Nairobi

Nairobi is usually a stopover between flights, but it rewards a day or two of its own. Nairobi National Park sits within sight of the city skyline, rhino and lion grazing with skyscrapers in the background, a juxtaposition found nowhere else in Africa. The Giraffe Centre and the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust’s elephant orphanage both make for a good introduction to Kenya’s conservation work before heading further afield, and the city’s restaurant scene has come on considerably in recent years.