Nairobi City Tour destinations are among the most underrated Kenya Discovery Journeys destinations. Kenya has iconic safari tour destinations including household names like Masai Mara and Amboseli. Such overshadow even the most impressive Nairobi City Tour destinations that offer amazing Kenya tour experiences.
The city is Kenya’s capital and among the fastest-developing cities in Sub-Saharan Africa. It is the region’s business hub with the most developed infrastructure. Nairobi has a rich cultural background and savanna wildlife touch making it among the best city tour destinations. Below are some of our favorite Nairobi City Tour destinations that you can consider to add on your bucket list.
Nairobi National Park
Nairobi National Park is located south of Nairobi city center covering a land area of 117 square kilometers. It is the only wildlife-protected area on the entire planet within the city premises. The park comprises open savanna grasslands and woodlands with a backdrop of city infrastructure.
It is home to several wildlife species including lions, giraffes, hyenas, Rhinos, and over 400 bird species. Nairobi National Park is the only hope for savanna wildlife experiences for those with limited time in Nairobi. It has well-developed game drive trails and it is easy to spot the different wildlife species.
Since Kenya is the birthplace of Safari, it only makes sense to visit the park on your Nairobi City Tour. The experience here sets you in a safari mood ahead of your other Kenya safari tour expeditions. The Park can easily be accessed by road and can be visited at any time of the year.
Nairobi National Museum
Nairobi National Museum is among the historic museums in East Africa. The idea of having it was initiated in 1910 by naturalists who sought a place to keep their collections. The first museum was opened at Nyayo House and later at the current Nairobi Serena Hotel. All these filled up prompting the then colonial government to set up land for the construction of a large museum.
Construction works were eventually finalized with the museum opening up to the public in 1930 as the Coryndon Museum. This was later changed to the National Museum of Kenya when the country gained its independence from British colonial rule. The long history alone makes the museum among the must-visit Kenya City Tour destinations.
Nairobi National Museum has different galleries that showcase human evolution, wildlife, and the rich Kenyan culture. The Cradle of Human Kind gallery is among the most outstanding galleries there. It takes you back in time to the Stone Age eras as you discover how the early man survived. Other galleries include the cycles of life, the history of Kenya, and the story of mammals. Ensure to add this to your Nairobi City tour excursion if you seeking overall information about Kenya.
The Giraffe Centre is another amazing Nairobi City Tour destination. It is located about a 40-minute drive from the Nairobi City Center. It is home to the African Fund for Endangered Wildlife a non-profit Kenyan organization. This was founded in 1979 by Jock and Betty Leslie-Melville after realizing how the Rothschild had become critically endangered.
The Rothschild Giraffe population at the time had reduced to 130 living on the 18,000-acre Soy Ranch. Jock and Betty took in two young giraffes to their home in Nairobi where they started a giraffe breeding program. The breeding of giraffes eventually began and these were successfully translocated to different protected areas including Lake Nakuru National Park. Lake Nakuru is currently the only National Park in Kenya with Rothschild Giraffes.
Through the fund, Jock and Betty raised money to construct an Educational Center on their farmland. It is this that eventually became the Giraffe Center. It was opened in 1983 and is still fundamental and among the iconic Nairobi City Tour destinations. On a visit to the center, you get an opportunity to interact and feed giraffes learning more about them. You can stay at the historic Giraffe Manor (Jock and Betty’s Home) and still get to dine with the giraffes.
The Karen Blixen Museum is another amazing and highly recommended Nairobi City Tour destination. It is located about 10 kilometers from Nairobi city center and was opened in 1986. It was named after Karen and Baron Bror Blixen a married couple that lived in the historical colonial house from 1917 until they separated in 1921. After their separation, Karen continued living in the farmhouse until 1931 when she eventually returned to Denmark.
The house changed ownership for years until it was purchased by the Danish Government which gifted it to Kenya as an independence gift.
Karen is a celebrated author who published books including Out of Africa in 1937, The Seven Gothic Tales in 1934, and the Babette Feat in 1950. The Movie Out of Africa was inspired by Karen’s publication.
The Karen Blixen Museum has a rich colonial history and is a great place to check out if you are interested in Kenya’s colonial period. It has architecture and furniture exhibitions dating back to the early 1900s. The museum is located in a cool and chilled environment at the foot of Ngong Hills. A tour through the Museum and relaxing in the gardens is refreshing. There is provision for a guided nature walk where you get to see several birds and small animal species including the tree hyrax.
Nairobi Railway Museum
The Nairobi Railway Museum is a historical Nairobi City Tour destination. Railway transport itself is a classic means of transport that was introduced in East Africa during colonialism. It was mainly aimed at connecting to Uganda a landlocked country and former British protectorate. The two major British colonies were involved in large-scale agriculture growing cash crops including tea and cotton that had to be transported to Europe for processing.
East Africa had several minerals like copper and cobalt that required a reliable transportation network from the interior to the coast. All these factors saw the start of the construction of the Uganda Railway through Kenya since it has a seaport. The Uganda Railway was constructed through the Tsavo wilderness with the aid of Indian Coolies as laborers. These were often attacked by the Maneless lions for a meal and somewhat became a major obstacle in the railway construction.
Kenya alone has a well-connected Railway Network to the different regions that colonialists relied on for Agriculture and Minerals. You can learn about all these and more on a visit to the Kenya Railway Museum.
Destination Kenya is still an overall iconic safari destination. You feature a visit to these city destinations alongside other savanna wildlife destinations including the less traveled northern Kenya safari tour areas. Uganda and Rwanda are great for primate trekking featuring mountain gorillas and chimpanzees. For other signature savanna safaris, you can visit Tanzania.
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