NAIROBI

KENYA Africa

Nairobi is developing at lightning
speed, but nature never strays too
far away. Monkeys swing through
urban parks close to modern
shopping malls, and wildebeest
graze amongst grasses on the
outskirts of the city. Kenya’s capital
is one of the few places on Earth
where you can watch a giraffe
stretch for a leaf while skyscrapers
shimmer on the horizon just behind.

THRIFT VALLEY

Nairobi’s enormous open-air markets are a paradise for thrift
shoppers. Many knickknacks from the Western world can be
found being sold at mtumbas , which is Swahili for ‘second-hand’. The
ramshackle stalls line a warren of alleyways through the city, selling
anything and everything. Nairobi’s fashionistas even come to browse,
picking up bargains and wearing them as vintage chic, just
like their hipster counterparts on the other side of the
globe.

HORSES (AND OSTRICHES)
FOR COURSES

Nairobi’s Ngong Racecourse is the scene of
lively horse racing every other Sunday. The
country’s only racecourse has also seen ostrich
racing and stages the Nairobi Goat
Derby, where goats are dressed
up and raced for charity.

PRIDE OF THE CITY

The only thing separating the lions of Nairobi National Park from the city’s
outer suburbs is an electric fence, but since safaris are a big part of Kenya’s
appeal, it seems right that the capital is within eyeshot of the country’s first
ever national park. Big cats, black rhinos, giraffes and zebras all live here,
7km (4mi) from the central business district. A successful elephant and
rhinoceros sanctuary operates just next door.

MONKEY BUSINESS

Nairobi’s City Park has a large
population of cheeky Sykes’
monkeys, often seen begging
for food from people wandering
through the landscaped gardens
and forest groves. Baboons and
vervet monkeys hang out here
too, plus flutters of butterflies and
herds of elegant antelope.

HAKUNA MATATU!

While London is served by bright red double-decker
buses, Nairobi teems with matatus . The madly
painted minibuses zoom around the city, full to
capacity with people, blaring out music and honking
like angry geese. The vehicles are painted up to the
max, often sprayed with garish slogans and eye-
popping artworks.