Nairobi
Kenya's capital city has risen in a single century from a brackish
uninhabited swampland to a thriving modern capital. When railway
construction workers reached this area in 1899, they set up a
basic camp and supply depot, simply called "Mile 327,"
representing its distance from the Mombasa terminus. The local
Masai people had given this highland swamp a name centuries before:
Ewaso Nai'beri, meaning "the place of cold water." The
camp became a rustic village, and then a shantytown, and, amazingly
enough, by 1907, only eight years after the pounding of the spike
at Mile 327, Nairobi had become the capital of all of British
East Africa. In intervening years, it has become a mecca for adventurers,
hunters and travelers from all over the world.
Modern Nairobi
is still the safari capital of Africa, but the modern world has
quickly caught up with the city. A frontier town no more, Nairobi
has become one of Africa's largest cities…. and, with its
Rhinoceros extensive Masai markets and shops, one of its most
interesting sights. The capital city is a place of great contrasts
where race, tribe and origin all become facets of a unique Nairobi
character. The city has not lost a sense of its past, no matter
how short its history may be. It boasts an excellent museum, as
well as the home of Karen Blixen (born Isak Dinesen), the author
of "Out of Africa." Her home is open to visitors.
One of Nairobi's
most interesting features is its setting. A metropolis set down
in the middle of a great wilderness, its shimmering skyscrapers
can be seen by the giraffes and other wild animals that inhabit
Nairobi National Park, which comprises 44 square miles (113 square
kilometers) of plains, cliffs and forest right on the edge of
town. Flights taking off from Nairobi's airport are observed by
the park's large herds of zebra, wildebeest, buffalo and giraffe.
Rhinos, cheetahs, and a large number of lions are also found here,
all born free and living wild within twenty minutes of the center
of the country's capital.
From the wildlife
to the nightlife, Nairobi is a city unlike any other. Nairobi's
well-known restaurants and colorful array of shops and markets
insure that there is always plenty on offer for the visitor.
