Nairobi is regarded as the gateway to East Africa’s wilderness areas and a must-visit on your holiday of a lifetime to Kenya. Be captivated by the natural landscape surrounding the city, its cultural heartbeat, and its rich history.
Interesting Facts about Niarobi
Lift the veil and discover ten interesting facts about the Kenyan capital of Nairobi while on vacation in Africa. The name comes from the Maasai expression meaning “cool waters” and is a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. Nairobi is also sometimes referred to as the “Green City in the Sun”. Nairobi became the capital of the Republic of Kenya in 1963.
Earthquakes and tremors occasionally occur in Nairobi due to the city’s position on the eastern edge of the Great Rift Valley. The Kenyan language of Sheng originated in Nairobi and is a mix of Kiswahili and English. The Kenyan minibuses called matatus are a phenomenon with their graffiti-adorned paneling, featuring contemporary topics and pop culture.
Nairobi is the only city in the world with a national park within its borders. The Nairobi National Park is in the city’s southern suburbs. Actress Lupita Nyong’o stems from Nairobi. She won an Oscar for best-supporting actress in 2014 for “12 years a slave”. The largest ice rink in Africa is located in Nairobi. The Solar Ice Rink is almost 1 400 square metres. The Nairobi Stock Exchange located in the capital city is the largest in Africa and the second oldest exchange on the continent.The Two Rivers Mall in Nairobi is the largest shopping centre in East Africa and the second largest mall in sub-Saharan Africa, occupying a space of 65,000 square metres.
Activities and Experiences on safari in Kenya
Regarded as the gateway to East Africa’s wilderness areas, a visit to Nairobi will fill your safari to Kenya with countless exhilarating experiences. Take a walk on the wild side in the Nairobi National Park, just an hour out of the hustle and bustle of the capital city. Despite its proximity to the city, the park boasts a varied wildlife population including lion, leopard, cheetah, buffalo, giraffe, wildebeest, zebra and antelopes like impala, eland and waterbuck.
See conservation in action on your Kenya safari and spend some time at the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust on the outskirts of Nairobi. They operate a world-renowned rescue and wildlife rehabilitation programme, focusing mainly on orphaned elephant calves but also looking after other injured animals like rhinos, hippos and giraffes. After each orphan rescue, the long and complex process of rehabilitation begins at the organisation’s specialised nursery.
Get a taste of history with a visit to the Karen Blixen Museum, located 10 kilometres outside Nairobi, on your holiday to Kenya. It is the former home of Danish author Karen Blixen, whose book “Out of Africa” about her life in Kenya, was made into the 1985 movie, starring Meryl Streep and Robert Redford. There is much to see in the centre of Nairobi with countless museums, galleries and markets to satisfy the culturally curious. The city is alive with the rhythm of afrobeat and jazz. Travel with your taste buds on your Kenya vacation with a variety of restaurant options offering a mixture of African and European fusion.
Nairobi Safaris with JENMAN
Discover an array of wildlife on the 10-day Kenya Safari Adventure that starts in the capital city of Nairobi and ends in the Masai Mara National Reserve. Amboseli National Park, Lake Nakuru National Park and Lake Naivasha are also included in this Kenya safari package.
The Masai Mara National Reserve is the final stop on the 15-day East Africa Migration Discoverer and will ensure you have the Kenya safari of a lifetime. The safari package also includes Tanzania and the wildlife wonderlands of Tarangire National Park, Lake Manyara National Park and the famed Serengeti National Park.
