Place to Visit: Nairobi

There are a number of Hindu and Sikh temples throughout Nairobi, one of the most impressive being the recently constructed Swami Narain Temple on Forest Road, a massive temple complex with fine external statuary. Nairobi is also home to many mosques. At the centre of the city is the large Jamia Mosque with attractive twinned minarets. There is a strong Ismaili community (followers of the Aga Khan) in Kenya, and their beautiful Khoja Mosque is found directly beside the main city market.

Nairobi’s population is predominantly Christian, and there are countless churches throughout the city. In the city centre are the large Catholic Holy Family Cathedral and All Saints Cathedral, a gothic style Anglican church that was founded in 1917 and consecrated in 1952. Nairobi’s Parliamentary buildings were also built in the 1950’s. Directly beside Parliament, however, the Republic’s First President, Jomo Kenyatta rests in a respectfully landscaped Mausoleum.

The city has not lost its sense of the past, with an excellent museum and the historical home of Karen Blixen, author of Out of Africa open to visitors. This is not a modern capital separated from the great wilderness that surrounds it. Just outside the city is Nairobi National Park, 113 sq kms of plains, cliffs and forest. The park is home to large herds of zebra, wildebeest, buffalo, giraffe and more. Rhino, cheetah, and a large number of lions are all found here, living wild within 20 minutes of the centre of town.

Further out of town, the spectacular 27 metre deep 'Fourteen Falls' waterfalls at Thika are perfect for a scenic day trip. Nearby Ol Donyo Sabuk National Park, is centred around an imposing 2,146 metre mountain.

In the centre of the town is the large City Market, selling a great selection of produce, including fruit, vegetables, flowers, fruit, fish and meat. This colourful Market is an interesting place to visit, and a good place to find local handicrafts.

Kariakor Market, located just outside town off racecourse Road, is another excellent market for handicrafts, in particular for good and reasonable priced sisal basketwork. This very lively market, named after the Colonial 'Carrier Corps' (Karia-kor) who were once stationed here. Kariakor is renowned all over town as the best place to sample real traditional Kenyan food. There are many small shops and eateries attached to the market selling a wide range of traditional cuisines.