By Allan Olingo
From the wildlife to the nightlife, Nairobi is a city unlike any other. With fantastic scenery, excellent international hotels and an endless and colourful array of tourism facilities, there is plenty on offer for the visitor.
Mokoyeti Resort
The Mamba Village is widely known as the best place to see some of Kenya’s largest crocodiles, but deep within it, is an awesome little secret that very few know about it.
The Mokoyeti Resort, hidden within the same compound as Mamba Village, is one of the unique accommodations in the city. Picture this, walking along a path lined with passion fruit plants, shielding real apple trees on either side leading to the resort. It’s green all around, sort of like the perfect garden.
It is an amazing resort with tented camps; you might actually feel like you’re in the Mara. The setup is quite simple, ten such tents, all en-suite with hot showers; set on one of the most beautifully landscaped gardens you will ever see. At the centre is a pool... you know, for when the sun gets too friendly.
The Mamba Village is well known as a really great venue for amazing concerts; Mokoyeti Resort acts like a balance to this. This place is tranquil, serene and perfect. So if you want to relax or if you cherish your peace and quiet, but also love sight seeing, then you’ll love the Mokoyeti Resort.
Nairobi Snake Park
Nairobi Snake Park is one of the National Museums of Kenya’s key attractions located adjacent to Nairobi National Museum. On display are cobras, puff adders, mambas and the large African-Rock python (non-poisonous) found only in Kenya.
Several species of crocodile found in Africa, the American alligator, fresh water terrapins and tortoises are also on display. There are also aquariums holding coral fish from the East African lakes and rivers. The Snake Park provides refuge and home for abandoned and unwanted reptiles.
Emakoko Lodge
From its southern border, just by the Mbagathi River, this ten room luxury lodge offers the most impressive view of the Nairobi National Park. Surrounded by large majestic trees on the side of a very scenic valley, the lodge is truly hidden away from all reminders of the city chaos.
Emakoko boasts of a luxury space and is artfully built into the side of a valley on the Mbagathi River, which borders the Nairobi National Park. All the rooms have a scenic view of the river and park.
Entrance to the lodge is through the park and for bird enthusiasts; a large variety of bird life awaits you around the lodge, from greenwood pigeons to the resident eagle owls that keep a beady eye on the other residents.
There is the resident hippo that likes grazing on the lawn outside the rooms in the early morning. The silence can be almost deafening during the day, while the nights are often filled with distant noises of wild animals going about their nocturnal business.
Giraffe Centre
Located in Lang’ata, the Giraffe Centre was established in order to protect the endangered Rothschild Giraffe, which is found only in the grasslands of East Africa. Jock Leslie-Melville, the Kenyan grandson of a Scottish Earl, started the centre. Together with his wife Betty, they captured a baby giraffe to start a programme of breeding giraffe in captivity at their home in Lang’ata.
Since then the programme has had huge success, resulting in the introduction of several breeding pairs of Rothschild Giraffe into Kenyan national parks. In 1979, Leslie-Melville added an education centre to his giraffe sanctuary and by 1983, he had raised enough money to establish the Giraffe Visitors’ Centre as a tourist destination in Nairobi.
The main attraction for visitors is feeding giraffes from a raised observation platform. The centre also operates conservation and education programmes for Kenyan school children.
The centre is also home to Giraffe Manor, a beautifully maintained colonial home and now an exclusive guesthouse. The centre’s giraffe population wanders freely through the lush gardens and pays an occasional visit to the house itself, often pushing their heads through the French windows to inspect the day’s menu.
Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage
The Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage is located near Nairobi National Park and is an orphanage for elephant calves and rhinos from all over Kenya.
The centre was founded and is still managed by Daphne Sheldrick, the widow of one of Kenya’s best-known game wardens David Sheldrick, who was at the centre of the 1970s ivory poaching wars in Tsavo National Park.
Today, this orphanage is a focal point for elephant conservation as the elephant calves orphaned by poaching are brought here from all over the country.
They receive extremely specialised treatment and literally receive personal care 24 hours a day from dedicated staff —apparent surrogate mothers to the calves.
Eventually the calves are moved to Tsavo, where they are carefully reintroduced into wild herds. When you visit the centre during the day, you will find the calves being exercised and bathed.
What a scene.
Nairobi Butterfly Centre
Located in Karen, the Nairobi Butterfly Centre is home to more than 1,000 butterfly species. At this centre, you will see the largest and smallest butterflies in Kenya. The largest butterfly has a wingspan of 15 to 17 centimetres.
The butterfly sanctuary is housed in an expansive green house of tropical trees offering a rare insight into the complex world of butterflies.
There are guided tours in the sanctuary and explanation about environment, appearance and behaviour of the butterflies. For eco tourists, the Butterfly Centre offers visitors a special informative and impressive excitement on butterflies rearing and their beauty.
These spots, among many others, are within an hour of Nairobi traffic and offer Nairobians and other visitors alternative leisure experience just as far-flung lodges and game parks would.
