Kenya's capital city has risen in a single century from a brackish uninhabited swampland to a thriving modern capital. When railway construction workers reached this area in 1899, they set up a basic camp and supply depot, simply called "Mile 327," representing its distance from the Mombasa terminus. The local Masai people had given this highland swamp a name centuries before: Ewaso Nai'beri, meaning "the place of cold water." The camp became a rustic village, and then a shantytown, and, amazingly enough, by 1907, only eight years after the pounding of the spike at Mile 327, Nairobi had become the capital of all of British East Africa. In intervening years, it has become a Mecca for adventurers, hunters and travelers from all over the world.

Modern Nairobi is still the safari capital of Africa, but the modern world has quickly caught up with the city. A frontier town no more, Nairobi has become one of Africa's largest cities.. and, with its Rhinoceros extensive Masai markets and shops, one of its most interesting sights. The capital city is a place of great contrasts where race, tribe and origin all become facets of a unique Nairobi character. The city has not lost a sense of its past, no matter how short its history may be. It boasts an excellent museum, as well as the home of Karen Blixen (born Isak Dinesen), the author of "Out of Africa." Her home is open to visitors.

One of Nairobi's most interesting features is its setting. A metropolis set down in the middle of a great wilderness, its shimmering skyscrapers can be seen by the giraffes and other wild animals that inhabit Nairobi National Park, which comprises 44 square miles (113 square kilometers) of plains, cliffs and forest right on the edge of town. Flights taking off from Nairobi's airport are observed by the park's large herds of zebra, wildebeest, buffalo and giraffe. Rhinos, cheetahs, and a large number of lions are also found here, all born free and living wild within twenty minutes of the center of the country's capital.

From the wildlife to the nightlife, Nairobi is a city unlike any other. Nairobi's well-known restaurants and colorful array of shops and markets insure that there is always plenty on offer for the visitor.