Nairobi for Digital Nomads

Oh, Nairobi!

A city I’ve spent years trying to like. Some days, I convince myself I do. Occasionally, I may have been heard saying, “I love Nairobi.” But I don’t.

On a good day, I’m ambivalent. On a bad day, I hate it here (I’m in Nairobi as I write this).

But you’re not here to read about my love/hate relationship with Kenya’s capital. You’re coming here as a digital nomad. You need to know how to navigate this city. Where to live, work, and play.

So, I’ve put this little guide together to help you. 

It’ll introduce you to the best things in Nairobi – and hopefully help you avoid all the nonsense that turned me off this city. 

Enjoy. And feel free to push back in the comments if you think I’m being unfair.

Quick Tips

Leave. The best thing about Nairobi is going somewhere else. Even people who love it here will admit that they mostly like leaving. Weekend getaways to Champagne Ridge or Naivasha are nice. Safaris are cool but expenseive and over-rated.

For the best experience, head to the coast:

• Diani,

• Kilifi

• Lamu

Skip Mombasa entirely.

Visa in Advance. Kenya claims to be “visa-free“ but that’s not accurate.

To visit as a tourist, you need to apply online for a 90-day Electronic Travel Authorisation. It costs $30 and it’s basically a visa. If you’re from a Western country, your application should be approved within 72 hours. If you’re from a non-Western country, you may be asked for bank statements and similar paperwork.

If you have a visa agent, you can extend your eTA for 3 months.

Digital Nomad Visa. This was announced with much fanfair in 2024. Not much is known. You must earn at least $55,000 a year from outside Kenya to be eligible. Rumours in the travel industry suggest the visa will cost $1,000+ per year.

Internet. It’s generally very good across the country. But there can be issues. also, a lot of global e-SIMs don’t work in Kenya. Keep your phone topped up with local data in case. Or pack a Starlink mini – it works here.

Backup generator. Make sure your apartment has one. Powercuts can happen daily in Kenya. This isn’t like load shedding in South Africa. There’s no predicting them or how long they’ll last (potentially a whole day).

Safaricom e-SIM + Mpesa + MySafaricom app. Safaricom is the #1 telco in Kenya. You can sign up for an e-SIM upon arrival at the airport. You’ll need Mpesa mobile money to make payments in Kenya. It’s like Google Pay but through SMS. I haven’t withdrawn cash in 3 months. I use Mpesa instead. Download the MySafaricom app for easier management.

Bonus: You can top up your Mpesa via Revolut and Wise.

Download a VPN. Bandwidth throttling is common in Kenya. If you’re streaming, downloading, or video calling, your connection can drop drastically. Also, Kenyan Netflix sucks. I’ve been using ExpressVPN for 3+ years and by far the best.

Racism. Kenya’s so racist, even Barack Obama

I experienced more racism in Kenya than Eastern Europe. I thought Bulgaria would be tough. It’s been delightful. They just treat me like every other tourist. In Kenya, I experienced racism every day, from the moment I stepped outside – unless I was with my White hosts.

It was exhausting.

• An Ethiopian-american nomad I met in Bansko, Bulgaria.

Community

There is no digital nomad community in Nairobi.

There are plenty of remote workers (international and local), online entrepreneurs, freelancers, etc. Occasionally, they’ll hang out, meet up, organise get-togethers. But if you don’t already know someone in the city, you won’t be invited. Nothing is shared publicly.

Nairobi is not a friendly city.

People here can be friendly and welcoming (unless you’re Black; and definitely not if you’re Nigerian). But it’s not easy to make friends if you’re coming here solo. Most expats come specifically for a job at a company and rely on their colleagues or fellow country people to make connections.

Love cocaine and getting wasted drunk with strangers at house parties? You’ll have an easier time. Even better if you’re happy to pay for everyone else’s booze and drugs and pretend like that means your friends.

Or just open up Tinder and line up a bunch of dates.

If you follow my advice, you’ll only be in Nairobi for a few days anyway – so who needs community? I spent 2 years trying to build a community here, gave up, and moved to South Africa instead. I love South Africa.

Accommodation

There’s no coliving spaces in Nairobi. The only backpackers doesn’t offer private rooms.

A livable one-bedroom Airbnb in a central location with a backup generator (crucial) will cost at least $800 per month. If you want a gym in your building and nice furniture, expect to pay $1,000+.

This is not equivalent to what you can get for $1,000 in Southeast Asia, Latam, or Eastern Europe. There, you can expect luxury. In Nairobi, you get functional, maybe a little modern, but that’s all. And it probably won’t include laundry or regular cleaning.

DO NOT pay less than $600 per month. You’ve been warned.

There are serviced apartments in the city, but they rarely list their prices. You’ll spend hours trying to navigate their websites, calling them, negotiating prices, etc.

If you find a good serviced apartment, it will also cost $1,200+.

I told you, Nairobi is expensive.

Restaurants

Nairobi’s food scene is defined by pretentious, over-priced restaurants with terrible service and mediocre food. The owners are more concerned about their IG page than cooking tasty, interesting food. The diners just want everyone to know they can afford to pay $15 for bland pasta. Status, baby. 

The street food is worse.

Lacking any discernible seasoning, stodgy, and served in grim roadside shacks by unfriendly vendors. There’s nothing appealing about them. They will turn off even the hardiest foodie (me!). You’re a long way from Southeast Asia, my friend. 

There are a few nice places to eat and hang out dotted across the city. Here are my favourites: 

• Pallet Cafe: Legit, I love this place. I’ve been coming weekly for 4 years. It’s a beautiful, unpretentious garden restaurant with a unqiue twist: all the staff are deaf. Also, fantastic coffees.

• Geco Cafe: A mix of Brazilian rodezio, Kenyan nyama choma (BBQ), live music, and a car wash. Always a chill, social vibe. Best in a group.

• Unseen Nairobi: A stunning, unpretentious rooftop bar and indie cinema run by three movie fanatics. They serve tasty bar food, excellent cocktails, and play an amazing roster of movies each week.

• Ankole Grill, Kitisuru: Modern African fusion cusine. The food is unremarkable but the location is stunning. Come in the evenings.

• Beit e Selam: Grossly over-priced but a quirky restaurant with undeniable charm. It’s packed every evening so book ahead. Come during the day for a quieter time.

• Tin Roof Cafe: Two locations in Karen and Langata. Both are quiet, charming, and rustic. A good option for escaping Nairobi.

• Mama Rocks: Sumptuous burgers based on flavours from across Africa, served with the best plantains in Nairobi.

• Bamba: Pleasant outdoor restaurant with a boujee feel. Food is nice and varied, but most people come for the vibe.

• Swahili Dau: Finally, a delightfully ramshackle Swahili restaurant that I adore. The closest you’ll get to good street food in Nairobi.

Restaurants to avoid (over-hyped, over-priced, mediocre food): Cultiva, Talisman, Até, Matteos.

Coffee

Good news – Nairobi has a small but lively coffee culture!

Cafes are dotted throughout the city. Due to the high concentration of remote workers, they’re universally laptop-friendly. Huzzah!

Here’s my favorite spots for a good brew and/or work sesh:

• Pallet Cafe: Yes, it’s listed twice. Seriously, the coffee, the nature, the abundant sockets. It’s one of the most popular places to work remotely in Nairobi.

• Spring Valley Coffee @ Lavington: Kenya’s #1 specialty coffee brand have their own cafe. It’s cool, comfy, and best enjoyed with a good book (but you can work here, too).

• Coffee & Bagels: They only serve filtered coffees (V60, chemex, etc.). The interior is sleek and modern. The exterior is spoiled by the car wash metres aways.

• Karura

You’ll also find plenty of ArtCaffe branches across the city. They’re like a high-end Starbucks. The best branches:

• Riverside Drive.

• Westminster

• Rhapta Rd.

Bonus: Brewing coffee at home

Coworking Spaces

Nairobi’s coworkng spaces are perfectly functional and occasionally beautiful. 

But if you’re coming here as a digital nomad, you’ll be disappointed. Most coworking spaces target corporate clients and startups happy to pay $1,500 monthly for a 4-person office. There’s zero community building.

And you’ll pay $20-30 for a day pass.

The only open from 9-5, Mo-Fri. 

Because remote workers and consultants don’t work irregular hours, apparently. 

This seems to be changing, though. So here are a few coworking spaces that offer convenient locations, excellent amenities, and (maybe) 24/7 access. *

• iHub

• Ikigai

• Kofisi

*Note: while they’re open 24/7, its only for monthly members. If you need somewhere open late or on a weekend for 1-day…. Em…. Stay home, I guess? 

Neghbourhoods

To say NRB has neighbourhoods is misleading. A neighbourhood is a district within a city with a defined character, history, culture, vibe, and taste. Think....

Nairobi’s neighbourhood’s have none of these. Each “neighbourhood” is just an endless steam of monotonous apartment buildings and shopping malls. The only things that set them apart are the levels of traffic, pollution, open sewage, noise, and abject poverty you'll witness.

So, where to stay? 

The following areas offer the best balance of convenience, comfort, affordability, and decent coffee shops. Occasionally, they have some trees, too.

• Westlands: The closest Nairobi has to a “lifestyle“ district. It’s got the most popular expat-friendly bars and clubs. There’s some nice restaurants. But, zero actual vibe. It’s just loud and crowded. Grossly over-priced rents.

• Lavington: This formally exclusive neighborhood has become an enclave for young middle-class Kenyans and the international community. It’s quieter than Westlands and has many nice food, coffee, and nightlife spots.

• Karen: Everything you need to know about this neighbourhood is in the name. Karen. The final enclave of Kenya’s white settler community. Full of “colonial charm.“ And admittedly, quite a nice place, if you can look past the grotesquesness of what it represents (see below).

• Kileleshwa: A nice suburb that’s not too developed yet and has everything you need. The best value in terms of rent, convenience, and quality of apartments.

  Kilimani

Getting Around

Nairobi has the stupidest traffic I’ve witnessed in 50+ coutnries. Not the worst. Or the craziest. Or the most dangerous. The stupidest. 

You can buy a driving license in Kenya for a $70 bribe. Don't ask me how I know. Just assume everyone driving in the country took this route to getting on the road –and buckle up. 

In a car, you'll often travel at 5km per hour. A 15-minute journey will take 1 hour. You'd be better off walking, but you might get run over by a bus freewheeling down the footpath with no brakes. 

Take a motorbike taxi (called boda bodas), and he probably has no license, no experience, and no idea how to drive. You'll also ingest so many toxic fumes that your lungs will burn (tip: buy an air pollution mask). 

Everyone is willing to kill each other to get a 10 second edge. And as a Kenyan friend once told me, “when you’re learning to drive here, the #1 lesson they teach you is: only think about yourself and no one else.“

(Honestly, that’s much of Kenyan society summed up too.)

Taking Ubers

Using Uber in Nairobi is an exercise in patience and fortitude. You'll often spend more time cycling through drivers who accept your ride, refuse to take you, and make you cancel – than you will on your trip. 

They refuse to learn how the app works. They're often rude. They stop working at the first sign of rain. And traveling alone as a woman opens you up to lewd comments and inquires into your sex life. 

But, alas, they're the best option for getting around. So, here's some advice.  

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Public Transport

Just don't.

Scooter Rental

Once you’ve witnessed Nairobi traffic and thought, I can brave this nonsense, there’s one place to rent a scooter dail, weekly, or monthly:

iRide: They have scooters available for daily, weekly, and monthly rentals. But it only makes financial sense on the monthly plans. Don’t both if you’re just passing through. Also, scooters are for girls and sissies, apparently.

Fitness

There are plenty of good gyms dotted throughout Nairobi and most modern apartment blocks have inhouse gyms, too. If your Airbnb doesn’t have a gym, you shouldn’t have to travel far. Just look them up on Google Maps.

Padel

The sport has taken Nairobi by storm. There’s courts in Lavington, Parklands, Rhapta Road, Gigiri, and Karen. They get booked out in the evenings quickly, but most have apps where you can book a place on pickup games or a whole court for 2-4 players.

I love Padel. It might be my favorite thing in Nairobi. That’s kinda sad.

Hiking and Walking Trails

Nairobi has a few nature reserves and gardens within or close to the city. The best and easiest to access are:

• Karura Forest: 10-20 minutes north of the city, Karura Forest is expansive, tranquil, and full of trails to explore. You can also visit a waterfall and stop into a nice cafe on your way out.

• The Arboretum: Perfect if you’re staying in Kilileshwa or Kilimani. These privately-managed gardens offer a convenient respite from Nairobi. There’s paths for running and numerous flat areas for a workout.

• Ngong Hills: 45 minutes from Nairobi, this big ridge has seven peaks in a straight line. You need medium fitness to do all seven. Or you can do the first few, turn around, and have a picnic on one of many scenic spots.

You’ll need to pay a small fee for entry to each. They’re perfectly safe and offer a break from the chaos of Nairobi. There’s walking trails throughout. running is hit-and-miss.

Other sports available:

• Yoga: Classes are dotted throughout the city. They’re expensive and quality is unpredictable. I’d skip and yoga at home.

• Cycling: People actually cycle in Nairobi – for recreation. Wild. Anyway, there are cycling groups that leave the city too but I have no idea how to find them.

• Climbing: There’s an indoor climbing centre at the top of Diamond Plaza shopping mall.

• Soccer: Nairobi has a handful of 5-a-side pitches. Google them to find one. Not sure about pick-up games, but you can ask.

Culture

The following section is based entirely on my tastes and what I like to do in a city. If your definition of culture doesn’t fit with mine… oops, I guess?

Nairobi is not exactly a cultural hotspot. There’s a lively music scene. Some interesting events. If you’re passing through for a few weeks, you’ll find plenty to see and do. But it’s small and repetitive if you spend a few months here.

Record Stores

Jimmy’s - Deep in the heart of an otherwise unremarkable market, you’ll find the best record store in East Africa.

I love Jimmys. The first time I was there, I got an original pressing of Blondie’s 1978 classic Paraellel Lines and a super-obscure complication of reggae Beatles covers that still hits every time I play it.

Jimmy’s isn’t really a shop. It’s a tiny stall packed with 1,000s of vinyls and old stereos. Any enthusiast can get lost here for hours, browsing, listening, and shooting the shit with Jimmy and the staff.

Bookshops

Nairobi has some fantastic independent and chain book stores packed with well-known best-sellers and obscure indie African titles. A couple worth visiting:

Che Che: A pan-African bookshop, cafe, and event space with a decent selection focused on politics, colonialism, global affairs, and culture from a Global South Perspective.

Book Stop: Tucked away in the corner of shopping mall, this is my favorite book shop in Kenya. However, it’s expensive.

For general books, any Text Book Centre branch has a big selection.

Art

The city’s art galleries aren’t worth visiting. Skip them.

Zanji Art: Run by my friend Njee, a charismatic Tanzanian Rasta in his (I think) 70s, the shipping container is home to legitimate African antiques from across the continent. Masks, head stools, jewellery, smoking pipes, pregnancy chairs – you’ll find plenty of treasures with fascinating stories from Njee.

Ask him about his pieces and passion for collecting them, and you risk losing hours talking culture, history, identity, politics, colonialism, global solidarity, Irish people, the struggle, consumerism. But please only purchase something if you have a genuine interest and appreciation for African art and cultures.

Live Music

Geco Cafe & Car Wash: Probably the best roster of live acts in Nairobi. A mix of local and visitors musicians play most nights. It’s always a vibe. Just a shame about the staff.

Alliance Francais: They host bigger concerts with excellent African artists, but sporadically. Follow their IG for updates and book ahead. Tickets usually sell fast.

I could probably list a bunch more places that host live music in Nairobi. But honestly, these are the only two worth following if you’re visiting as a nomad and don’t have much time.

Nightclubs

Alchemist: The most internationally well-known nightclub venue in Nairobi. This is your gateway to the city’s nightlife. It’s big open, multi-storey and has the onyl property stage and sound system.

Muze: When Alchemist closes, you head to Muze. It’s tiny, grimey, sweaty, dark, heavy on the bass, and everyone’s got their sunglasses on. You know what that means.

Temple: I think this place is still occasionally open. It’s the deep house hotspot. And I mean deeeeep. Too deep even for me.

There are plenty of local nightclubs playing Kenyan music. Maybe I should list them to show how integrated I am. Some a good. But honestly, unless you like sitting around smoking shisha surrounded by people glued to their phones hoping everyone can see how status they are, stick to the ones above.

Cinema, Comedy, and Theatre

Unseen Nairobi: See above for a description of the restaruant. Check their website for indie movie listings.

Chemi Chemi Comedy Night: Every Thursday they host a variety of themed nights. Open mic, storytelling, political stuff. Nice venue, cheap food, hit-and-miss entertainment.

Dance

Thursdays at Nairobi Street Kitchen: The city’s Afro-Latin dance community comes out for a night of salsa bachata and kizoma. And because there’s nothing else happening, everyone joins them. A lively atmosphere in a cool location, with good food.

Events

Pop Up & Chill: A monthly open-air Sunday market packed with boutique vendors selling furniture, fashion, food, booze, and various knicknacks. It’s super chill and a good taste of boujee Nairobi lifestyle.

Where do you find out what’s happening in Nairobi?

No, seriously, where? I’m asking.

Unlike most major cities in the world, no one in Nairobi has created a reliable social media channel or local newsletter that just lists cool events happening this week. It’s wild.

Like, I almost started this business in 2022. But for obvious reasons reading this, I’m not the best candidate to run that company.

To find out what’s happening in Nairobi every week, you’ll need to individually follow every business featured in this guide, and then waste hours on IG scrolling through reels and posts waiting for them to share flyers.

Safety

Okay, let’s get it out of the way.

A city doesn’t get the nickname “Nairobery“ for nothing.

As a digital nomad or tourist visiting, the biggest risk is getting violently mugged while walking. This can happen day or night, usually in the suburbs like Kilimani, Lavington, and Kileleshwa.

Break-ins and home invasions are incredibly rare. If you’re in an apartment, you don’t need to worry about.

Here’s a few tips to stay save:

• Uber everywhere. Unless you know an area well, don’t walk ever. Especially on weekend mornings when streets are quieter. And obviously, never at night.

• Keep your stuff hidden. Never walk with your phone out and use a backpack with strong straps in case of snatch-and-grabs.

• Don’t expect help. The police are non-existent. Bystanders will watch you get robbed and then carry on once the spectacle is over. If you’re shot, someone might call an ambulance, but it will get stuck in traffic and you’ll bleed out before it arrives.

Things to Do

Okay, so after reading all this, you still want to visit Nairobi.

Well then, there’s a few interesting activities and sites not already featured.

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All of this can be seen in a couple of days. After that, skip town and head to the coast.

Pros and Cons

Pros

Traffic.

Racism. 

• Prices.

• Accommodation. 

Cons

Internet infrastructure.

E-Com. 

The Coast. 

Tattoos

Practical stuff

• Storage unit.

• Groceries.

• Shopping Mall.

• Clothes.

• Online groceries