For further information
Find more information about Kenya and Nairobi on the website of the Kenya Tourism Board (KTB).
About Nairobi
Although much has changed in our Rotary district of 9200 over the last 80 years, Nairobi still
remains the energetic and vibrant city it was in 1925. As in the early days, it was center of
architectural innovation and great character, a major trading post, distribution hub, and a great
resource town.
Today Nairobi still boasts its great characteristics and contrasts — From the soaring steel skyscrapers set against acres of the scenic Uhuru park for example, or the bustling downtown business and shopping district contrasted with the colorful neighborhoods and ethnic enclaves dotted with great eating houses catering cuisines from every part of the world — Italian, Thai, Chinese, Lebanese, Indian, Greek, Mexican, Ethiopian and our own Kenyan traditional hot spots of ethnic favorites.
You can listen to the blues as they were meant to be played, or dance along the latest beats at the various popular night clubs. Nairobi also offers some of the most talented theaters – from Phoenix Theatre to National Theatre productions to street side performances. In addition we have the state of the art cinema halls for your latest Hollywood / Bollywood chartbuster movies.
There are also plenty of opportunities for family fun at Nairobi National Park & Orphanage, numerous surrounding Wildlife sanctuaries, and parks.
Like Rotary, Nairobi has a rich and colorful history, and today, both the city and the organization it spawned stand poised to meet the future. What better place to celebrate a century of service, while preparing for a new century of success.
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A short History of Nairobi
Green City in the Sun!
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’. The local Maasai called this highland swamp Ewaso Nai’beri – the place of cold water.
The camp became a rustic village, and then a shanty town, which by 1907 was the capital of all of British East Africa. It was soon an important centre for the colony and a mecca for adventurers, hunters and travellers from all over the world.
Modern Nairobi is still the safari capital of the 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, and most interesting cities.
Nairobi is a city that never seems to sleep. The entire town has a boundless energy, and is thriving place where all of human life can be found. This is a place of great contrasts where race, tribe and origin all become facets of a unique Nairobi character.
The city has not lost its sense of the past, with an excellent museum and the historical home of Karen Blixen, author of Out of Africa open to visitors.
This is not a modern capital separated from the great wilderness that surrounds it. Just outside the city is Nairobi National Park, 113 sq kms of plains, cliffs and forest. The park is home to large herds of Zebra, Wildebeest, Buffalo, Giraffe and more. Rhino, Cheetah, and a large number of Lions are all found here, living wild within 20 minutes of the centre of town.
Further out of town, the spectacular 27 metre deep 'Fourteen Falls' waterfalls at Thika are perfect for a scenic day trip. Nearby Ol Donyo Sabuk National Park, is centred around an imposing 2,146 metre mountain.
For the adventurous, take an hour's drive from town and you will find white water rafting on the beautiful Tana River.
From the wildlife to the nightlife, Nairobi is a city unlike any other. With a fantastic music scene, excellent international restaurants and an endless and colourful array of shops and markets, there is plenty on offer for the visitor.