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KENYA'S CAPITAL CITY NAIROBI

Nairobi, the capital city of Kenya, is a cosmopolitan and lively city, the largest between Johannesburg and Cairo. Just south of the Equator at an altitude of 1,675m, Nairobi enjoys an almost perfect, healthy climate : Warm sunny cloudless days with temperatures seldom rising above 25 C and cooler nights. This city, born in the spirit of adventure in the days of the early pioneers less than 100 years ago, was then an insignificant jumble of tents and ox wagons beside the Uganda Rail head, which halted here 500km inland from the coast to gather steam for the way ahead. The good climate and the abundance of water made it grow quickly, becoming one of the most important and vibrant cities of Africa, truly a Babel Tower of races and cultures with a population of almost 3 million colourful people from many nations.

A city of great contrast, strikingly modern with tall imposing buildings, yet reminders of the early days are there.

The Law Courts and Parliament Building

The Railway Station and Museum with its steam locomotives so emotive of a more romantic age

Jamia Mosque

The City Market with its array of tropical fruits and flowers

The famous Norfolk hotel, linked with Kenya's history since 1904

Kenyatta Conference center built 1973

The National Museum, founded in1910 with its unique collections so relevant to Kenya's early history and the prehistory of mankind

The Karen Blixen Museum outside the city, a memorable to a woman admired both for her writing and her spirit

The Bomas of Kenya, the nation's cultural centre where it is possible to watch a vivid display of tribal dancing in a rural lovely setting

The suburbs of Karen (named after Karen Blixen of Out of Africa fame) and around Ngong Hills are still where many of Nairobi’s ex-pats live. The British colonists of the early 20th century settled in what became known as “Happy Valley”, for a life of parties, hunting and farming. Throughout the country and specially in Nairobi shopping is an absorbing pastime. In the city center we have the city Market, below the City Market there is a lot of small shops in an open air market with a lot of beautiful things to admire. Look around first, there is so much on offer:

Wood carvings and traditional handicrafts

Sensuous soapstone from Kisii

Colourful sisal mats

The famous Kenya bags "kiondos"

"Kangas" and "kikois", traditionally worn by women and these days used as tablecloths or beach wraps

Batiks, as the silk ones

Also two gem stones originate in this part of Africa: the blue Tanzanite and the vivid green Tsavorite.

Nairobi has the rare boast of owing its existence to a railway line. The city was conceived at the turn of the century when the Mombasa to Lake Victoria railway reached a swampy stretch of land known to the Maasai as Nyrobi or 'place of cool waters.' Here a scruffy shanty town rose up and today, a century later, Nairobi is the largest city between Cairo and Johannesburg with a population of 1.5million. Although it cannot be compared with the sprawl of the world's capitals (it will take you 20 minutes to walk across the central business district), Nairobi is a lively and cosmopolitan place.

Like many other African cities, Nairobi has its share of bustling markets, skyscrapers, alarming matatu (taxibus) drivers, dusty shanties and leafy suburbs with sweeping gardens. It's a good place to tap back into the world in between safaris and catch up on international news, get your films developed, wander through book shops and send off your post cards to envious neighbours. There are plenty of places to eat, but Nairobi's most famous restaurant is The Carnivore, where you can taste anything from zebra to crocodile. It may sound like a vegetarian's nightmare, but the vegetarian meals are very good too. Pop in to the Thorn Tree Cafe at the Stanley Hotel. It is named after the huge thorn tree planted in 1961, whose trunk serves as a notice board for travelers.