Name: Manyatta Backpackers
Address: Milimani Rd, Nairobi City, Kenya, Nairobi, Nairobi, Nairobi, 00502, Kenya
Rating: 7

24-hour reception

Smoking areas

Currency exchange

Gift shop

Garden

Terrace

Express check-in

Fire Extinguisher

General

Non-smoking rooms

Room service

Smoke Detector

Rooms

Laundry

Concierge services

Luggage storage

Services and amenities

Common kitchen

Restaurant

Kitchen

Meals

Free Wi-Fi

Internet access

Internet

Airport transportation

Car rental

Transfer

Tour assistance

Tourist services

Library

Barbecue grill(s)

Hiking

Sun Deck

Recreation

Parking

Parking nearby

Location

At the hotel

Wilson Airport

Jomo Kenyatta International Airport

Manyatta Backpackers

Nairobi

child-bed

child-bed-fee

external-private-bathroom

private-bathroom

shared-bathroom

10-beds

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king-bed

queen-bed

limited-time

lounge

treatment

no-window

bay-view

bosphorus-view

canal-view

city-view

courtyard-view

garden-view

golf-view

harbour-view

inland-view

lake-view

land-view

mountain-view

ocean-front

ocean-view

oceanside

panoramic-view

park-view

partial-ocean-view

partial-sea-view

partial-view

pool-view

river-view

sea-front

sea-view

street-view

sunrise-view

sunset-view

water-view

with-view

annex

basement

main-building

1-bedroom

2-bedrooms

3-bedrooms

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6-bedrooms

not-guaranteed

wired-internet-access

smoking

sauna

duplex

safe

mini-bar

breakfast-for-1

breakfast-for-2

pets-allowed

wi-fi

kitchen

Was a connection tour to meet clients interested in tattooing.
VISION 
Our vision is to collectively strive to advance the art form to remain relevant and appreciated for our skill in the years to come and tailored for each individual while delivering an unparalleled client experience.

BUSINESS

Manyatta Backpackers is a small, old-fashioned, friendly, family-run, ultra-basic hostel that could do with a facelift and ideally a young, dynamic, travel-savvy management. The hostel is clean, but does not seem to have seen a bricklayer, plumber, house painter or electrician since Kenya’s independence. Almost everything is either old, broken or improvised. Free WiFi is available, but is so slow that it is almost unusable. Contrary to descriptions the signal covers only the main building and not the entire compound. The single rooms  in a shed-like annex are glorified chicken shacks, only minimally larger than a single bed. No fan, no mosquito net, not even a nail in the wall to hang your clothes, and no lock on the doors (you must bring your own padlock) which are crudely made of wood planks with wide gaps between them. At USD 25 per night the single rooms are absurdly overpriced. It takes 20 minutes to walk to Uhuru Highway or 30 to almost anywhere in the city centre. The nearest bus stop is less than 10 minutes away (corner Valley Rd./Ralph Bunche Rd.).

Basic, friendly, overpriced

This backpackers is a bit of a dump and reminds me of backpacker places in India in the mid-1980s.  I bought the hotel room on the price (US$40 twin room per night) and don't really have anything to compare it with, in Nairobi; so maybe I'm being a bit harsh.  However, the place was clean, as best it could be, but the whole building needs a major refurb starting with the roof.  The manager/cleaner/receptionist/cook was Ester who was wonderfully helpful and made up for any downfalls in the physical attributes of the property. 
The bed was lumpy and the pillows hard.  The showers were fairly poor and one of the doors to the two shower cubicles didn't lock, you had to jamb a piece of paper into the door to keep it closed.  The breakfast is basic, as too the dinner but then it's only US$1.00 for rice and beans.  The property has a high fence and a night watchman for security.  On a lighter note, they have cold beer and only US$3.00 for a half litre bottle.

Happy Daze at the Manyatta Backpackers

Staff are awesome and super helpful for tour information. Breakfast is free and dinner was only about $1.50 USD. Communal spaces are perfect for meeting other travelers. Loved the firepit. Only reason I'm giving a 4 is because the bathrooms were really in need of some repairs.

Perfect Place to Meet Other Travelers 

The hostel is located a couple of km's from the Modern Coast bus station, which is actually quite central compared to many other hostels in Nairobi.
As you enter through the corrugated iron gate, our first impressions weren't good. It was really quite rundown. The yard was grotty looking, with a muddy floor, scattering of plastic patio chairs and tables near a run down outside kitchen area. The reception we got from staff was a bit curt. 
We stayed in the 8 bed female dorm. There were no window screens, just bars, and the mosquito nets were ill fitting and had holes, so weren't much good. The shower room was adequate, but quite dirty from people going outside on the dirt then traipsing into a damp shower room in their muddy shoes. 
We were dreading staying as it all just looked dirty.
In the evening, the atmosphere changed completely. Fellow backpackers chilled in the yard around a fire pit with a beer or two from the little bar area. Florence cooked delicious lentil stews/curries and chapatis in the kitchen area for a dollar or two. She also cooked a great breakfast in the morning. It gave you a taste as to how amazing the place could be if it was tidied up and given a bit of TLC.
We booked our 3d/2n masai safari through the hostel for $300. It was exactly the same tour as you get offered in Nairobi at a similar price (we were offered the same kind of safari for $260 in town, but we wanted to travel with the others in the hostel).
Honestly, with a bit of money thrown at the place, a lick of paint, a paved outdoor area, clean indoor furnishings, this place could be amazing. As it is the only pace near to the centre, it has rested on it's laurels. 
On our return from the masai, we were going to book into the private room for a bit of privacy, peace and quiet, but it cost $40, which was only $3 less than we ended up paying for a good value, highly rated mid-range hotel slap bang in the city centre.
Nairobi needs a couple of new hostels to open up in order to get the current places to improve conditions.

Could be amazing.

Basic hostel accommodations, dorm bed in male and female rooms. Showers had hot water. Free breakfast and cheap dinners that were tasty. When we had to stay an extra day it was no issue. We had no complaints. 

Great 3 nights

I spent one night here (solo female); both staff and guests were really friendly and helpful! I showed up with no reservation and it was fine. Mbeta especially gave me great recommendations on where I could go. It’s not fancy at all but that’s why it’s cheap. Breakfast and coffee included was nice. The place is about 40 min from the city center I think but I was able to walk it during the day. I recommend getting a 50ksh SIM and 1000ksh data plan right outside the airport and using Uber to get around, it’s the cheapest and easiest way.

Friendly budget place

Fab dinner cooked by Florence, usually vegi but very tasty and very cheap. The place is a little run down but fine for backpackers and generally kept very clean. Friendly and helpful staff. I stayed here three times during my travels around Kenya. Good communal areas and camping possible.

Great food

Manyatta Backpackers was a fine place to stay in Nairobi.  The location is great and they have a decent atmosphere with other travelers coming and going.  Realistically, Nairobi has a very small number of hostels and I’ve yet to hear of one that’s much better, so I was happy with Manyatta, mainly thanks to the location.  The food is nothing to be impressed with.  The rooms themselves are typical dorm rooms - the showers and bathrooms aren’t the cleanest, but also aren’t the worst I’ve experienced. Hot water is hit and miss in the showers depending on time of day.  Wifi is pretty good and reliable.  Ultimately, you get what you pay for and Nairobi doesn’t seem to have any hostels that are much better, so I was satisfied with Manyatta for the few days I stayed there.

Manyatta Backpackers

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