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Sightseeing Overview
The city center is compact and quite small, although sprawling outlying suburbs greatly enlarge it. At the heart of the city is a triangle of roads, bisected by Kenyatta Avenue and Moi Avenue, along which are the main shops, offices and businesses.

The commercial and political heart of the city is in the southwest, around City Square. Here government buildings and banks mix with hotels and upmarket shops.

To the south is Memorial Park, on the site of the bombed US Embassy and Cooperative Bank building, where more than 200 Kenyans died in 1998.

To the north of Kenyatta Avenue is a densely populated district of shops, markets and hotels, including the Norfolk Hotel, Nairobi’s oldest building.

East of Moi Avenue lies the poorer inner city district centered on River Road. This notorious area is home to the city’s cheapest restaurants and hotels as well as most of the main bus and matatu stations. The main train station lies to the south.

Tourist Information
There is no official tourist office in Nairobi. For information try the local newspapers, The Standard and Nation, or the free monthly publication Going Out. Alternatively, the Thorn Tree Café at the Stanley Hotel, the Iqbal and the Fairview Hotel all have useful notice boards for travelers. Maps are available from bookshops, whilst the Survey of Kenya Public Map Office is on the Thika Road and will sell you survey maps and plans of the game parks.

Key Attractions:

The National Museum
The best introduction to the country, this museum is currently undergoing extensive regeneration and refurbishment. Collections of Kenya’s bird and wildlife species are impressive, whilst the geological information and detail on the Rift Valley is interesting for people visiting there. Historical exhibits relating to the coast give a good overview of Swahili culture and society. Palaeontology displays, cultural exhibits, ethnic portrait paintings and contemporary artwork are also worth seeing, as is the snake park in the grounds.

Museum Road
Tel: (020) 742 878.
Website: www.museums.or.ke
Admission charge.

The National Archives
Housed in the very central, striking old Bank of India building, this little-visited museum and art gallery has a range of paintings and tribal photographs from throughout Africa. There is also an enormous collection of tribal weaponry, instruments, masks and other paraphernalia. Elsewhere are exhibits that provide a fascinating insight into the struggle for independence and the history of Nairobi.

Moi Avenue
Tel: (020) 749 341.
Website: www.kenyarchives.go.ke
Free admission.

The Railway Museum
This privately run museum contains a treasure trove of photographs and memorabilia from the time of the construction of the ‘Lunatic Express,’ the Mombasa to Kampala railway line. It was given this name by the British colonialists because of the vast amount of investment it initially required. The shaky wooden bridges, enormous chasms, hostile tribes, a pair of man-eating lions and the hundreds of men killed by disease during its construction, added to its reputation. Models, photographs and other relics bring this chunk of colonial history alive. A collection of old locomotives in various states of disrepair also stands in the grounds.

Station Road
Admission charge.

Jamia Mosque
This large, striking mosque with a typically grand central dome is one of the city’s most attractive buildings. The ornate green and white exterior contrasts strongly with the simple interior, although non-Muslims will need special permission to step inside.

Banda Street
Free admission.

Further Distractions:

Carnivore Restaurant
An outing to this restaurant, just outside the city, is an essential part of any visit to Nairobi. Nairobi’s most famous nyama choma (literally ‘roast meat’) restaurant no longer serves plains game, but you can still dine on camel, ostrich and crocodile cooked over giant barbecue pits. There is also an open-air nightclub, the Simba Saloon, and live music venue here.

Langata Road
Tel: (020) 605 933.
Website: www.tamarind.co.ke

AFEW Giraffe Center
Located 18km (11 miles) from the city center, this giraffe center is run by the African Fund for Endangered Wildlife and aims to increase the numbers of rare Rothschild’s giraffe left in the wild. Ideal for children, the tall observation towers are a terrific chance to get close to these magnificent creatures.

Koitobos Road
Tel: (020) 891 658 or 890 952.

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