Nairobi - National Museum

The National Museum in Nairobi is home to a variety of cultural and natural history exhibits. The displays include prehistoric artifacts discovered by the Leakeys, over 900 stuffed birds and animals, fossils from Lake Turkana, ethnic displays from various Kenyan tribal groups as well as local artistic exhibits.

One of the major attractions at the National Museum is the People of Kenya tribal portraits by Joy Adamson (author of Born Free) and her watercolors of Kenyan flowers and plants.

The Hominid Vault contains the 'early man' section and collection of bones and fossils from the pre-historic era. A fossil of an elephant almost preserved in its entirety and a near-complete skeleton of a 12 year old homo erectus boy are also featured. Skulls of Homo Sapiens and Homo Habilis as well as a cast of the famous 'Oldpai' hominid's footprints are of particular note. The Casting Department at the National Museum in Nairobi makes cast of important fossil findings to distribute to other museums around the world.

An ornithological collection of birdlife in Kenya is represented through an extensive display at the National Museum as well as dioramas of Kenyan mammals in the mammal room. The Geology Gallery has information on tectonic plates and the life cycle of a volcano, in addition to a good collection of rocks and minerals.