Top places to visit

Children will enjoy every aspect of this child centric tour. One could avoid the city sightseeing and spend more time at the Nairobi National Park. They will just love the Giraffe Centre where they can come really close to the huge Rothschild Giraffes and actually feed them. The Animal Orphanage at the entrance of the National Park is a place all children enjoy. Orphaned wildlife is looked after here and there are lions and leopards, chimpanzees and otters amongst others.

Besides these, are the Safaris one can take to game parks which are just 6-7 hours drive from Nairobi. Amongst them the most popular is of course the Masai Mara Natural reserve. This is in the beautiful Savannah Grasslands area of Kenya and has a huge number of large animals. The Masai community has been allowed to graze there and very often can be spotted in their traditional attire asking you to photograph them at a price.

Within 5 kms of the City Center is this architectural masterpiece. Considered the largest rink in East Africa, the Ice Rink is on the 2nd floor of the Panari Sky Center. It has 15,000 square feet of ice and can accommodate 200 skaters. The ambience of the Alpines have been recreated.

This has become a regular feature of every Nairobi tour. It is a village cum cultural centre where traditional African Music and dance performances are held to specially attract the tourist to African life. Traditional African homes have been modeled and visitors get a feel of life in Africa before modernization.

Rothschild Giraffes faced a fear of extinction. It was this center which made an all out effort to save them. There are Giraffes which can come and feed from your hands here now. It is a favorite with children. There are also bushbucks, dik-diks and warthogs found here. The gift and souvenir shop is well stocked and not very expensive. The Giraffe Manor in the premises is now an up market hotel.

The famous Danish author, Karen Blixen, who wrote under the pseudo name Isak Dinesen lived here. She is the author of ‘Out of Africa.’ Her house was originally in the coffee plantations in the countryside, but now with the growth of the city, it is just in the outer region of Nairobi and has been converted into a museum. It has many of her famous books and paintings of African life. It is the highlight of every tour of Nairobi. A peaceful atmosphere pervades this area where trees abound.The grounds have been looked after well. The Karen Blixen Coffee Gardens Restaurant is a nice place to relax and soak in the atmosphere. The Langatta area on which it is located is in the richer neighbourhood of Nairobi.

A bit hard to find, this is a must see for any tour of Nairobi. Kenyan modern history is linked to its railways, and this museum has relics and photographs of old trains. There are some old carriages kept which one can climb into and explore. These speak of amazing incidents and have pictures to bring them alive.

This is the most famous and popular park of Nairobi and is just off the city centre and extends into the west into Upper Hill area. It has a lake where boats can be hired. There are vantage points at a height where the city’s skyline can be admired from. President Moi had wanted to build over this park but his efforts met with great resistance from Wangari Maathai and he had to give up this idea. She won the Nobel Prize for her efforts in saving this park. This is also the place for most demonstrations and political rallies. These must be avoided if touring the city.

This beautiful forest reserve is spread over 80 acres and has more than 300 species of trees from Kenya. It is a beautiful place to walk around in and absorb the sounds and sights of pure nature.

Visiting times to this colonial building depend on when the National Assembly is in meeting. The Parliament House besides its imposing building showcases intricate tapestry needlework, a mosaic of Kenyan tribes and a table made purely with trees from Kenya made by the Women’s League of East Africa.

This is the best place to ‘hang around’ and get a feel of Nairobi while you walk its broad tree lined roads with flowers giving color and life to this buzzing street. Within walking distance from this avenue are the old colonial buildings including Parliament House, Nairobi City Hall, museums and other places of interest. Many shops with traditional crafts, especially in the Masaii market are found in this area. It also has hotels, restaurants, casinos, pubs and night clubs. The City Market is close by.

Just outside the city centre, it is famous for housing ancient Kenyan tribal and prehistoric Leakey artifacts. It also has geological exhibits and all varieties of preserved butterflies, birds and animals can be seen here. The museum has contemporary African art as well as cultural and art forms of the past. The Kikuyu homestead has been replicated and there is a snake park in the grounds of this museum.

This is situated in one corner of the Central Business District of Nairobi and is a rich source of information on both historical and contemporary Kenya. It has photographic records as well as exhibits of Kenyan art and craft.

On a visit to Nairobi, if one does not have the time for a Kenyan Safari, then a trip to this National Park will satisfy the urge to feel and see the wonders of the Safari. The Park is fenced on the Nairobi side but open from the other to allow all the game to come freely through it. It has trees, parks, water bodies, deep gorges and observation points, like the Impala point, from where one can see the Athi plains and on some days, even Mt. Kilimanjaro. It surrounds Nairobi and is a 114 kms large area.

is next to the Uhuru Park and again is a large, green, well maintained park. The park also has President Jomo Kenyatta’s memorial. He was the first President of Kenya.