Nairobi was Founded in 1899, the city was handed capital status from Mombasa in 1905. Nairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya. It is popularly known as the “Green City in the Sun”. Nairobi is also the capital of the Nairobi Province and of the Nairobi District. The city lies on the Nairobi River, in the south of the nation, and has an elevation of 1661M (5450 ft) above sea-level. Nairobi is currently the 4th largest city in Africa and the most populous city in East Africa, with an estimated urban population of between 3 and 4 million. According to the 1999 Census, in the administrative area of Nairobi, 2,143,254 inhabitants lived within 684 km².Nairobi is now one of the most prominent cities in Africa politically and financially. Home to many companies and organizations, Nairobi is established as a hub for Airlines into Africa, business and culture within East Africa.
The Nairobi city walking tour covers the modern city center the colorful Nairobi city market, parliament buildings, Kenyatta International Conference Centre; the landmark of Nairobi (KICC), The 7th memorial park bomblast, the Nairobi railway station museum, Nairobi snake park and the renowned National Museum where there are spell binding displays of the early man tribal regalia and the flora and fauna of Kenya.
Nairobi snake park:Nairobi snake park is one of the National Museums of Kenya attractions located adjacent to Nairobi National Museum and is extremely popular with visitors. On display are, cobras, puff adders, mambas and the large African-Rock python (non-poisonous) found only in Kenya.
Several species of crocodile found in Africa, the American alligator, fresh water terrapins and tortoises are also on display aquariums holding coral fish from the East african lakes and rivers are a main feature of the park.
Apart from the attraction, the snake park provided refuge and home for abandoned and unwanted reptiles including a giant tortoise that is still currently living at the park. The specimen was found wondering along a road in Limuru in 1961. The snake park has continued to provide refuge to a number of abandoned, threatened, rescued and unwanted reptiles to date.
The snake park has continued to attract visitors steadily over the years. The public in Nairobi over the years to date has continued to receive help in removal of snakes from residential premises as well as advice on handling of reptiles especially snakes.
Snake identification service is also provided. Visitors to the snake park get to enjoy the exhibits of reptiles, fish and succulent plants. You can combine the Nairobi snake park tour with the National museum tour
Bomas of Kenya Cultural Day Tour Nairobi visits the Bomas of Kenya which offers you "Kenya in a miniature". It lets you see the wonderful diversity of cultures that make up Kenya.
The term Bomas, meaning "homestead", are displayed on your tour; each represent one of Kenya's major ethnic groups, and is built to the original traditional architecture of an African home as built by the ancestors. A Boma is a homestead and just a few kilometers from Nairobi, we have the Bomas of Kenya.
Here you will experience the rich culture of Kenya’s 42 different ethnic groups as they live on their day-to-day basis. This is clearly demonstrated through traditional dances, music, song, and folklore. There is a splendid arena where acrobatic shows are performed.
The Bomas of Kenya put on displays of traditional dancers and spread over many acres, it also has a wonderful display of mud huts and traditional Kenyan homesteads. The Bomas of Kenya is the ideal place to bring energetic children as they can freely run in and out of the traditional houses & mud huts, climb up ladders and generally have a wonderfully active time.
These traditional houses are set out in clusters according to the region. The homes are grouped with the first wife's hut, second wife's hut, granary etc and you can see where the livestock are kept and the enormous variety between the huts.
Bomas of Kenya was initiated in 1971 after Kenya's independence (1964) and it is run by the Kenyan Government and aims to promote Kenya's rich cultural heritage.
In addition to the main attractions (the dancers and the traditional homesteads), there is also a large, wooden play area for young children, a small, low-key village of craft shops and other attractions. The Centre is set up for conferences and can offer cultural shows for audiences of up to 300 people.
Karen Blixen Museum Nairobi Day Tour visits the famous Karen Blixen Museum located on the outskirts of Nairobi on Karen road. Its history dates back to 1914, during the First World War, with the arrival of Karen Blixen from Denmark.
At the foot of Ngong Hills, Karen Blixen established herself as a farmer. After her departure in 1931, the suburbs retained the commemorative home of Karen. The Danish government donated the house and the surrounding land to Kenya after independence.
The house was restored by the Danish government, and was used during the filming of "Out of Africa" which immortalized Karen Blixen's book by the same name. Karen Blixen Museum was opened to the public in 1986. A striking feature about Karen Blixen Museum is the beautiful grounds.
The house built in 1910 has a red tile roof and mellow wood paneling in the rooms. When Karen Blixen bought the property, it had 6,000 acres of land but only 600 acres were developed for growing coffee; the rest was retained under natural forest.
Much of the original furniture is on display in the house. The original kitchen has been restored, and is now open for viewing. A Dove Stove similar to the one used by Karen Blixen is on display, as are the kitchen utensils. Reconstruction of the coffee factory, along with other old farm machinery is underway.
The aim here is to take an individual back in time, and provide a visual impression of each settler life in Kenya. Karen Blixen Museum has become a herb of various activities including private parties, research and visitation, from all over the world. The income so generated is used to refurbish and maintain Karen Blixen Museum and other regional museums.
Nairobi National Museum is located at the Museum Hill, approximately 10 minutes drive from the Nairobi city centre. It is the flagship museum housing some of the most celebrated collections of history, culture and art from Kenya and East Africa. The museum aims to interpret heritage of Kenya to stimulate appreciation and learning. This museum is open daily (including public holidays) from 0830hrs -17300hrs.
The Museum was initiated in 1910 by the then East Africa and Uganda Natural History Society [currently the East African Natural History Society (EANHS)]. The group consisted mainly of colonial settlers and naturalists who needed a place to keep and preserve their collections of various specimens. Its first site was at the present Nyayo House in the Nairobi city centre. The site soon became small and a larger building was put up in 1922 where the Nairobi Serena Hotel now stands.
In 1929, the colonial government set aside land at the Museum Hill and construction work started at the current site. It was officially opened in Sept. 22 1930 and named Coryndon Museum in honour of Sir Robert Coryndon, one time Governor of Kenya and a staunch supporter of Uganda Natural History Society. On the attainment of independence in 1963, it was re-named the National Museum of Kenya (NMK).
On October 15th 2005, previous Nairobi Museum closed its doors to the public for an extensive modernization and expansion project that is now complete. The outcome is impressive; the Nairobi Museum has been transformed into a magnificent piece of architecture that puts it in competition with other world class museums.
The artworks, the materials used in the fabrication of outdoor sculptures, the landscaping and the botanic gardens, link to the three pillars of Kenya’s national heritage i.e. nature, culture and history. A welcoming ambience of harmony between the galleries, the non gallery spaces, the museum landscape and its entrances, make museum visits more exciting. The galleries have been reorganised to interpret the heritage of Kenya to stimulate appreciation and learning. To capture the feel of diversity and interactivity, there are mixed galleries to show the personality of the new museum. Under the nature pillar, there are 5 exhibitions. These are Human origins, Mammalian Radiation, Ecology of Kenya, Natural Diversity and Geology. Under Culture, the exhibitions include Cycles of Life, Cultural Dynamism and Creativity.
Giraffe Center Day Tour/Trip Nairobi explores the Giraffe Centre located at Langata, approximately 20 kilometers from the centre of Nairobi, Kenya. The Giraffe Center is a wonderful and refreshing experience undertaken during African Spice Safaris excursion in Nairobi.
Nairobi Giraffe Centre tour gives a completely up close and personal interaction where guests have the opportunity to view giraffes as well as feed them. The centre has rescued, hand-reared and released around 500 orphaned giraffes back into the wild since opening in 1979.
Young giraffes born at the Centre were translocated to; Soy Sambu Ranch near Lake Elementaita, and Kigio Conservancy near Gilgil and Sergoit ranch in Eldoret while recently they translocated some to Mwea National Game Reserve . Today the Rothschild Giraffe population in Kenya is about 300.