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Nairobi, capital of Kenya, is a lively, cosmopolitan city that sits at
1870 m above sea level. The centre is modern and prosperous.
Businessmen and women talking on mobile phones walk the
pavements alongside Masai warriors with long, ochre-stained
hair; tourists mingle with busy traders and commuters; markets
sell traditional handicrafts in the shadow of office towers, and
life goes on at a frenetic pace. Housing and other facilities have
failed to keep up with the rapid population growth, and shanty
towns in the outskirts are the inevitable result. By contrast, there
are leafy upmarket suburbs and modern shopping malls, and the
city is home to a large international community. Unfortunately
Nairobi has also attracted fame for its high crime rate, and visitors
should exercise caution at all times. Nevertheless, there are many
interesting things to do and see. Nairobi is home to some of the
best restaurants and shops in East Africa, Nairobi National Park is
within sight of the city, and there are a number of other wildlife
attractions just a stone’s throw away.
The Great Rift Valley is one of the most dramatic features on
earth. In Kenya, it starts at Lake Turkana in the north, and runs right
through the centre of the country. Up to 100 km wide in places,
the floor is littered with lakes, such as Nakuru, Naivasha, Baringo
and Bogoria, which are surrounded by cliffs, escarpments, rivers
and arid plains. These support an enormous diversity of fauna and
flora. In the south of the region the Masai Mara is one of the most
exciting game parks in the world, teeming with wildlife and the
site of the quite spectacular wildebeest migration. It is also the
place in Kenya where you are most likely to see lions. The scenery
is wonderful too, with Mount Kilimanjaro acting as the perfect
backdrop to miles of arid savannah plains covered with fragile
grasslands and scrub bush.
