Kenya’s capital city Nairobi

Kenya’s capital city Nairobi was founded in 1899 by the colonial authorities in British East Africa, as a rail depot on the Uganda Railway. The town quickly grew to replace Machakos as the capital of Kenya in 1907. After independence in 1963, Nairobi became the capital of the Republic of Kenya. Nairobi is the capital city of Kenya and the largest city in Kenya, the name comes from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nairobi, which translates to ‘’cool water’’, a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper has a population of 3,138,369 in the census, while the metropolitan area has a population of 6,547,547. The city is popularly referred to as the Green city in the sun.

In 2018 tour of the world continues with the capital city of Kenya, Nairobi which is situated in the highlands of the southern part of the country. Nairobi is Kenya’s economic, administrative, and cultural center and one of the largest and fastest growing cities in Africa. The city provides manufactured goods which include processed food, textiles, clothing, building materials and communications and transport equipment. The city also has a large tourism industry.

Nairobi is known as the Kenya safari capital of Kenya, and it offers a unique fusion of modernity and tradition. The city has a great nightlife, outstanding restaurants, and a broad range of amazing accommodation that caters for all budgets. Remarkably, this metropolis is just 7km north of Nairobi National Park. The park is a home to a plethora of wildlife, including the highest concentration of the black rhinos in Africa.

Nairobi is also a popular stopover destination for the adventures in a Kenya safari who are travelling between major attractions like Maasai Mara National Reserve and Meru National Park. For the travelers who do not have much time to spend in Kenya, but want a taste of the East African safari, can head to Nairobi National Park on the outskirts of the Nairobi city.

Attractions in Nairobi city.

 Nairobi National Museum.

The Nairobi National Museum is just 10 minutes from the Nairobi city, it was built in 1929, the museum expanded in 2008, and it houses dozens of the incredible exhibits, including the archaeological discoveries, artefacts, and an expansive collection of native bird species in the ‘’Birds of East Africa’’ collection, as well the museum showcases some of the incredible stories of East Africa and Kenyan history, there is also an art gallery and a botanical garden which has a nature trail.

Karura Forest.

Karura forest is an urban forest in the north of the city, well known as a home to spectacular waterfalls and a bamboo forest, the forest is a wilderness retreat which juxtaposes the noise and chaos of the city Centre, it is visited by 16,000 people per month.

The Karura forest is a great spot for hiking, cycling, bird watching, and game viewing where the forest is a home to several monkeys, duikers, bush babies, bush pigs and many more.

Nairobi National Park.

Nairobi national park is situated on the southern outskirts of the Nairobi city, the park is the only national park in the world that sits within a capital city, though the park is small but it at home to an abundance of wildlife. At times the park is named the Kifaru Ark (Rhino Ark) for its successful role is the rhino conservation, where the park is a home to 60 rhinos, the densest concentration of the black rhinos in Africa, alongside the big 4 out of the big five mammals, with the lions, leopards, rhinos, buffalos and absence of elephants due to the small size of the park.

Oloolua Nature Trail.

Oloolua nature trail offers a tranquil escape from the busy city center, and its serene atmosphere resembles that of the Karura Forest, the trail is very close to the Karen Blixen Museum, Nairobi national park, the Bomas of Kenya, Kenya’s capital city Nairobi .

Karen Blixen Museum.

Karen Blixen Museum is located 10km from Nairobi, the museum is the former home of the Danish and Karen Blixen and it is one of the Nairobi’s most popular museums. The Blixen’s memoir ‘’Out of Africa’’ chronicles life at the estate, and the 1985 film Out of Africa was loosely based on the Karen’s life. The museum has glorious gardens, and it is very close to the entrance of Nairobi national park.

Bomas of Kenya.

Bomas of Kenya since its opening in 1971, has welcomed over 10 million guests, the Bomas of Kenya attraction was made to protect traditional Kenyan culture and its replica villages showcase the architecture of the several of Kenya’s tribes.

Bomas of Kenya has its own dance troupe, the Bomas Harambee Dancers, and they perform daily, showcasing a repertoire of over 50 dances from different ethnic communities, the dances are accompanied by the Embu drumming, Swahili taarab music, and many local sounds as the tourists are enjoying various dances.

Maasai Market.

Maasai market is a chaotic affair, with the most hundreds of the market stalls which sells a vast range of locally made products, the market can be very overwhelming for the tourists due to the pressure that the vendors will place on you, and their prices can be high unless you barter, Kenya’s capital city Nairobi .

Sheldrick Wildlife Trust.

David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (DSWT) Elephant Nursery in Nairobi National Park provides a safe haven to orphaned baby elephants rescued by the DSWT. The Nursery provides the first stage in the hand-rearing and development of milk dependent baby elephants.  Once they graduate from the nursery, aged 2-3 years, the elephants move to one of the DSWT’s Reintegration Centers in Tsavo East National Park, from where they will ultimately return to the wild.

Best time to visit Nairobi.

The best time to visit Nairobi is during Kenya’s dry season that is from June to October that’s the long dry season as it is the most suitable time for game viewing safari at Nairobi National Park.

Also the period between January and March is known as the short dry season which is also the perfect season to visit the city Nairobi, therefore Nairobi sits at the altitude of 5,889ft, so the temperatures of the city are generally quite mild throughout the year.

Where to stay in Nairobi.

Nairobi has got the most reliable accommodation facilties for the guests who come to visit the city, the accommodation facitlites are arranged and categorized into Budget, Mid-range and luxury such as Edmor suites, Ibis Styles Nairobi Westlands, Sarova Stanley Nairobi, Decasa Hotel Nairobi, Karen View palace apartments, Villa Rosa Kempinski, City lodge hotel at two rivers, Emakoko , Radisson Hotel and Residence Nairobi Arboretum and many more.

How to get to Nairobi.

Most of the international flights from other countries arrive at Jomo International Airport (JKIA), Kenya’s largest airport. There are direct flights from United Kingdom to Nairobi, and they take just below 9 hours.

Wilson Airport receives domestic flights from the regional airports, and it is often the entrance point to the capital city from smaller domestic airports and towns in Kenya, like Malindi or Mombasa.

Nairobi is a city like no other in the world, culturally diverse, fast paced, vibrant art and graffiti, stunning natural landscapes in its outskirts and a buzzing party life waiting for you day ad night.