is also heavily car-dependent, with limited public transport or pedestrian-friendly areas. Food was viewed as average overall with some vegan options but not a noted highlight.
The overall experience can range from frustrating to enjoyable, depending largely on expectations and length of stay. Those who integrate more deeply appear to have had the best time.
AI-generated summary of reviews
Lived in Nairobi off and on since 2019 - it's my home base when not nomading. I think it's an excellent place to live. Weather is phenomenal, between 20-27C most of the time. People are super friendly and it's very cosmopolitan (attracts people from all over Kenya, Africa and the world). For Africa it's relatively progressive and I'm not sure why it gets a "not safe for women" (IME it's not perfect but no worse than many other countries around the world and much less regressive than Middle East, South Asia, etc.) It's an excellent jumping off point for the rest of Kenya which is very diverse (beaches/mountains/savannahs/deserts) - a bit like SF in that the city itself is great but a lot of the appeal is surrounding nature. Tech and nightlife scenes are vibrant.
Main cons: it's not THAT cheap, it's not an amazing food city, mainly car-based for getting around (Uber is cheap though). From talking to other nomads, people who come here for a few weeks have a bad time, people who come for a few months get better integrated and have a fantastic time.
2 months ago
December 2022: Nairobi is a city less walkable than Bangkok, worse infrastructure than the Eastern European province, a non-service culture that would rival Germany, WiFi & 3G/4G like in rural Kyrgyzstan (the kind of where you walk with your phone in your stretched out hand)….
All of that you get for almost US-level prices.
Nah, I didn’t have a good time. It feels utterly derelict and careless. Zero things to do except paying through your nose for Safari stuff. Although the people are very friendly (if you sift through the ones that want your wallet).
3 years ago
Lived in Nairobi off and on since 2019. I think it's an excellent place to live. Weather is phenomenal, between 20-27C most of the time. People are super friendly and it's very cosmopolitan (attracts people from all over Kenya, Africa and the world). For Africa it's relatively progressive and I'm not sure why it gets a "not safe for women" (IME it's not perfect but no worse than many other countries around the world and much less regressive than Middle East, South Asia, etc.) It's an excellent jumping off point for the rest of Kenya which is very diverse (beaches/mountains/savannahs/deserts) - a bit like SF in that the city itself is great but a lot of the appeal is surrounding nature. Tech and nightlife scenes are vibrant.
Main cons: it's not THAT cheap, it's not an amazing food city, mainly car-based for getting around (Uber is cheap though).
3 years ago
I visited Nairobi twice - in 2017 and then again in 2019. On my second visit, I stayed in a comfortable 2 bdrm apartment with friends. It was super easy to move around - just call Uber. I visited a few nice shopping malls where I shopped and ate lunch. Prices were reasonable for me (an American). I'm also vegan and there were vegan options at all of the restaurants I visited as well as a great vegan restaurant (Indian cuisine). The best part of the trip for us was going on safari. It's a long drive to safari country (Amboselli NP, Maasai Mara NP) but the experience is well worth it. I also visited Mombasa which, while not as big a city as Nairobi, had lovely beaches and the hotel where we stayed was great.
4 years ago
Nairobi is one of he best place to be a Nomad in Africa. Very low cost of living especially if you know where to look.
6 years ago