Nyeri, being an unpolluted country town with a friendly population and numerous serene quiet areas, is a good and popular destination for relaxation, business, entertainment, and educational/cultural tourism.

The Italian War Memorial Chapel,

 located at Mathari, is a beautiful attraction. It was built in honor of the fallen Italian soldiers and their African recruits from the Second World War. It is used not for regular worship, but only to celebrate a special mass on every September 2nd, the official All Souls Day according to the Roman Catholic Church, in memory of the fallen soldiers. It has beautifully manicured lawns and flowerbeds. On the entire walling of the main church building are memorials for many tens of Italian servicemen who died in the war. Each memorial is in form of a small oblong plaque indicating the name of the soldier, the battalion he served in, and the place where he died. At the far front before the Alter is the grave of a senior Italian army officer. At the beautiful marble grave are his statute and military paraphernalia from the period of the war. The beauty of the architectural design, the authentic Italian décor, the final finishes and the well placed bronze and copper plaques make the church a sight to behold

Mount Kenya

The most imposing landmark around Nyeri is Mount Kenya, and starting from about twenty kilometers out of town is the Mt. Kenya National Park. Mt.Kenya is an imposing extinct volcano lying strategically astride the Equator which rises to an imposing height of 17058 ft. It is the highest mountain in the country and the second, after Kilimanjaro, in Africa. It has two main snow covered peaks, Batian and Nelion.

Its slopes are cloaked in forest, bamboo, scrub and moorland giving way on high central peaks to rock, ice and snow. Its U-shaped glacial valleys, rugged snow capped peaks, Afro-alpine desert, thirty lakes and eight different natural forest types and a variety of wildlife species make it a convergence of natural attractions. The wildlife found in the park include giant forest hog, tree hyrax, white tailed mongoose, black leopard, bongo, elephant, black rhino, suni, black fronted duiker, mole-rat and over 130 species of birds.

Activities carried out in the park include game drives, nature walks, mountain climbing, wildlife viewing, camping and cave exploration.

The Aberdares

About fifteen Kilometers out of town on the opposite side to Mt. Kenya is the Aberdare National Park.

The Aberdares is an older volcanic mountain range with shorter peaks due to longer erosion.

It offers matchless views of Mount Kenya and the Great Rift Valley. Its unusual vegetation, rugged terrain, deep ravines cutting through its forested eastern and western slopes, clear water streams and waterfalls combine to create an area of great scenic beauty. Its major attractions include the Lesatima and Kinangop peaks and many waterfalls, including the magnificent Karuru falls which drop 300m.

The park is home to many endangered species including the rare bongo, giant forest hog, packs of the now very rare wild dogs, and endemic mole-rat and mole shrew. Other game include a large population of black rhino, leopard servile, endemic bird species, reptiles and insects.

Activities include game drives and nature walks. Both brown and rainbow trout abound in the cool mountain streams and provide excellent angling. Within the Park, the Ark and the Treetops Lodges, which are located next to watering holes, offer close proximity night game viewing.

It was at the Treetops Lodge where the Queen Elizabeth II ascended to the throne while on a honeymoon retreat.

The park is also famous for freedom fighter hide-outs including the Kimathi hideouts, the Mau-Mau caves, and the Kimathi “post office” where agents used to drop messages for Mau Mau fighters.

Private Ranches

Close to town are several privately owned ranches, many of which also serve as private wildlife sanctuaries/conservancies. They also offer visitors an "exclusive colonial style experience", and a good number of the world's high and mighty, and celebrities, have spent secret private holidays in some of them.

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