Nairobi 1-day itinerary

Start your day at the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in the Nairobi National Park area. The orphanage opens for public visits at 11am for exactly one hour, during which baby elephants are brought out for their mud bath and bottle feeding. Watching these rescued calves — many orphaned by poaching or drought — tumble over each other in the red mud is one of Nairobi's most moving wildlife encounters. The keepers explain each elephant's rescue story and the long process of rehabilitation before release into Tsavo. Arrive by 10:30am to secure a good viewing spot.

Head to the Giraffe Centre in the Langata suburb, a 10-minute drive from Sheldrick. The centre breeds endangered Rothschild's giraffes and you can hand-feed them from a raised platform — the experience of a giraffe's long blue tongue wrapping around food pellets in your hand is unforgettable. Afterwards, drive 5 minutes to the Karen Blixen Museum, the colonial farmhouse where the Danish author of Out of Africa lived from 1917 to 1931. The house is preserved with period furniture and the gardens offer views across to the Ngong Hills that Blixen wrote about so vividly.

Experience Nairobi's legendary nyama choma (grilled meat) culture at Carnivore restaurant or a local joint in Westlands. Carnivore is famous for its all-you-can-eat roast meat experience served on Maasai swords — beef, lamb, chicken, and sometimes ostrich or crocodile rotate on a giant open-pit charcoal grill. For a more local vibe, head to Kenyatta Market or a neighbourhood nyama choma spot where goat ribs are slow-grilled over charcoal and served with ugali (maize meal) and kachumbari (fresh tomato and onion salsa). Wash it down with a cold Tusker beer.