Travel and Places  

Nairobi: Visit The Green City In The Sun

By Michael Bamidele

26 September 2021   |   10:00 am

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Nairobi is the capital and the largest city of Kenya. The name comes from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nairobi, which translates to "cool water", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city has two informal nicknames; "The Green City in the Sun", which is derived from the city's foliage and…

Nairobi is the capital and the largest city of Kenya. The name comes from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nairobi, which translates to “cool water”, a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city.

The city has two informal nicknames; “The Green City in the Sun”, which is derived from the city’s foliage and warm climate, the second is the “Safari Capital of the World”, which is used due to Nairobi’s prominence as a hub for safari tourism.

Places
Nairobi National Park
Located just a short drive outside of Nairobi’s central business district, the Nairobi National Park features wide open grass plains with a backdrop of the city scrapers and scattered acacia bush that plays host to a wide variety of wildlife including the endangered black rhino, lions, leopards, cheetahs, hyenas, buffaloes, giraffes and diverse birdlife with over 400 species recorded.

Lake Naivasha
Lake Naivasha can be found sprawled across the highest elevation point of the Kenyan Rift Valley. Spanning an area of 13,900ha with a surrounding swamp, this freshwater lake north of Nairobi.

The Lake derives its name from the local Maasai name Nai’posha, meaning “rough water” because of the sudden storms which can arise.

Home to a variety of types of wildlife including over 400 different species of bird and a sizable population of hippos, the lake is under two hours away from Nairobi.

Bomas of Kenya
Bomas of Kenya is a tourist village and cultural center six miles outside of Nairobi. It features replicas of traditional homesteads, or bomas, from 23 of Kenya’s ethnic groups, as well as traditional dances performed in its large auditorium.

African Heritage House
Overlooking the Nairobi National Park, is the African Heritage House, a combination of the mud architectures from across Africa.

The house is available for tours, meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinners on the rooftop or by the refreshing pool), conferences/functions, as well as overnight stays in its luxurious rooms, filled with African art and furnishings with modern appointments.

Mamba Village
Nairobi Mamba Village is situated an estimated 13 kilometres away from Nairobi. A wide range of facilities are provided at the resort, located in a spacious and serene environment accessible by a tarmac and all-weather road.

An array of leisure and outdoor activities are available to visitors of Nairobi Mamba Village. These include; a secluded picnic site, camel, horse, boat riding, children playgrounds, leisure park, crocodile pens, ostrich park, bird watching trail, man-made lake, amphitheatre & a botanical garden replete with rare, exotic medicinal plants and trees.

Uhuru Park
Uhuru Park is a 12.9 hectare recreational park adjacent to the central business district of Nairobi, Kenya. It was opened to the general public by the late Mzee Jomo Kenyatta on 23 May 1969. It contains an artificial lake, several national monuments, and an assembly ground which has become a popular skateboarding spot on weekends and also a location for local skateboarding competitions (best trick contest 2017), catering to Nairobi’s growing skate scene.

Food
Nyama Choma
It is said that in Kenya, any gathering is an excuse to eat nyama choma. It is a specialty of grilled goat meat. The expression nyama choma means barbecue meat in kiswahili.

Roasted meat is very popular in Kenya where it is considered the national dish.

Ugali (Cornmeal Staple)
The undeniable most common Kenyan food staple is ugali – usually made from cornmeal that is added to boiling water and heated until it turns into a dense block of cornmeal paste. Ugali has the consistency of a grainy dough and the heaviness of a brick.

For many Kenyans, ugali along with a small amount of cooked vegetables or saucy stew is a normal meal.