Nairobi, the safari capital of the world

I grew up in rural Kenya and as a result, I first experienced Nairobi only through pictures in my Social Studies textbook. They were beautiful pictures of tall buildings, colorful buses, wildlife at the Nairobi national park, and pictures of cultural centers such as the Bomas of Kenya and the African Heritage House located within Nairobi city. Through the years, I developed a habit of going online to look up photographs of Nairobi. This famous photograph of a giraffe taken at the Nairobi National Park really stood out to me.

Nairobi is the only city in the world with its own national park which means it is the only place in the world where you can take a picture like this–a picture of giraffe/wildlife in the foreground and tall buildings that make up a city’s central business district in the background.

I moved to Nairobi in 2019 and I got to experience and fall in love with the city for the second time. There are a lot of cool places to visit such as tourist attraction sites, food places, shopping centers, and recreational centers. It is also really easy to move around. Minibusses –commonly referred to as matatus– are really popular among locals and tourists and they rarely cost more than a dollar to travel anywhere within the city.

In this blog, I will be talking about some of the cool places to visit in Nairobi as a tourist and why I think you should add this beautiful city as your next tourist destination

1. Nairobi National Park

Nairobi National Park, which is just six miles from the city center, is home to four of the Big Five: rhino, lion, leopard, and Cheetah. The term, Big Five, refers to the lion, leopard, black rhinoceros, African bush elephant, and African buffalo and was originally coined by game hunters to refer to the most difficult animals in Africa to hunt on foot. The term has since become popular among tourists and locals and is often used when collectively referring to these five animals.

The park is known to have the highest density of black rhinos in the country. 

Other animals in the park include giraffes, zebras, wildebeest, and hyenas.

The park also has tented camps and provides accommodation to tourists looking to escape the hustle and bustle of the city.  When you visit the park, you not only get a chance to go camping but you will also be able to sign up for a Safari walk. The park has a raised wooden boardwalk used for the walk and it goes through three of its major ecosystems(Wetlands, Savannah and Forestry). Other attractions in the park include an animal orphanage and a children’s museum.

Be sure to check out the park’s website for more information such as directions to the park, other park activities, and park entry and accommodation fees.

2. Giraffe Manor

The Giraffe Manor is an exclusive boutique hotel that is home to the Rothschild’s giraffes who love walking around the manor house and often poke their necks through the windows looking for treats from tourists. The manor is a ten-minute drive from the city center which is very convenient for tourists who might not be looking to spend the night.

 Some of the activities you will get to do while visiting the manor include:

• Having breakfast with the Giraffes.

• Taking a stroll to the Giraffe Center

• Visiting orphaned elephants at the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust

Matatus:

Below are some pictures of Nairobi matatus. They are not your ordinary buses and have been referred to in the past as ‘museum on wheels’ and ‘art on the move.’ Matatu owners pimp their cars with creative designs that highlight Nairobi’s culture and art. Sometimes the designs also feature famous celebrities such as hip-hop artists, international pop singers, and athletes. The designs are custom graffiti-style artwork and sometimes include flashy lights.

Sources:

https://www.kws.go.ke/parks/nairobi-national-park

Big five: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_five_game

Reflection: I had a lot of fun writing and researching for this blog. I decided to write it in English and then translate it into Swahili. I am equally proficient in both languages so translating it was not as difficult.

For me, translating from English to Swahili is definitely a nostalgia-inducing process because I don’t get to write in Swahili a lot outside of this class. I am really glad I got to do it. I had a lot that I wanted to write about because Nairobi has so much to offer and therefore deciding on what aspect to focus on was a bit of a challenge for me.