Kenya Chronicles: Part 1 – Nairobi & the Coast

Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine going on a safari in Africa. My husband had always wanted to, but I found the idea terrifying. The thought of being in an open jeep with wild animals roaming freely was overwhelming. In India, I’m hesitant to even walk past stray dogs — so being around lions, elephants, and other wild animals felt out of the question.

But when my cousin and her husband graciously invited us to join their family trip to Kenya, we paused and reconsidered. I agreed mainly for my husband’s sake, thinking it would be the perfect chance for him to experience the safari with fellow enthusiasts while I just tagged along. To my surprise, the reality turned out to be completely different. I found the experience exhilarating, peaceful, and deeply enriching. Along the way, I also learned so much about Kenya and its culture.

This trip was full of firsts for me — my first visit to Africa, first safari, first time south of the equator, first hot air balloon ride, first time feeding a giraffe, and even touching a baby elephant. The list goes on!

I have split our journey into two parts for this blog: the buzzing city and coast (Nairobi and Mombasa) and the wild heart of Africa (the Maasai Mara).

Nairobi: Wildlife at the City’s Doorstep

We stayed at Emara Ole-Sereni, a lovely hotel overlooking Nairobi National Park. From our room and the rooftop bar, we could spot giraffes, zebras, and even an occasional ostrich at a distance. It was a surreal reminder that in Kenya, the wild is never far away.

First glimpse of animals from the hotel

Nairobi National Museum

This museum offers a wonderful introduction to Kenya, featuring exhibits on history, culture, paleontology, and wildlife. The fossil collection and traditional artifacts were fascinating. The museum grounds also includes a snake park.

At the museum, we met many groups of schoolchildren who greeted us with high fives and big smiles. Their eyes sparkled with hope and curiosity, and they didn’t seem weighed down by schoolwork or academic pressure. Perhaps they were excited about the upcoming year-end vacation, or maybe they simply found us to be unusual, different-looking visitors — who knows! What I do know is that their joy was infectious, and the positive energy they radiated stayed with us long after we left.

The Giraffe Centre

Located in Lang’ata, just outside the city, this conservation center is dedicated to protecting the endangered Rothschild’s giraffe. Visitors can feed the giraffes from a raised wooden platform. The experience of feeding pellets to the giraffe was great; however, feeling its long tongue while feeding was strange!

The Rothschild’s giraffe on the left and the Masai giraffe on the right

Sheldrick Wildlife Trust

Inside Nairobi National Park, the trust runs an elephant orphanage where rescued calves are raised and eventually reintroduced to the wild. During the daily public hour, we watched baby elephants being fed and splashing in the mud — a heartwarming sight.

I noticed the elephants had a more wrinkled skin than Indian (Asian) elephants. It turns out the deep wrinkles and folds on African elephants help them retain moisture and keep cool in the hot African climate by trapping water and mud, which acts as natural sunscreen and insect repellent. So, Kenyan elephants do tend to look more wrinkly compared to their Indian cousins!

Nairobi National Park

Just 7 km from the city center, this park is unique as the only national park bordering a capital city. Our four-hour safari here was rewarding — we saw rhinos (black and white), a pride of lionesses with cubs strolling on the road, giraffes, zebras, ostriches, and more.

Queens of the jungle, gracefully strolling down the road as safari jeeps wait in awe.

Lionesses marking their territory

Typical scene in the park - Giraffes, Zebras & a lone Ostrich

The downside was the dust during the safari. Each time another vehicle passed, it became difficult to breathe or see for a few seconds. This wasn’t the case in the Maasai Mara, where even the zebras looked noticeably ‘cleaner.’ In Nairobi National Park, however, we also noticed a racing event on a nearby road in the evening, which added loud noise and disturbance to the otherwise wild setting.

Kenyatta International Convention Centre

It’s a 28-story building in Nairobi. From the rooftop viewing deck you get a 360° panoramic view of the city.

View of the weekly market from the rooftop

A Coastal Escape: Mombasa & Diani Beach

The train station in Nairobi surprised us with its airport-like setup and thorough security checks — complete with a canine sniffer inspecting luggage. Our five-hour train journey to Mombasa was smooth and comfortable. We skipped Mombasa city itself and headed straight to Diani Beach, about an hour’s drive away, where powdery white sand meets the turquoise Indian Ocean. If we had more time, I could have stayed for days, just like the Europeans stretched out on sun loungers, soaking in the slow coastal life.

We stayed at Diani Sea Lodge

No tourists on the beach on an overcast day

The water shifts in shades from turquoise to aqua-green to deep blue

Kenya’s culture and history are also deeply shaped by British colonialism and the migration of Indian workers. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the British brought thousands of Indians — many from Gujarat and Punjab to build the Uganda Railway, a project that connected Mombasa to the interior. While some returned to India after completion, many stayed, and their influence is still felt today in Kenya’s food, business, and daily life. This is why you’ll find many Indian restaurants in Nairobi, and a familiar love for spices woven into Kenyan cuisine.

As vegetarians, we had no trouble at all finding delicious options in Kenya. Swahili cuisine offered vegetarian dishes, and almost every menu included a few Indian favorites. The spices and flavors felt comfortingly familiar, yet carried a distinct Kenyan twist that made each meal unique.