Afrika in Focus: Tourism in Afrika - Discovering Nairobi - East Africa's Premier Travel Destination

Could Nairobi, Kenya, be the elite travel destination that rivals Europe's finest cities? Discover why this bustling, cosmopolitan metropolis is your perfect holiday spot this December through January.

Join me, Kwame, as I explore Nairobi's unrivalled allure on this week's Africa in Focus. From its impressive infrastructure to its cultural vibrancy, Nairobi stands as both the heartbeat of Kenya and the gateway to East Africa. With a high-speed train whisking travellers from Nairobi to the coastal city of Mombasa and a robust bus network easing your exploration, this city promises an extraordinary experience for anyone ready to uncover its gems.

As the festive season heightens tourism across Africa, Nairobi shines as a must-visit destination. Whether you're traveling solo, as a couple, or with family, Nairobi offers an array of attractions to captivate every visitor.

I emphasize Nairobi's vibrant nightlife, which rivals that of Lagos, Accra, and Johannesburg, ensuring that there is never a dull moment. The city's cosmopolitan flavor is evident in its culinary scene, with a variety of international cuisines such as Indian, Chinese, and Italian, alongside authentic Kenyan dishes. This diversity makes Nairobi a culinary delight for food enthusiasts.

For nature lovers, Nairobi does not disappoint. Just outside the city lies a game reserve where visitors can experience Kenya's rich wildlife, a testament to the country's natural beauty and biodiversity. Additionally, Nairobi's historical significance is showcased through its colonial-era edifices and monuments, reflecting the city's pivotal role in the struggle against British colonial rule. These historical sites offer a glimpse into Kenya's past and its journey to independence, enriching the travel experience with cultural depth.

Shopping enthusiasts will find Nairobi's malls to be on par with those in major cities around the world. Areas like Westlands, known for its trendy and upscale vibe, offer a shopping experience akin to London's Knightsbridge or New York's Manhattan. This cosmopolitan district is a favorite among tourists, adding to the city's allure.

 By promoting Nairobi, I aim to shift perceptions and encourage global travelers to explore the unique offerings of African cities. The episode ends with a teaser for the next edition, where I will revisit the vibrant city of  Accra, Ghana, promising more insights into Africa's vibrant tourism landscape.

Sources:

Nobody Told Me NAIROBI, KENYA Was Like This!

Is NAIROBI worth the hype? Well...

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:04

Good evening and welcome to this week's edition of Africa in Focus with myself, kwame, ghanaian writer, broadcaster, journalist, podcaster and entrepreneur. And in this week's edition of Africa in Focus, it's tourism time, because December is a very, very peak month for tourism across the African continent, and so we'll be looking at one of Africa's mega cities, nairobi, in Kenya, and we'll be telling you why you should visit Nairobi, kenya, for your holidays in December through January. So before we get into that, just to make you aware that if you like what you hear, please share it to your friends, family. Social media networks, please subscribe to Ghana African Focus on YouTube. Hit the notification button, meaning that every time I upload a podcast, youtube will notify you Again. You can also subscribe to ghana africa can focus on spotify again. Click on follow, meaning that spotify will notify you every time I upload a new podcast on spotify. All right, so let's get into this week's podcast looking about tourism on the african content, looking specifically at nairobi in Kenya.

Speaker 1: 1:25

Now, nairobi is one of Africa's mega cities, a lot of cities like Lagos, abidjan in La Côte d'Ivoire, lagos in Nigeria, johannesburg in Cape Town in South Africa, luanda in Angola, cairo in Egypt, algiers in Algeria, et cetera, et cetera. So Nairobi is a very, very bustling and cosmopolitan city in Kenya and is definitely a place you definitely need to visit when you are thinking about going to get some. You know, holiday during this time Christmas time, january, alright. So, like I said, nairobi is one of Africa's mega super cities and it has the population of around about 4.4 million, so hasn't got a lot of people, but it is very, very. You know it's a big city and you know it's actually. You know better, believe it or not. Many of you may not actually believe it, but it's true. Nairobi in Kenya is better than London, amsterdam, copenhagen, oslo, stockholm. It can compete with various cities. It's actually better than the cities Amsterdam, copenhagen, oslo, stockholm. It can compete with those cities. It's actually better than the cities. It can compete with London, paris, berlin. Such is this beauty and splendour of Nairobi.

Speaker 1: 2:59

So Nairobi has a lot to do and see. So if you are a single person travelling around Nairobi, a lot to see. So if you are a single person travelling around Nairobi, a lot to see and do. If you are a couple, you know a lot to see and do. If you are a family as well family of four, you know, for example, there's a lot to see and do in Nairobi, and so I can say Nairobi is the capital of Kenya and it is also the administrative and financial heartbeat of Kenya. It is also the gateway to East Africa. East Africa is perhaps the most developed part of the continent, even more developed than North Africa and Nairobi is at the forefront and spearhead of that development. And Nairobi is at the forefront and spearhead of that development.

Speaker 1: 3:48

Nairobi is a very, very developed city, world developed city with fantastic infrastructure. That's one thing that you can say about Nairobi. Compared to many of the other African megacities, nairobi has got some fantastic infrastructure which, like I said, competes anything with Europe. So, for example, there's a high-speed train that goes from Mombasa or goes from Nairobi to Mombasa. Mombasa is a port city in Kenya, on the eastern coast of Kenya, yeah, and that fast train, express train, super train, is, you know, a microcosm of the fantastic infrastructure that is in Nairobi. So, aside from that, nairobi has, you know, some very, very, you know good bus network that you can use to get around the city very, very easily and, unlike other mega cities in Africa, which is pretty affordable to travel around. You know Nairobi. So, aside from the, the, the, the great transport networks as well. In terms of bus network it's also got, like you know, uber I think they've got Django on board as well in Nairobi and Nairobi has a lot of things to do.

Speaker 1: 5:11

So you know, has a very, very vibrant nightlife within in Nairobi and nightlife that can compete with Lagos, accra, johannesburg, cape Town, luanda, abidjan, etc. Etc. Again, you know Nairobi is also has a lot. Again, you know Nairobi is also has a lot of outside Nairobi. There is a lot of, you know, games. So if you like your animals, wildlife, etc. Outside Nairobi, there is a game reserve there you can visit too.

Speaker 1: 5:46

Again, there is a lot of history in Nairobi, which was obviously the heart of the struggle in East Africa, particularly against British colonial rule, and there's a lot of historical, you know edifices and buildings that testament to that part of colonial history in Kenya, and so I've got two videos I'm going to leave for you to that part of colonial history in Kenya. And so I've got two videos I'm going to leave for you that will explain it in a bit more detail the splendour of Nairobi and what you can see and do in Nairobi, and also talks about the infrastructure and how to move around the city. So, as well as the nightlife and the historylife and the history and also the wildlife, nairobi also has fantastic shopping malls. So, for example, one of the most vibrant areas, not just in Nairobi but the whole of Africa is, is somewhere called Westlands. You could say Westlands is like um Nice Bridge in London or, uh uh, manhattan in New York or the Lillis Plain in Amsterdam or even Stanton in Johannesburg. It's a very, very trendy posh area and it's popular with tourists as well in the Westlands. So again, I recommend you go to that part of Nairobi, westlands, yeah. So again, I recommend you go to that part of Nairobi, westlands, and see for yourself the splendour of the area. And it's like I said, you know Nairobi has a lot of shopping malls that can compete with anything in the UK. Yeah, so they've got fantastic shopping malls within Nairobi that sell anything that you want. If you want you know burgers, you want, you know your Western stuff those shopping malls in Nairobi will sell that.

Speaker 1: 7:53

Again, highlighting to you you know the cosmopolitan flavour of Nairobi and on that cosmopolitan flavour, you know there's many, many culinary delights also in Nairobi. So there's Indian food, chinese food, you know Japanese food, you know, obviously, african restaurants in there. So Nairobi is a culinary delight. See, if you're a foodie like myself, then again Nairobi is somewhere you definitely need to go to go. So, aside from the indigenous or local you know Kenyan restaurants that sell authentically local Kenyan dishes there's obviously your international cuisine, like I mentioned Indian, chinese, mexican, peruvian, you know Italian, what have you and so you know, in that respect, nairobi is very, very good for that kind of international cuisine as well. So I don't want to dwell too much on Nairobi Set for, like I said, I'll post two videos within the podcast and that will show you in a bit more detail.

Speaker 1: 9:01

You know the splendour of Nairobi in terms of its infrastructure and the city in general, and also what you can see and do within this African mega city called Nairobi. So I would definitely, you know, implore you to visit Nairobi this December, and then most people in Europe and America will be off in that time of year, so, rather than go to Europe or Asia, africa is a burgeoning travel tourism destination. It doesn't feature too much in your magazines, but there's a lot to do and see in the content of 54 countries, and this is why we are promoting African tourism on Ghana, africa in Focus and in this edition. You know we've told you about the African mega super city called Nairobi, and so that's that for now and, like I said, I'll leave two videos that show you a bit more depth, the beauty and splendor of Nairobi. Depth, the beauty and splendor of Nairobi.

Speaker 1: 10:09

In next week's edition of Tourism in Africa, we'll be revisiting Accra, because there's a lot more to see and do in Accra than what I showed you about two years ago. So we're going to be looking at Accra, ghana, in the next edition of Tourism in Africa. And so, like I say, if you like what you hear, please share it to your friends, family, social media networks, please subscribe to Ghana, africa in Focus on YouTube, subscribe also on the Spotify podcast platform and the other major platform providers and, you know, spread the word about this great podcast called Ghana Advocating Focus. All right, so from myself, kwame and the rest of the crew here on Ghana Advocating Focus, it's, thank you very much for listening and we'll see you next week for some more tourism on the African continent.