You'll be amazed by the surreal sight of lions, giraffes and rhinos enjoying prime city views at Nairobi National Park, less than five miles from Nairobi's city centre. Read up on Kenyan history at the Nairobi National Museum and shop for souvenir carvings in Nairobi's bustling City Market. On return visits, see snakes and baby elephants at Nairobi's other animal parks.
You can easily get around Nairobi's cosmopolitan city centre on foot from the CBD (Central Business District), home to spiky skyscrapers, large hotels and shopping centres. To the west you'll find Central Park and Uhuru Park, giving you a welcome oasis of green. Take in some of Nairobi's major buildings nearby, including the landmark Kenyatta International Conference Centre, recognisable for its tall round tower. Trace the importance of railways to the city in the Railway Museum, at Nairobi Railway Station. You can see lions and giraffes at Nairobi National Park, just 20 minutes' drive away and within clear view of the city.
Tour the Nairobi National Museum to see prehistoric finds collected from East Africa. Watch snakes slither at the Nairobi Snake Park or spy the large predators at nearby Nairobi National Park. Don't miss the chance to see cute baby elephants playing at the adjacent David Sheldrick Animal Orphanage. Join the crowds at the bustling City Market and haggle for souvenirs, fabrics and printed T-shirts. Then relax with a chilled beer at a bar in one of Nairobi's colonial-era buildings.
Visit the Karen Blixen Museum, the farmhouse owned by Danish author Karen Blixen whose memoirs were made into the film Out of Africa. After exploring the museum, you can sip afternoon tea in the shaded gardens here. Come face to face with giraffes from the towers at the Giraffe Centre in the suburb of Langata. Then feel the rhythm as Kenyan tribes perform traditional dances at the nearby cultural centre.
The busiest airport in East and Central Africa, Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Kenya's capital, Nairobi, flies nearly five million passengers a year from its one terminal. An ongoing expansion programme will increase capacity three-fold. It is located 20 km (12 miles) east of Nairobi and a speedy taxi reaches the city centre in just 30 minutes.
