Nairobi, Kenya Travel Facts

Welcome to Nairobi, Kenya!

Let’s Dance! 

Languages - English and Swahili are the official languages of Kenya, although as many as 62 different languages are spoken here. Despite all this diversity, Kenya practices a community-based approach to life, summed up by the Swahili word “harambee,” which means “to pull together.”  

Music - Along with their many spoken languages, Kenyans use music and dance to communicate. 

Dance - One traditional dance, called mwomboko, is usually performed by older Kenyans to commemorate historic events. Flutes and “jingles,” which produce a metallic, rhythmic sound, are used to accompany the dance. 

Another dance, called the adumu, is a sort of courtship dance. In this dance, Maasai men form a circle, entering the center one at a time to dance to the song’s rhythm. The higher and more graceful a dancer jumps, the more likely he is to appeal to the young women watching from outside the circle. 

The women have their dances too. The kilumi is a drum song and dance performed by women from the Kamba community, usually at weddings. And the chakacha dance, common in the Swahili coastal region, is traditionally performed and watched by women.  

Mount Kilimanjaro - Kenya provides spectacular views of Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s tallest peak. 

The mountain made famous by American author Ernest Hemingway 

is situated on Kenya’s southern border, but is more often accessed from the Tanzania side. 

Fun Fact: Kenya is home to the Great Wildebeest Migration,

in which some 2 million animals move each year from the Serengeti in Tanzania to Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya.

Click here for a great post about Antananarivo, Madagascar!