Get to know your country and enjoy yourself on a budget

Are you looking for a place to go to unwind and have a good time with friends and family in Nairobi?

With Sh10,000, one can have a great time at one of these spectacular destinations, says Kenya Tourism Board managing director Muriithi Ndegwa.

“Some people spend almost Sh50,000 every weekend, an amount that could otherwise be used to experience the good tour and travel products at our disposal,” Mr Ndegwa told Money.

Nairobi and its hinterlands have some of the most unique holiday destinations, weekend getaways, and fun activities to break the monotony of the busy capital.

Money went on a week-long cruise across the city to see the travel products on offer:

Nairobi Railway Museum

About 10 minutes’ walk from the CBD sits the Nairobi Railway Museum.

You have a chance to take your family, friends, or children there to learn the history of railway in East Africa.

Sitting right next to the Nairobi railway station, the museum offers an opportunity to view some of the ancient locomotives that were used to ferry cargo and people during the colonial period.

The display includes chairs, bicycles, tables, and telephones used by the British.

It also has operational steam locomotives which are occasionally used by tourists for excursions from the city to Naivasha and Konza.

It is a rich store of information on how institutions such as the railways operated before the fall out of the East African Community.

The Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage

Did you know that elephants laugh, play, communicate, mourn, and even rebel like humans?

At the Sheldrick orphanage, located near the Nairobi National Park, you get to see young elephants that have been rescued from the wilderness after losing their parents.

The centre rescues them and sees them grow before releasing them to the wild. Some even leave at will.

It is interesting to see how the caretakers talk, play, and feed them.

What is fascinating is that their milk formula has components similar to that consumed by human children.

According to one of their caretakers, if they are fed on any other animal’s milk, they risk contracting diarrhoea, which can kill them.

The orphanage is now a conservation centre where people from around the globe can adopt and sponsor a baby elephant.

Rolf’s Place

It borders Nairobi National Park to the south and is about 25 minutes’ drive from the city centre.

The site is built on the edge of a cliff with a suspended bridge that swings gracefully as one crosses it to access the quiet venue for a lunch treat.

One can bring along the family for a hot afternoon lunch, say after a day of excursions.

You have your meal prepared while you watch wild animals and enjoy a panoramic view of both Mt Kilimanjaro and Mt Kenya on a clear day.

Rolf’s Place also has lodges where you can spend the night while listening to the sound of wild animals in the dark.

Lukenya Getaway

Have you been looking for an opportunity to mingle freely with the wild?

Well, plan to visit Lukenya Getaway, about 45 kilometres from Nairobi.

Here, you will get to ride the gateway’s quad bikes into the wild.
And if you are a fan of paintball shooting, the place would quench your thirst.

Paintball shooting is an interesting game where a team is divided into two and opponents eliminate one another using balls that contain dye.

This could be a good sport for team-building.

Machakos People’s Park

The recently unveiled leisure park sits on a once sun-baked space next to Maruba Dam, where travellers can enjoy boat riding.

Thanks to its location, it provides an ideal spot for travellers to take a break and cool off before continuing on their journey.

It is fitted with round-the-clock CCTV cameras and a dedicated security team.

The 40-acre park also has a miniature golf field, a public swimming pool that is scheduled to open soon, a colourful water fountain, restaurants, and conference facilities.

Paradise Lost

If you frequent fun sites, you probably have toured or heard about Paradise Lost.

It is a tranquil getaway for family, friends, and colleagues to relax on weekends with the option to cook your own food.

Just a few minutes’ drive from Muthaiga along the Nairobi-Kiambu road, the site offers a chance to see the ancient caves used by freedom fighters.

You could also enjoy horse riding, bouncing castle for children, and a guided tour of coffee farms with information on how farmers ensure that the crops is free of disease.

Kiambethu Tea Farm

Do not be fooled by its name to believe that this is an ordinary shamba (farm).

The site will see you and your team learn about various medicinal plants and get a history of tea farming and a glimpse of how the leaf is processed.

Plan to arrive at the venue, which is just about 30 kilometres from Nairobi, by 11am to meet the farm manager-cum-owner, Ms Fiona Vernon.

She will coach you on team-building and give you a chance to taste different varieties of tea.

A walk in the indigenous forest with a guide will see you appreciate the medicinal use of various species in the forest.

And that is not all; on your return, you will be ushered into a neatly mowed lawn where you will enjoy a buffet lunch as you view the extended tea farms.

The dessert part is the most interesting as the cream tipping is acquired from the farm’s cows.

Hell’s Gate

Hell’s Gate lies to the south of Lake Naivasha, almost two hours’ drive from Nairobi.

It is a favourite spot for fun activities such as hiking, camping, rock climbing, horse riding, and bird watching.

If you think you can handle eight kilometres of cycling as you view zebra, baboons, warthogs, gazelles, and buffaloes, this is the place to be.

Located next to the Olkaria geothermal station, the park offers an opportunity for one to experience natural hot springs.

You will also get to walk in and out of the gorge, which has now been fitted with emergency exits to allow you to leave at will.

Crescent Island

Are you afraid of wild animals?

Well, you should not be because on Crescent Island, you get a chance to walk with them.

Located on Lake Naivasha and accessible by boat, the private island will see you come close to zebra, waterbuck, gazelles, hippos, hyenas (they show up at night but do not live on the island), and pythons.

Several films have been shot at the site and you get to see the equipment used.

To get a panoramic view of the Mau escarpment, Mt Longonot, and a chance to watch the sunset from the island, plan to visit the island.

“We are encouraging people to come out and see what this country has to offer.

There are many sites accessible to us that we can take advantage of and get to know our country,” said Mr Ndegwa.

Now, you know.

The tour sites around the capital are many. Plan to enjoy yourself.