Places to Visit in Nairobi Kenya
Places to Visit in Nairobi Kenya: Whether you are visiting Nairobi for business or pleasure many activities and experiences would suit any traveler. Nairobi city is filled with fun and interesting activities for anyone to enjoy, from the breathtaking scenery and beautiful abundance of natural attractions to the glamour and glitz of the modern city lifestyle.
Nairobi: Safari capital of the world
As well as being the ‘Safari capital of the world’, Nairobi also happens to be one of Africa’s most dynamic cities. So it’s well worth a couple of days discovering Kenya’s ‘City in the Sun’ before or after your safari.
Nairobi National Park
- Location: Langata
- Distance: 10km from the CBD
- Duration of visit: Half day depending on interest points.
Established in 1948 and covering an area of 117sq, km, it is the only park near the city center. It has diverse environments with characteristics of flora and fauna and deep rocky valleys. The animals that can be found in this park are black and white rhinoceroses, diverse birdlife, Lions, Leopards, hyena, Cheetah, Buffalo, Zebra, and hippos.
Nairobi Animal Orphanage
- Location: Langata
- Distance:10Km from CBD
- Duration of visit: 2-3 hrs depending on interest points
It was established in 1964 as a refuge and rehabilitation center for wild animals found abandoned or injured in Kenya. In a setting for visitors to walk around and have close-up views of a variety of animals such as Lions, crocodiles, cheetahs, leopards, wild cats, and wild dogs. But watch out for the group of monkeys and baboons roaming freely around.
Nairobi Safari Walk
- Location: Langata
- Distance: 10Km from CBD
- Duration: Half a day depending on points of interest
This is Kenya’s new conservation-based recreation facility. The combination of skilled and creative landscape design, unique wildlife species, and detailed interpretation, renders the facility supreme in tourism and conservation education.
It offers an opportunity to experience what you expect to see across the country. Introductory talks on Kenya’s parks and reserves can be arranged for you by the naturalists. You will have a taste of Kenya’s rich Animal collection including the rare bongo, white rhino, albino zebra, and a collection of cats, antelopes, and primates.
Nairobi National Museum
- Location: Museum Hill
- Distance: 3Km from CBD
- Duration: 1hr depending on points of interest
The Museum aims to interpret Kenya’s rich heritage and offers a one-stop shop for visitors to sample the country’s rich heritage both for education and leisure. Visitors are treated to a variety of shopping and dining facilities, as well as botanical gardens that offer a serene environment.
There is a wide variety of attractions on display at the museum ranging from cultural and natural exhibits, stuffed birds and mammals, fossils from Lake Turkana, exhibits of local arts, an impressive collection of rocks and minerals, and a collection of pre-historic bones and fossils including one of an elephant. One can purchase a combination ticket for the adjacent snake park with live specimens of Kenya’s most common reptiles.
Nairobi Mamba Village
- Location: Karen
- Distance: 13Km from CBD
- Duration: Half a day depending on points of interest
Mamba Village is famous for its Crocodile Farm. The pens are home to an estimated 70 Nile crocodiles. Four Maasai Ostriches can also be found strutting around their pen with grace.
Visitors often come into direct personal contact with them when given the opportunity to feed these gallant birds. The experience is always satisfying and exciting, especially for children. Within the Village, there is also a tented camp available for accommodation.
Giraffe Centre
- Location: Karen
- Distance: 15Km from CBD
- Duration: Half a day depending on points of interest
The center has been ostensibly established as a breeding ground for the endangered Rothschild Giraffe. Information about the Giraffe is provided and an elevated feeding platform was installed to give visitors the opportunity to hand feed the giraffes.
Daphne Sheldrake Elephant Orphanage
- Location: Karen
- Distance: 10Km from CBD
- Duration: 1 – 2 hours depending on points of interest
Elephant calves orphaned by poachers or natural occurrences are brought here from all over the country. They also receive extremely specialized treatment and personalized care from highly dedicated staff.
The orphanage is open to the public during the calves’ feeding times where they can interact with calves and watch them being fed while they are informed about how the calves came to be at the orphanage. There is also an option for visitors to choose to adopt an elephant where they will be in charge of the elephant’s care at the orphanage.
Karura Forest
- If you’d like to find yourself in the midst of an ancient forest, home to 605 species of wildlife and 200 species of birds; a place of plunging waterfalls and mysterious caves where Kenya’s freedom fighters once sheltered – then head for the Karura Forest Reserve on the outskirts of Nairobi.
- A place where monkeys swing and butterflies flit, this is the ideal place for family walks, cycling, and picnics. For More Information visit: Karura Forest
Nairobi Arboretum
- Location: Kileleshwa
- Distance: 3Km from CBD
- Duration: Half a day depending on points of difference
The arboretum occupies 30 hectares and holds over 350 different species of trees. It is home to over 100 migrant and resident birds. The Arboretum is one of Nairobi’s few remaining green spaces, with jogging trails, walking paths, and picnic lawns.
Bomas of Kenya
- Location: Langata
- Distance: 10Km from CBD
- Duration: 3 – 4 hours depending on points of interest
It was established by the government in 1971 as a subsidiary company of Kenya Tourist Development Corporation as a tourist attraction. Bomas of Kenya is a living museum celebrating the colorful tribes of Kenya. Visitors here can learn about the lifestyle, art, music, crafts, and their culture.
The complex encompasses recreated traditional homesteads or Bomas built in the traditional style, each one reflecting the culture of a major ethnic group. Every afternoon, a team performs traditional dances and songs in the large theater.
Kitengela Glass
- Location: Kitengela
- Distance: 7Km from CBD
- Duration: 3 – 4 hours depending on points of interest
This is a glass-blowing factory. The workers create handmade glass bottles from renewed and recycled raw materials, such as scrap windows, glass bottles, and other glassy materials.
The finished products are stylish products, made through functional art and inspired design.
Kazuri Beads
- Location: Karen
- Distance: 10Km from CBD
- Duration: 1 – 2 hours depending on points of interest
Kazuri creates hand-shaped and painted ceramic jewelry which is made in Kenya by over 300 local women and sold all over the world.
Karen Blixen Museum
- Location: Karen
- Distance: 10Km from CBD
- Duration: 1 – 2 hours depending on points of interest
This is the home of farmer Danish author Karen Blixen made famous by her book and the movie based on the book “Out of Africa” which chronicles her life at the estate.
Kenya National Archives
- Location: Along Moi Avenue in the city center
- Duration: 1 – 2 hours depending on points of interest.
It houses the Murumbi Gallery, dedicated to the late Joseph Murumbi, Kenya’s second vice-president from May 1965 – August 31, 1966. He and his wife Sheila were avid collectors of African art.
Murumbi’s collection has been described as “Africa’s best-known collection of priceless heritage and artifacts”. He left behind 50,000 books and sheaves of official correspondence. The national archives department has set up a library containing some of the 8,000 “rare books” (those published before 1900) entrusted to them upon the death of Murumbi.
Maasai Market
- Location: varies throughout the week
- Duration: Within the CBD
- Duration: 1 – 2 hours depending on points of interest.
Here visitors can buy and view different art designs by Kenyans. The designs are mainly to do with Kenya. The market also moves around the city visiting different malls and locations selling their products.
- Monday – No market
- Tuesday – Off Kijabe Street near
- Text book center
- Wednesday – Capital Center, Mombasa Road
- Thursday – The Junction Mall, Ngong Road, 3rd Floor parking
- Friday – Village Market, Upper car park
- Saturday – Low court parking CBD, Adams Arcade, Ngong Road
- Sunday – Yaya shopping Centre, Car park Adams Arcade, Ngong Road Safari Park Hotel, Thika Road
Godown Arts Centre
Warehouses in Kenya are known as ‘go downs’ because back in the colonial days the instruction would be, ‘go down to the warehouse and …’. Today if you want to take the temperature of Nairobi’s pulsing arts scene you have to go down to the GoDown Arts Centre.
A converted warehouse in the city’s Industrial Area, this is a multi-functional art gallery and cultural space for the visual and performing arts.
For more information visit: GoDown Arts Centre
Upepo Gallery
Rising from the shores of the Indian Ocean to the glacial towers of Mount Kenya, Kenya is the epitome of photogenic. And photographers flock to capture her magic. Some of the finest images, however, are framed by those who live in Kenya.
To see them, head to the fascinating Upepo Gallery (Upepo means ‘the wind’ in Swahili), which opened in May 2017 and showcases the works of some of the finest photographers working in Kenya today. Famous ‘names’ include Anup Shah, Carl de Souza, Tony Karumba, Georgina Goodwin, Natalia Mroz, Fredrik Lerneryd, Neil Thomas, Siegfried Modola, and Michael Soi. You can also pick up some stunning limited-edition prints.
Kenyatta Market: For the love of meat
Kenyans love their meat (Nyama in Swahili). And best of all, they like it choma (literally ‘burned’, but actually barbequed). A classic Kenyan eating experience, nyama choma is best sampled at a nyama choma stand – and they come in all shapes and sizes.
Recommended by those who know, however, are the stands in the Kenyatta Market. For more information visit: Kenyatta Market.
City Market
Once the hangar of a hot air balloon, City Market is smack bang in the center of town and best reached by taxi. Colorful, chaotic, and not for the timid (every stall holder vies to sell their wares and bargaining is a must) it is the ideal place to buy wooden carvings, soapstone statues, printed T-shirts, Maasai beadwork, and more.
Open Mon-Fri 9 am-5 pm. Closes at noon on Saturday. For more information visit: City Market.
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