Things to do in Nairobi

Cosmopolitan and exotic, urban and wild, Nairobi, Kenya is the capital and the arrival point for many visitors into Kenya. Named after the Maasai word for “place of cool waters,” Nairobi is a spectacular juxtaposition of bustling city and untamed nature. The city offers a chance to reconnect with the world where travelers can catch up on international news, dine at elegant restaurants such as The Carnivore, Giraffe Manor or The Lord Eroll Gourmet Restaurant and send postcards back home to envious friends and neighbors. The city offers a wide array of clubs, pubs and discos to enjoy along with attractions such as the City Market, the National Museum, the Arboretum and the Kenya Railway Museum. The book and film Out of Africa, written by Karen Blixen, was set in Nairobi and her farmhouse has been designated as a museum.

The Nairobi National Park, unique by being the only protected area in the world with a variety of animals and birds close to a capital city, is a principal attraction for visitors to Nairobi. The park supports a diverse environment with a wide variety of fauna and flora along with man-made dams that are home to certain species of birds. The park is also one of the most successful of Kenya’s rhino sanctuaries and is one of the few parks where a visitor can be certain of seeing a black rhino in its natural habitat. Some of the wildlife that can be seen in the park includes wildebeests, zebras, giraffes, impalas, elands, buffalos and large predators such as lions, leopards, hyenas and cheetahs.