Experience the best of Nanyuki

Nanyuki stands on the Laikipia plateau at the north-western foot of Mount Kenya, almost exactly on the equator, which crosses the road just outside town. Its streets hold a busy market, farm suppliers and small shops, and the mountain's jagged peaks rise above the town on clear mornings. It is a main base for climbing Mount Kenya by the Sirimon route.

The Laikipia plateau around it is ranch country and wildlife conservancy land. Ol Pejeta Conservancy, a short drive from town, is home to black rhinos, a chimpanzee sanctuary and northern white rhinos, among the rarest large mammals on earth, while elephants, lions and giraffes roam the savannah. To the south-west, the forested Aberdare Range rises above the Rift Valley.

Farms on the mountain slopes grow wheat, potatoes and vegetables, and in the town nyama choma, grilled meat, tea and mandazi fill the cafés. At this altitude the mornings are crisp, and the mountain shows itself best early in the day.