Nairobi Travel Guide for Safari Travellers

Nairobi in a sentence

Nairobi is a big, busy, sometimes clogged city with skyscrapers, coffee shops, a serious food scene and an actual national park on its southern edge. Most visitors treat it as a stopover on the way to safari. That’s a shame, because a day or two here is one of the better ways to start or end a trip.

Where to stay

The neighbourhood matters more than the hotel.

Karen and Lang’ata are green, quiet and close to Nairobi National Park, the Giraffe Centre, the Sheldrick Trust’s elephant orphanage and the Karen Blixen Museum. If you only have one night, stay here. It’s also where the famous Giraffe Manor is, though it books out many months ahead. Rooms near Wilson Airport are useful if you’re flying out early for the Mara.

Westlands is the most lively area, with restaurants, bars and shopping malls. It’s a good choice if you’re staying two nights and want dining options.

Gigiri is calm and international, with embassies, the UN and Village Market, a mall with restaurants and a craft market.

Near the airport has a few hotels and is useful only if you’re landing very late or leaving very early.

Getting around

Traffic is the main constraint. A journey of 10 km can take an hour at rush hour, which in Nairobi runs roughly 7am to 9am and 4pm to 8pm. Plan your day around that.

Uber, Bolt and Little are the standard way to move around, and they’re cheap by Western standards. Hotels can also arrange a driver by the day. Matatus (minibuses) and boda bodas (motorbike taxis) are cheap but not recommended for visitors carrying luggage. The Nairobi Expressway is a toll road that links the airport to Westlands and can be much quicker at peak times.

What’s worth your time

Nairobi National Park. Lions, rhinos, giraffes and buffalo with the skyline as backdrop. It’s twenty minutes from the centre. Read the Nairobi National Park guide.

Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. Orphaned elephants and rhinos are raised here and released back to the wild. The public visit is a single hour each day and needs a booking.

Giraffe Centre. You feed Rothschild’s giraffes from a raised platform. It’s touristy but fun, especially with children.

Nairobi National Museum. Well worth a couple of hours for the fossils, including hominid finds from Kenya’s Rift Valley, and for its exhibits on Kenyan culture and history.

Karura Forest. A large urban forest with walking and cycling trails, a waterfall and a very civil atmosphere. It’s a good morning walk.

Karen Blixen Museum. The house where the author of Out of Africa lived. It’s more for readers and film fans than for everyone.

Markets. The Maasai Market moves between locations on different days of the week, so check where it’s on. Village Market’s craft section is reliable. Bargain politely.

Eating

Nyama choma, grilled meat with kachumbari (tomato and onion salad) and ugali (a maize staple), is the local classic. Try it at a local grill. Carnivore, a game-meat restaurant, is a tourist staple and reliably fun. Kenyan coffee is excellent, and you’ll find good cafés in Westlands and Karen. Chapati, samosas and mandazi are everyday snacks. Kenya’s Indian restaurants are also very good.

Money and phones

The currency is the Kenyan shilling (KES). Cards are widely accepted in hotels and restaurants, and ATMs are common in malls. M-Pesa mobile money is used everywhere, but you don’t need it as a visitor. For phones, Safaricom has the best coverage and sells SIM cards at the airport, though you must register with a passport. An eSIM saves the queue if your phone supports it.

A sensible two-day plan

Day one: Morning at Nairobi National Park, then the Sheldrick orphanage (book the public hour), lunch in Karen and the Giraffe Centre in the afternoon. Dinner in Karen or Westlands.

Day two: A slow morning at Karura Forest or the National Museum, then a late lunch. If you’re flying out in the afternoon, leave plenty of buffer for traffic to Wilson or JKIA.

Before and after safari

Nairobi is the launch pad for the Maasai Mara, Amboseli and Lake Nakuru. It’s also a common connection to Uganda and Rwanda. Leave at least four hours between an international arrival and a domestic flight, or plan a night in town. Domestic flights depart from Wilson Airport, not JKIA, which catches out many first-time visitors.