South African Airways

Most people go to Kenya for the safari experience, and even if they’re based in the city, they still want to go game-viewing. Nairobi National Park is just on the outskirts of the city and has plenty of wildlife, so you get the unusual experience of seeing elephant against a backdrop of skyscrapers and departing planes. It also contains a large population of black rhino as well as lions, hyenas, cheetahs, leopards, zebra, giraffe and buffalo. It’s the only national park in the world bordering a capital city.

Inside Nairobi National Park is the Ivory Burning Monument, marking the spot where former President Daniel Arap Moi burnt 12 tons of ivory in 1989. This dramatic demonstration boosted Kenya’s conservation image when East African wildlife was being decimated by poaching. In recent decades, however, awareness of conservation has increased substantially.

The imposing National Museum stands in lush grounds just outside the city centre. It has a good range of cultural and natural history exhibits. There’s also a life-sized fibreglass model of Ahmed, a massive elephant bull that became a symbol of Kenya during the 1980s poaching crisis when he was placed under 24-hour guard by former President Jomo Kenyatta. Highlights are the Birds of East Africa exhibition, the Great Hall of Mammals and the Cradle of Humankind exhibition, with a collection of early skulls.

Elephant calves and baby rhinos orphaned by poachers throughout Kenya are brought to this orphanage near the Nairobi National Park. It’s only open to the public from 11am to noon. Visitors can enjoy an upfront, close encounter with these wonderful creatures and learn more about their habits.There’s also a breeding centre for the endangered Rothschild giraffe and the centres teach conservation to Kenyan schoolchildren.

An old warehouse in the industrial area was converted into the Go-Down Arts Centre and now houses art studios. It’s become a hub for visual and performing arts with regular exhibitions, shows, workshops and open cultural evenings.

Since the city was founded to build a railway system, it has to have a railway museum. The main collection of memorabilia from the East African Railway is housed in an old railway building. There are models of trains and ships, photographs, tableware, and oddities like the engine seat on which visiting dignitaries such as American President Theodore Roosevelt occupied as the train travelled through the countryside. The grounds are a locomotive graveyard, with engines and carriages dating from the steam days to the days of independence, including the steam train used in the movie Out of Africa.

The farmhouse where Out of Africa author, Danish baroness Karen Blixen (aka Isak Dinesen) lived from 1914-1931 is now a museum. Her famous memoir was written from this house, which is a lovely, colonial residence in extensive gardens. Guides are included in the admission fee.

In this hot, dusty city you’ll need a cold beer – and the local favourite is Tusker. It’s brewed in Nairobi and on sale pretty much everywhere in the city. For a caffeine fix, try the Java House. It’s popular among tourists and businessmen alike, who’ll probably be drinking their own favourite brew, the Kenyan AA. Its outlets have free wi-fi hotspots too.

Kenya is famous for its tall, slender and stately Maasai warriors. Their craft market is equally nomadic, setting up on Tuesdays outside the Westgate Shopping Centre, on Thursdays at the Junction Shopping Centre, on Fridays at the Village Market and outside the Nairobi High Court on Saturdays. Be prepared to haggle.

This upmarket, somewhat pricy meat-lover’s restaurant is just outside the city and offers a wide variety of dishes, from traditional roasts to game and more obscure species. Chunks of diverse grilled meats are carried around by waiters and carved onto your plate at your request.