Nairobi-Past and Present

The settlement of Nairobi dates back to 1899 when this deserted swampy area was inhabited for a railway encampment. During the British times, a need for railway connection between the coast of Kenya and Uganda was highlighted. Thus, an area close to modern Nairobi was selected for two major reasons. The foremost important reason was the suitable position of this area, centered between the Kenyan coastal town of Mombasa and the Ugandan capital, Kampala. Secondly there was a water hole in this area called “Ewaso Nyirobi” by the Massai which literally means “Cool Waters”. Thus the city got its name, Nairobi.

The city is thought to have been moved many times and was also re-built during the early 20^th century due to a fire break out and the spread of disease. The fire that broke out burnt nearly the whole city. Nairobi was finally relocated to a position that is almost 1700 meters above sea level making it impossible for malarial mosquitoes to survive there. In 1905, Nairobi became the capital of Kenya replacing Mombasa. The city rapidly grew as a tourist destination primarily being a spot for British game hunters. Later on, other attractions in addition to game hunting resulted in development of many hotels in the city. Nairobi is highly popular for its greenery and parks. The city’s most popular parks are Uhuru Park and Central Park and they both are located in the Central Business District.

Modern Nairobi is the largest and one of the most important East African cities. Since Nairobi is used as a gateway to many other Kenyan as well as African cities. It is also a cultural and business hub where people from all around the world fly for better jobs and living standards and multi-national companies base themselves. Although, most tourists do not prefer to stay in Nairobi for a very long time in excitement of visiting other Kenyan attractions but at least a two day stay in the city does justice to it.

Nairobi now boasts a spectacular skyline where some of the most attractive buildings include; Kenyatta International Conference Center, I&M Bank Headquarters, Times Tower and Teleposta Towers. These constructions along with many others give Nairobi a fine cityscape. If viewed from the observation desk of Kenyatta Conference Center situated at the 28^th floor of the building, Nairobi gives magnificent views.

Nairobi beautifully blends European and African cultures into its lifestyle and displays an attractive contrast of richness and poverty. Like most other African cities, this city also homes people from extremely rich classes to extremely poor ones. However this does not ruin the beauty of Nairobi. This contrast rather gives the city more culture and customs and hence more reasons to the tourists to use their cameras.

Since the history of Kenyan capital is totally railway oriented, no wonder why the city has the famous Railway Museum. The museum houses wondrous collections of historical railway artifacts and photographs. However the most astonishing museum of Kenya is the Nairobi National Museum. This museum exhibits glorious collections of Kenyan history, arts, crafts, culture, flora and fauna, hence becoming the best offering of Nairobi.

Meanwhile, cheap flights to Nairobi can be easily got and so can be the accommodation at the many hotels spreading around the city. These hotels include five star rated as well as relatively more affordable ones from which the visitors may select the most suitable choice. You can check the schedule for flights to Nairobi through internet also.