A cosmopolitan capital of fabulous food and striking administrative architecture, Nairobi is the city where wildlife and modernity meet, and is much more than a safari starting point.  

The city itself may be just over a century old, but the human heart of the country - most markedly the Masai tribe - has a history that runs far deeper. Travellers should visit the National Museum, which spans over 7 million years of mankind in Kenya.

The European impact is equally felt in Nairobi. The manicured gardens and single-storey farmhouse of Karen Blixen Museum are a pretty reminder of a colonial-era past, as well as a lament to the 'Out of Africa' author herself, who once ran it as a coffee plantation.

Although Kenya is famed for its coffee, it is the variety of food which spices up the capital’s dining scene. Away from the tasty traditional stews, the city’s chefs are becoming more adventurous with restaurants finding infamy serving camel, ostrich and crocodile for diners daring enough to try.

Better in the pastures than on the plate, Nairobi boasts a National Park a hippo’s roar away from the city centre. Black rhinoceros are the star attraction, but wildlife enthusiasts are spoilt too with gazelles, zebras and giraffes as well as lions and leopards. Home to over 400 species of birds, the park is almost as cosmopolitan as the city itself.