Nairobi

Meaning the “place of cool waters” in the Masai language, this once uninhabited area became the base camp for the building of the railway. Today, Nairobi is a bustling metropolis with markets, shopping malls, and at least a day’s good sightseeing. Don’t miss the National Museum, the Kenyatta International Conference Centre and the Law Courts. Also take time to see some of the colonial institutions, still going strong, such as an English tea, taken either at the Norfolk Hotel (built in 1904) or the Thorn Tree Café in the New Stanley. At Karen, near Langata, Danish author Karen Blixen’s farm has been turned into a museum of colonial times. The Nairobi National Park is well worth a visit and is home to an array of game including lion and rhino.

At night, the city has some dangerous neighbourhoods and you need to take care