Navigating Nairobi In 36 Hours

KENYA'S CAPITAL PACKS IN QUITE A PUNCH. FROM PETTING PACHYDERMS AND FEEDING GIRAFFES TO BUYING MAASAI TREASURES AT POP-UP BAZAARS, THERE'S PLENTY TO DO.

- Geetika Sasan Bhandari

DAY 1

FEED ROTHSCHILD GIRAFFES 

9 a.m. Go anywhere in East Africa and animal-spotting invariably creeps into your itinerary. In Nairobi, The Giraffe Centre offers this thrill. The origin of this conservation centre is as fascinating as the Rothschild species of giraffes it nestles and nurtures. It all started in 1979 when Jock Leslie-Melville, a Kenyan citizen of British descent, along with his wife Betty, founded The Africa Fund for Endangered Wildlife. The empathetic couple was moved by the sorry state of the Rothschild Giraffe (a sub-species found only in the grasslands of East Africa), of which only 130 were left on the 18,000-acre Soy Ranch. Since the ranch was being subdivided to resettle squatters, they brought two young giraffes, Daisy and Marlon, to their home in Lang'ata, a suburb 25 kilometres from the city centre. The couple then started a breeding programme and resettled some more giraffes. Thanks to their efforts, there are now over 300 Rothschild giraffes across various Kenyan national parks. But The Giraffe Centre is where you can get up-close with them, even feed them corn and molasses pellets, as they stick out their grey, speckled tongues to lick the treats off your palm. To look right into the gorgeous hazelnut eyes of these long-necked beauties, climb up to the feeding platform. A good way to end your trip here is inside the Daisy Zoovenir Shop. My family ended up buying fridge magnets and story books on Kenya, and browsing through decorated pencils, salad spoons, wooden letter openers, and beaded jewellery (giraffecentre.org).

PET BABY ELEPHANTS