History
of Nairobi
Nairobi has a rich cultural heritage, with a diverse population that includes people from many different ethnic and cultural backgrounds. This diversity is reflected in the city's music, art, and cuisine, which draw from a range of traditions and influences.
Nairobi has also been a center of innovation and entrepreneurship, particularly in the technology sector. The city is home to a growing number of startups and tech companies, as well as a thriving community of developers and designers. This has helped to put Nairobi on the map as a hub of innovation in East Africa.
Things to do
Nairobi National Park
The Nairobi National Park is a unique wildlife reserve located within the city limits of Nairobi, Kenya. It was established in 1946 and covers an area of over 117 square kilometers. The park is home to a wide variety of wildlife, including lions, leopards, cheetahs, buffaloes, giraffes, zebras, and numerous species of antelope.
National Museum of Kenya
The Museum was initiated in 1910 by a group of enthusiastic naturalists under the then East Africa and Uganda Natural History Society [currently the East African Natural History Society (EANHS)], who needed a place to keep and preserve their collections of various specimens. The first site for the Museum was at the present Nyayo House, which later became too small and a larger building was put up in 1922 where the Nairobi Serena Hotel stands today.
The Giraffe
Center
The Giraffe Centre is located in Lang'ata, approximately 20 kilometres (12 mi) from the centre of Nairobi, Kenya. It was established in order to protect the vulnerable giraffe, that is found only in the grasslands of East Africa.
In 1979, the Giraffe Center, a nature sanctuary for visiting and including wildlife conservation education for urban school children, was started by Jock Leslie Melville, the Kenyan grandson of a Scottish Earl, when he and his wife Betty captured two baby giraffe to start a programme of breeding giraffe on their Langata property, site of the present Centre. Since then the programme has had huge success, resulting in the introduction of several breeding pairs of Rothschild Giraffe into Kenyan national parks.
By 1983 enough money had been raised to establish the Giraffe Visitor's Center as a tourist destination just outside Nairobi.
Maasai Market
One of the great experiences for safari-goers in Kenya is a visit to the Maasai Market. At these open-air markets travelers can find curios, paintings, drawings, clothes and fabrics with East African prints, jewellery and wood-carvings, many hand-made in Kenya by local artisans. You can buy all your souvenirs and gifts in one-go but get ready for some serious bargaining.
Enjoy the haggling and expect to come away with some great deals (keep in mind that it is their livelihood if they really stick to “no” you probably have gone below a price where they can make any money from an item). If you want to avoid being overwhelmed with attention wait till the market gets busy or if you have a choice avoid the High Court parking lot location on Saturday and stick to the Yaya Centre or Village Market days.
You should also avoid “gifts” as you may later discover that if you don’t buy anything else from that seller, that trinket is no longer a gift.
