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Nairobi Maps & Attractions Guide
Nairobi maps & Attractions - Things to do
in Nairobi
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Nairobi
Attractions - Things to do
1. Nairobi National Park and Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage
www.kws.org |
What is it? Nairobi National Park was established in 1945
and is Kenya's first national park. Uniquely situated on the
capital's doorstep it is a well-kept, compact and beautiful area of
plains and wild bush containing a large number of Africa's
best-known animals. Large herds of zebra, wildebeest, buffalo and
giraffe roam the plains and black rhino, ostrich, baboons, cheetah
and lions are some of the other photogenic inhabitants. In the park
is the Animal Orphanage where sick, wounded and abandoned animals
are cared for and rehabilitated into the park, as well as an
Educational Centre featuring a Safari Walk. Close by is the
Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage, where infant elephant and rhino
(orphaned because of poaching activities) are cared for and
eventually returned to the wild in Tsavo National Park. The centre
is open every morning and visitors can watch the calves bathing in
the mud hole and being bottle fed by their human surrogate
mothers.
Hours of Operation:
Phone:602 121 |
2. Amboseli National Park
www.kws.org |
What is it? Amboseli is a park of giants, renowned for
its herds of mighty tusked elephants presided over by the
magnificent backdrop of Africa's highest mountain, Mt Kilimanjaro.
One of Africa's most unforgettable images is the picture of these
large creatures standing in silent tribute before the gigantic
snow-covered mountain just over the border in neighbouring
Tanzania. It is a relatively small park with wide plains merging
with the distant skyline, affording good visibility in all
directions. Observation Hill rises from the centre for breathtaking
views over the park and towards Mt Kilimanjaro, especially in the
pink light of dawn. Meaning 'Place of Water' in the Masai language,
it has a continuous supply from Kilimanjaro's snowmelt, forming
underground springs that feed the marshy patches and swamps home to
hippos and a great variety of bird life. Predators are relatively
scarce apart from jackal and hyena, but there are large numbers of
grazers such as wildebeest, zebra and gazelles on the grassy plains
and giraffe among the thorn trees. A popular way to take in the
scenery is by way of a noiseless microlight flight, either from
Nairobi or the Amboseli airstrip. There is a wide range of
accommodation in and around the outskirts of the park for those
wanting to extend the experience.
Hours of Operation: Daily from 6am to 6.30pm
Phone:456 222 51 |
3. Mount Kenya National Park
www.mck.or.ke |
What is it? This national park encompasses Africa's
second highest mountain, Mt Kenya, an extinct volcano with a series
of jagged snow-covered peaks. The local Kikuyu people revere the
mountain they call Kirinvaga or 'Place of Light' as the home of
their Supreme Being, Ngai, and traditionally Kikuyu homes are built
to face the sacred summit. Part of the mountain's attraction is the
incredible variation in flora and fauna due to the changes in
altitude and its position on the equator. The slopes are covered in
thick forest, home to a variety of animals including the black
leopard. Bamboo, moorland and alpine vegetation give way to rock,
ice and one of the world's rarest sights - equatorial snow. The
summit is a technical climb, but Point Lenana is a popular
trekkers' objective, the third highest peak that can be reached by
a number of different scenic routes, lasting from three to five
days. For those not wishing to climb the mountain the park offers a
pristine wilderness, lakes and glaciers and is good for game
viewing and hiking.
Hours of Operation:
Phone:061 556 45 |
4. Masai Mara National Reserve
www.game-reserve.com |
What is it? Kenya's most visited park, commonly known as
the Mara, is a wildly beautiful place with rolling savannah
grasslands and is an extension of the Serengeti Plains in
neighbouring Tanzania. Much of the film 'Out of Africa' was filmed
here and it offers wonderful views and an extraordinary
concentration of wildlife, including the 'Big Five'. It has the
largest population of lion, and large herds of grazers also attract
many other predators such as cheetah and hyena. The annual
highlight is the Great Wildebeest Migration, creating one of the
world's supreme natural spectacles, when an estimated two million
animals form one large herd and leave the dry plains of Tanzania to
seek greener pastures in the north, arriving in the Mara from late
June onwards and returning again in September. Their entrance into
the Mara makes a breathtaking spectacle, as they cross the
crocodile infested waters of the Mara River. A once in a lifetime
way to experience the magic of an African dawn over such a
wilderness is by hot air balloon, drifting silently over the herds
below. These can be booked through any safari company and operate
daily from several of the lodges in the reserve. Also within the
reserve is a Masai village that holds demonstrations of traditional
dances and music as a source of tourist income for the local
communities of the Masai Mara National Reserve. Traditionally the
lands were used by the Masai for their herds of cattle and the
settlement programs set up to compensate for their displacement
have only recently been accepted, albeit reluctantly. The proud
warriors have become a symbol of tribal Kenya with their beadwork,
feathers, spears, decorated gourds and red blankets. Today the
Masai communities are allowed to hunt and graze their animals in
the reserve, and the occasional flash of red glimpsed between the
thorn trees and bush on the fringes of the Mara has become a
natural part of the Mara's character.
Hours of Operation: Daily 6.30am to 7pm
Phone: |
Nairobi Holidays guide
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Transport -The most popular form of public transport
in Nairobi is the matatu, usually a Nissan minibus, which operate
on set routes collecting as many passengers as possible en route,
with people boarding and disembarking wherever and whenever they
choose.
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