Nairobi, which translates to “cool river” in English, is east Africa’s largest and fastest growing city, home to over 3 million people.  Originally established as a railway workers encampment, the city now has a modern skyline, including the striking Kenyatta Conference Center.  Visitors can see an impressive travel view of the city and the countryside from its 28th floor observation deck.  Nairobi is the cultural, economic, and communications hub of Kenya, also hosting its most important higher education institutions.  Its tourist industry continues to grow.

Railways have played a vital role in the growth of this city. The British have chosen this 1700 meter altitude place for its ever cool climate especially for travelers.

Workers hired for the Ugandan Railway project connecting Lake Victoria and the coastal city of Mombasa were housed in Nairobi.  After the completion of the railway in 1900, Nairobi progressively grew in importance.  Today, there’s a Railway Museum in Nairobi that includes various historical travel objects, and wonderful photography through Nairobi’s history.

An international city. Modern Nairobi is an economic giant of East Africa.  Businesses and organizations from across the world are based in Nairobi, including the United Nations Environment Program UNEP and United Nations Human Settlements Program (UN HABITAT).  With such a large number of international residents, it’s no coincidence that the restaurants in Nairobi are a match for those in major European and American cities.

While Johannesberg happens to be the place for extremely rich and extremely poor people, the difference being so vast, Nairobi is  somewhat better in this regard. May be this is one of the reasons for high crime rate which forces the tourists to be  cautious in their movements. Central Nairobi alone is considered to be a safer place.

Tourists to Kenya are very much interested to go out for a safari, rather than visiting Nairobi, which has a popular Railway Museum and a National Museum. The National Museum has in its store  the testimony for Kenyan culture and the native people’s lifestyle. Collections made by Joy Adamson, the author of the book ‘Born Free’ which describes the events related to the rescue, are on display in the National Museum. By looking at the exhibits one can feel her deep love for Africa. However most of the tourists skip these interesting pieces without visiting the city.

From the Railway Museum, the Moi Avenue takes the path straight inside the heart of Nairobi. Nairobi city is adorned by two extensive green parks, Uhuru Park and Central Park. It is a pleasant experience for the people who take shelter in the benches under the shades of wide trees grown for many years. A man made lake is available in the Uhuru Park. But for the mind work of the Nobel Prize Winner Wangari Maathai, the Uhuru Park would have vanished among the concrete structures. Continuous protests and international support during 1989 preserved the Park. Nairobi has full fledged western type hotels. Hence  tourists after a hard trekking in the nearby jungles or forests are able to have a restful evening with a delightful dinner of their own choice. The Safaris have both single day trips and multi day trips. Nairobi National Park with an area of 120 square kilometer, is situated just within a half an hours drive and is suitable for a one day trip.

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