Kenya Travel Guide & Manual - International Luxury Travel Market

20
Kenyan capital's 'secret' treasurehouse
of tourist attractions
For many, Nairobi is either somewhere to
arrive and quickly transfer to another destination,
or for a place for a brief – often reluctant
– overnight stop before going home or heading
for the game parks.
In fact, most visitors arriving at Nairobi’s Jomo
Kenyatta International Airport then transfer immediately
to nearby Wilson Airport for their short
flight to the bush, or pick up their safari van for
the overland trip to their
lodge or camp. And they do
exactly the same in reverse
on their way home.
This is a real pity, because
Nairobi has so much to
offer – even though it’s
fair to say that many of its
attractions are not always
immediately apparent to
the fleeting visitor.
Not only does Nairobi
possess some real hidden gems, but there
is a host of attractions within easy striking
distance of the city to delight even the most
hard-bitten and world-weary traveller.
For a start, there is Nairobi National Park,
headquarters of the Kenya Wildlife Service
(KWS) and the only game park of its kind to
be located near a capital city. Covering 117 sq
km, it is also East Africa’s oldest game park.
So you don’t even need to go far to see wildlife.
And there cannot be many airports in Africa
where it’s common to see giraffe or herds of
antelope on your drive into the city.
OPPORTUNITY
Right alongside the entrance to Nairobi Game
Reserve is the Nairobi Education Centre - Animal
Orphanage, which is not only a refuge for
young animals but also provides an opportunity
for visitors, especially local schoolchildren,
to interact with some of Kenya’s best-known
wildlife.
Not far from Nairobi Game Reserve and on the
same road heading out of town in the direction
of the delightfully elegant suburb of Karen
– named after Danish author Karen Blixen – are
the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust’s elephant
sanctuary and The Giraffe Manor, which is also
a rather splendid small hotel, surrounded by
140 acres of indigenous forest.