Nanyuki

Dining in Nanyuki

Nanyuki straddles the equator on the northern slopes of Mount Kenya — Africa's second-highest mountain and the source of the rivers that sustain Kenya's central highlands. The town sits at 1,946 metres altitude in the middle of the Laikipia Plateau, one of Africa's most significant private conservation areas, where a network of ranches and conservancies protects wildlife across 9,000 square kilometres of highland savannah.

The Laikipia Context

Laikipia is remarkable among African conservation areas for being largely privately owned — a patchwork of cattle ranches, wildlife conservancies, and community land that maintains wildlife populations without the formal national park structure. The black rhino population here is Kenya's second-largest; elephant herds number in the hundreds; and the predator diversity includes lion, leopard, cheetah, wild dog, and the spotted hyena. The conservation work that sustains this landscape is funded significantly by the premium lodge tourism that makes Nanyuki's dining scene extraordinary.

Laikipia Beef

The highland ranches around Nanyuki produce Kenya's finest beef. Cattle raised on Mount Kenya's slopes — at altitudes between 1,500 and 2,500 metres, on highland grasses in a climate that prevents the heat stress of the lowlands — develop a flavour and texture that commercial beef cannot approach. Every serious restaurant in Nanyuki uses this beef, and the difference is immediately apparent.

Practical Notes

Nanyuki is 3 hours from Nairobi by road or 45 minutes by light aircraft. Kenya uses the Kenyan Shilling. The Nanyuki Airstrip provides access for charter flights from Nairobi's Wilson Airport. The best weather for wildlife viewing is January to March and July to October. Card payments are accepted at lodges and most town restaurants; cash is needed for local establishments.