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Kenya · Safari destination

Nairobi

Kenya’s capital, with a national park on its edge, a giraffe conservation centre and museums that tell its story.

Plan a safari to NairobiSee 3 journeys
The Nairobi skyline seen from Upper Hill, Kenya
The Nairobi skyline seen from Upper Hill, KenyaPhotograph: Lmwangi (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Credits
Country
Kenya
Wildlife
Nairobi National Park, about 10 km from the city centre
History
Karen Blixen Museum, run by the National Museums of Kenya
Conservation
Giraffe Centre, home of the Rothschild giraffe
Our journeys here
3 journeys in the catalogue
Is Nairobi right for you?

Who it suits.

Best for
Arrival and departure days, a free half-day between flights, and families who want a gentle first look at Kenyan wildlife before a longer drive.
How it connects
Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and Wilson Airport both serve the city, and both lie close to Nairobi National Park, so Nairobi links international arrivals with road and air routes to the parks.

Nairobi in our Kenya guide, with the places around it.

Why visit Nairobi

A city worth a day of its own.

If your safari starts in Nairobi, the city rewards a little time. Lions and rhinos roam Nairobi National Park within sight of the skyline, about ten kilometres from the city centre, in Kenya’s oldest national park. Elsewhere in the city, the Giraffe Centre has bred Rothschild giraffes since its first giraffe, Daisy, arrived in 1979, and has released more than 40 into national parks and reserves across Kenya.

In the suburb of Karen, the National Museums of Kenya care for the farmhouse at the foot of the Ngong Hills where the Danish author Karen Blixen lived until 1931. Built in 1912, it was the centre of her coffee farm and the setting of “Out of Africa”, and it opened as a museum in 1986, after the film based on her book renewed interest in her story.

Landscapes & wildlife

Wildlife and history in the city.

The Ngong Hills form the backdrop to the Karen Blixen Museum, whose garden, indigenous forest and nature trail, where tree hyraxes and birds can be seen, surround the house. Farm tools from Blixen’s time, including a tractor and coffee-processing equipment, are displayed outdoors. The Giraffe Centre adds a nature sanctuary for birdwatching and talks about Kenyan wildlife, as part of its mission of conservation education.

  • Nairobi National Park
  • Karen Blixen Museum and the Ngong Hills
  • Giraffe Centre and its nature sanctuary

Wildlife moves freely and sightings are never guaranteed.

Meats grilling over the charcoal pit at the Carnivore restaurant in Nairobi
Photograph: shankar s. (CC BY 2.0)
Signature experiences

A day in Nairobi.

Getting there

Arriving in Nairobi.

Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and Wilson Airport both serve Nairobi, the capital and Kenya’s main gateway by air. Nairobi National Park lies along Lang’ata Road, a short drive from the centre, and the Karen Blixen Museum is about ten kilometres from the city centre in the suburb of Karen, at the foot of the Ngong Hills, reachable by public or private transport.

Related destinations

Sources

Facts on this page were checked against these sources in October 2026. Park rules, fees and conditions change, so always check the latest before you travel.

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