Explore the real-world places that appear in West with the Night by Beryl Markham. Each location on the map shows what happens there in the novel, the real history of the place, and what's there today. Featured locations include Wilson Airport, Nairobi, Nairobi Norfolk Hotel, Maia Farm, Nairobi, Serengeti National Park, Mount Kenya and 9 more.
Langata Road, Nairobi — The heart of Kenya's aviation
Wilson Airport is the central stage of Beryl's flying career. She pilots from this airfield throughout the 1930s, ferrying mail, passengers, and cargo across East Africa. The runway buzzes with legendary pilots, and it is from Wilson that Beryl undertakes her famous transatlantic flight to North America in 1936, a journey that becomes the climactic narrative arc of the memoir.
Wilson Airport was established in 1929 as Nairobi's primary airfield, named after the Wilson family. It became the hub of East African Airways and commercial aviation in the colonial period, serving as a gathering place for pioneering aviators.
Wilson Airport remains a functioning airfield operated by the Civil Aviation Authority of Kenya. It now primarily serves general aviation, flight schools, and helicopter tours, though it retains its historical character as one of Africa's oldest continuously operational airports.
Visit: Wilson Airport (landmark)
Harry Thuku Road, Nairobi — The colonial establishment
The Norfolk Hotel serves as a social anchor for Beryl and Nairobi's aviation and colonial circles. She encounters wealthy clients, fellow pilots, and aristocratic patrons here. The hotel represents the heart of colonial society and the intersection of adventure and high society that defined her life in Kenya.
The Norfolk Hotel was opened in 1904 during the early days of British colonial Kenya. It quickly became the epicenter of Nairobi's social life, hosting governors, explorers, and the wealthiest colonists. Its bar was famous as a gathering place for the legendary figures of East African exploration.
The Norfolk Hotel still operates as a luxury five-star hotel and is considered one of Kenya's finest establishments. The original structure has been preserved, maintaining its colonial architecture and the bar where East African history was made.
Visit: Norfolk Hotel Nairobi (restaurant)
Near Parklands — Beryl's childhood home
Beryl's early years in Kenya are spent at Maia, her father's farm in the highlands. She learns to ride horses, befriend the Kikuyu people, and develop the fearlessness that defines her life. Her mother's departure and her father's influence shape her independent spirit and her complex relationship with England and Africa.
Maia Farm was established by Beryl's father, Captain Charles Clutterbuck, in the highlands of Kenya near Nairobi. The property was part of the British settler farming community that expanded rapidly in the early 20th century.
The original farm no longer exists as a single property; the area has been absorbed into modern Nairobi's suburban development. Parklands is now a residential neighborhood, and Maia's exact location has been built over by modern housing.
Northwestern Tanzania — The vast plains of East Africa
Beryl flies over the Serengeti on numerous occasions, witnessing the great animal migration and the vast African wilderness. She describes the landscape with poetic reverence, and these flights represent her deepest spiritual connection to Africa, the continent she loves more than any human companion.
The Serengeti has been home to wildlife and pastoral communities for millennia. During Beryl's time in the 1930s, it was largely unexplored by Europeans except for hunters and adventurers. It was designated a game reserve in 1951 and became a national park in 1959.
Serengeti National Park is one of the world's largest and most famous wildlife reserves, protected by UNESCO and visited by hundreds of thousands of tourists annually. The great migration of wildebeest and zebras remains one of nature's most spectacular phenomena.
Visit: Serengeti National Park (historic site)
Central Kenya — Africa's second-highest peak
Mount Kenya is a constant presence in Beryl's flying narratives. She navigates around it on courier flights, describes its snow-capped peaks with awe, and uses it as a landmark on her routes across Kenya. The mountain represents the untamed majesty of Africa that pulls her back again and again.
Mount Kenya has been sacred to the Kikuyu and other local communities for centuries. It was first scaled by Europeans in 1899 and became a major landmark for early aviators navigating the East African terrain.
Mount Kenya is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and Kenya's most popular climbing destination. The peaks remain largely unchanged from Beryl's era, though the lower slopes have been affected by deforestation.
Visit: Mount Kenya (landmark)
Kisumu, Lake Victoria region — The western frontier
Beryl flies the mail route to Kisumu on Lake Victoria, one of her regular courier runs. The airfield represents the expanding reach of aviation into Kenya's remote regions. She navigates the challenging geography and sometimes treacherous weather conditions of the western highlands on these runs.
Kisumu developed as a port town on Lake Victoria during the colonial period as the terminus of the Uganda Railway. An airfield was established there in the 1930s to serve the growing aviation network across East Africa.
Kisumu is Kenya's third-largest city and retains its airfield, now Kisumu International Airport. The city remains an important regional hub, though the colonial-era architecture has given way to modern development.
Visit: Kisumu International Airport (landmark)
Mombasa, Indian Ocean coast — Gateway to the sea
Beryl flies to Mombasa, Kenya's primary port city, on various flights. She observes the intersection of African, Arab, and European cultures at this ancient trading post. The coastal city represents a different Kenya from the highlands and provides contrast to her usual inland routes.
Mombasa has been a major trading port for over 2,000 years, with Arab, Persian, and Indian influences layered beneath colonial British rule. It was Kenya's main port of entry and exit during the colonial era.
Mombasa remains Kenya's primary seaport and a major Indian Ocean trading hub. The historic Old Town preserves Swahili architecture and remains a major tourist destination, while the modern port handles significant container traffic.
Visit: Mombasa Old Town (historic site)
Ngong Road, Nairobi — The social heart of colonial sport
Beryl frequents the Nairobi Racecourse as a young horsewoman, establishing herself as one of Kenya's finest riders before her aviation career. She wins races and earns respect in the competitive equestrian world. The racecourse represents her early identity in colonial Kenya society and her natural affinity for dangerous pursuits.
The Nairobi Racecourse was established in the early colonial period and became the center of Kenya's thoroughbred racing scene. The track hosted the annual East African racing season and attracted wealthy bettors and enthusiasts from across the region.
The Nairobi Racecourse remains operational and continues to host horse racing during the season. The venue retains its colonial charm, though it is now primarily used by Kenyan and East African racing communities rather than international high society.
Visit: Nairobi Racecourse (landmark)
Regent's Park area — The colonial metropolis
Beryl's transatlantic flight culminates in London, where she lands at Croydon Airport after flying across the Atlantic. The journey from Africa to England represents both a triumph and a displacement — she returns to the country of her birth as an international celebrity but feels ultimately alienated from England's constraints.
London was the imperial center of the British Empire during Beryl's lifetime. Croydon Airport was the primary transatlantic gateway and served as the hub for Imperial Airways, the British aviation authority.
Croydon Airport no longer serves commercial flights but operates as a general aviation facility and aviation museum. London remains the global metropolis, though the imperial structures and hierarchies Beryl encountered have been replaced by modern British society.
Visit: Croydon Airport Visitor Centre (museum)
Rift Valley region — The highland settlement
Beryl flies to Iten and the surrounding Rift Valley region on regional courier routes. These flights take her over dramatic highland terrain and expose her to the vast geography of Kenya's interior. The small settlement represents the frontier nature of early East African aviation.
Iten was a small British settler community in the Rift Valley, established during the colonial expansion into Kenya's highlands. It served as a local administrative and trading center for the farming communities.
Iten remains a small town in the Rift Valley, now famous as a training center for long-distance runners. The town has become a pilgrimage site for international running enthusiasts drawn by the high altitude and the culture of elite distance running.
Visit: Iten Town (landmark)
Central Rift Valley — The flamingo lake
Beryl flies over Lake Nakuru on multiple occasions, admiring the natural beauty and witnessing the massive flocks of flamingos that cover the water. The lake represents the raw African wilderness that draws her repeatedly back to the continent despite her international fame.
Lake Nakuru has been home to pastoral Maasai and Kikuyu communities for centuries. The lake became famous among European explorers and colonial administrators for its striking pink flamingo populations, a phenomenon driven by the unique algae in the water.
Lake Nakuru National Park is one of Kenya's premier wildlife destinations, though the flamingo populations have declined in recent years due to environmental changes. The park remains a major tourist attraction featuring rhinos, lions, and diverse bird species.
Visit: Lake Nakuru National Park (historic site)
Eastern Kenya — The colonial outpost
Beryl flies to Voi on mail routes to eastern Kenya, serving the isolated colonial settlements. The journey represents the expanding network of aviation bringing remote communities into communication with the wider colonial administration and the rest of the world.
Voi was established as a British colonial outpost in eastern Kenya during the expansion of settler colonialism. It served as an administrative center and junction point for the colonial rail and later aviation networks.
Voi remains a small town in Taita-Taveta County, primarily known as a stop on the Mombasa-Nairobi route. The town serves the surrounding agricultural communities and retains its character as a regional trading center.
Western highlands — The settler country
Beryl's flying routes extend to Eldoret in the western highlands, where wealthy British settler families maintain farms and estates. The region represents the heart of colonial Kenya's farming aristocracy and the social world in which Beryl moves as a young aviator.
Eldoret was founded in 1911 as a railway siding and became the center of a prosperous settler farming region in the 1920s-1930s. Wealthy British families established large estates producing coffee, dairy, and wheat.
Eldoret is now Kenya's fourth-largest city and a major agricultural center. The historic settler estates have largely been subdivided and sold to Kenyan farmers, though some colonial architecture remains. The city is also known as a training center for distance runners.
Visit: Eldoret Town (landmark)
Northern Somalia coast — The Arabian trade route
Beryl's long-distance flying takes her to Berbera, a remote port on the Somali coast. The journey represents the furthest reaches of her African flying network and the intersection of East African and Arabian maritime cultures. She describes the stark coastal landscape with characteristic vividness.
Berbera was an ancient trading port connected to Arabian and Indian Ocean trade networks for millennia. During the colonial period, it served as a British protectorate port and supply point for regional aviation and maritime commerce.
Berbera remains a major port in Somaliland, though it is rarely accessible to international visitors due to political instability in Somalia. The city retains its role as a regional trading hub but is largely isolated from international tourism.
More by Beryl Markham: All Beryl Markham books