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Statue in front of Nairobi National museum.

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Overview

East Africa's most cosmopolitan city, Nairobi is Kenya's beating heart, an exciting, frenetic concrete jungle that counterpoints the untrammelled natural beauty to be found elsewhere in the country.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

  • Locals and tourists enjoying the Sheldrick Trust Elephant Orphans Project on a cloudy day in Nairobi, Kenya.

    David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust

    Nairobi

    Occupying a plot within Nairobi National Park, this nonprofit trust was established in 1977, shortly after the death of David Sheldrick, who served as the…

  • Zebras in a field at Nairobi National Park with Nairobi city in the background.

    Nairobi National Park

    Nairobi

    Welcome to Kenya’s most accessible yet incongruous safari experience. Set on the city’s southern outskirts, Nairobi National Park (at 117 sq km, one of…

  • Entrance of Nairobi National Museum.

    National Museum

    Nairobi

    Kenya’s wonderful National Museum, housed in an imposing building amid lush, leafy grounds just outside the centre, has a good range of cultural and…

  • A Masai Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis tippelskirchii aka Kilimanjaro giraffe) and her calf in Nairobi National Park with the city in the background.
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giraffa camelopardalis tippelskirchii, kilimanjaro giraffe

    Giraffe Centre

    Nairobi

    This centre, which protects the highly endangered Rothschild’s giraffe, combines serious conservation with enjoyable activities. You can observe, hand…

  • The Karen Blixen house

    Karen Blixen's House & Museum

    Nairobi

    If you loved Out of Africa, you'll love this museum in the farmhouse where author Karen Blixen lived between 1914 and 1931. She left after a series of…

  • Making pottery at Kazuri Bead Factory, Nairobi, Kenya, East Africa
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making pottery, beads, kazuri bead factory

    Kazuri Beads & Pottery Centre

    Nairobi

    An interesting diversion in Karen, this craft centre was started by an English expat in 1975 as a place where single mothers could learn a marketable…

  • Go-Down Arts Centre

    Go-Down Arts Centre

    Nairobi

    The Go-Down Arts Centre, a converted warehouse in Industrial Area, contains 10 separate studios and is a hub for Nairobi's burgeoning arts scene, bringing…

  • Bomas of Kenya

    Bomas of Kenya

    Nairobi

    The talented resident artists at this cultural centre perform traditional dances and songs taken from the country’s various tribal groups, including…

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