Nairobi - Green City in the Sun



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What to See & Do

For wildlife enthusiasts, this is the place to be. The city has several national parks within and around its vicinity and is a base point for trips further away. The Nairobi National Park, established in 1945 was the country’s first national park. It is immaculately maintained, and the wide plains is home to a large number of Africa’s best known animals – zebra, wildebeest, buffalo, giraffe, black rhino, ostrich, baboon, and of course the star attractions, cheetahs and lions. Within the park, there is an Animal Orphanage, an educational center, the Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage where visitors can watch the calves being taken care of and the Impala Observation Point. Here President Moi burnt 60 tons of ivory recovered from poachers indicating Kenya’s disapproval of the illegal trade.

Just past the Nairobi National Park is the Bomas, a cultural center. It offers traditional songs and dances of the myriad Kenyan tribes. There are daily performances, good food and souvenir shops nearby, making it an ideal way to spend the afternoon.

Around the city there are many monuments and sights, mostly of historical significance. The Nyayo monument was built in 1988 to mark 25 years of independence. It is a marble interpretation of the lowering of the British colonial flag and the raising of the Kenyan flag. It took almost a million US dollars to build and evokes a strong patriotic feeling from the citizens. The Uhuru monument was built in 1973 and it also to marks the independence. An ihara tree marks the spot where the national flag was first hoisted.
In the Parliament building, some of the more interesting items on display are the needlework tapestries made by East African Women’s League showing the country’s history, a table made from various trees found in the country, and a mosaic of Kenyan tribes.

Among the many museums, some of the more prominent ones are: the Karen Blixen Museum, the author who wrote under the pseudonym of Isak Dinesen. The house was a coffee plantation and the quiet green surroundings give you a nice break from the city; the Kenya Railway Museum should not be missed since the railways was the reason the country came into existence. It exhibits ten old steam engines and fascinating photographs and material that were used to develop the railways; the National Archives is a public gallery with some amateur art and a collection of ethnography (weapons, musical instruments and domestic tools). It also has handicrafts, artwork and historical documents and pictures; and the National Museum of Kenya, which contains discoveries from Tanzania’s Olduvai Gorge and Kenya’s Koobi Fora. You can also view a range of weapons and ornaments of various local tribes. Within the grounds is a snake park with live east African snakes, and an aquarium with marine and freshwater fish.

For the nature lover there are several parks and gardens where you can take a stroll or just sit back and watch the world go by. The Arboretum, an 80 acre forest reserve, hosts over 300 species of indigenous trees. The Uhuru Park is a popular place in the city. It has a small lake on which you can go boating and it offers good views of the city’s main skyline.

The Giraffe Center is known to have saved the Rothschild giraffe from extinction. You can see these long-necked beauties here and even feed them. Other attractions here are warthogs, bushbuck and dik-diks. Although it is meant primarily for school children, adults enjoy their time here just as much. The gift shop has some excellent animal-motif souvenirs and all profits from the shop go to preserving wildlife.

What to eat & where to stay
Nairobi has many luxury hotels, serviced apartments, budget inns and hostels for you to choose from. It all depends on how much you are willing to spend and what luxuries you need. You can also find a wide range of cuisines here…everything from European to Asian and local fare. And if you dare, try out Carnivore. This true to its name restaurant offers exotic meat of all spot and stripe – you can feast on zebra, crocodile or ostrich meat here! Only for the truly adventurous.

Culture
Nairobi is the center of the country’s music scene. Benga, a fusion of jazz and Luo music forms was developed here. In the 1970s the city was a prominent hub for eastern and central African music and more recently it has become the center of the country’s hip-hop scene.

If you prefer some dramatic theater, there are two major theater companies that hold stage performances – the Kenya National Theater and the Professional Center. The city’s Kenyatta University and the University of Nairobi also have many amateur theater groups that perform all year round.

For two days every year, all eyes of motorsports enthusiasts around the globe turn to Nairobi. This is when the KCB Safari Rally takes place. The world’s greatest rally drivers take to the dusty road of the Rift Valley in a trail that is now known as the ‘car breaker’. Supporters cheer for the participants and you too can join the crowd.

And if you happen to be in town during Christmas, you can pick up some African treasures at the Crafts of Africa show. The exhibition attracts over twenty thousand people during the week it is on. On display and for sale are various arts and crafts from wood work and leather work to glass, gourds and cloth.

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