By air
Jomo Kenyatta International (NBO), ~18 km
Africa · Kenya
Nairobi, Kenya
A capital with a national park on its edge
Getting there
Best time to visit
June to October and January to February — dry
Don't miss
Nairobi National Park
The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust
The Karen Blixen Museum
The National Museum
Things to do
Nairobi National Park
The Sheldrick elephant orphanage
The Karen Blixen Museum
Where to eat
Sources: Photo: Daryona · CC BY-SA 3.0
What to pack
Layers
A quieter corner
The Giraffe Centre
Questions travellers ask
When is the dry season in Nairobi?
June to October and January to February. Bring layers.
Is there really a national park in Nairobi?
Yes. Nairobi National Park sits right on the edge of the capital.
What else should I see in Nairobi?
The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust's elephant orphanage, the Karen Blixen Museum and the National Museum. The Giraffe Centre is a lovely extra.
What do people eat in Nairobi?
Nyama choma and ugali are the dishes to try.
About Nairobi
- Inland
Where it is
Nairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya, in the south-centre of the country at about 1,800 m above sea level, on the edge of the Athi plains near the Great Rift Valley.
History
Nairobi began in 1899 as a supply depot on the Uganda Railway, on a swampy site the Maasai called Enkare Nairobi, the place of cool waters. It replaced Mombasa as the capital of British East Africa in 1907 and became the capital of independent Kenya in 1963, growing into a hub for East Africa and a home of United Nations agencies.
People
Nairobi draws people from all of Kenya's communities, among them the Kikuyu, Luo, Luhya, Kamba and Kalenjin, as well as long-established families of Indian descent. Swahili and English are the shared languages, often mixed into the street slang Sheng, and nyama choma, roasted meat, with ugali is a favourite meal.
Known for
- Nairobi National Park on the city's edge
- The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust's elephant orphans
- The Giraffe Centre
- The Karen Blixen Museum
- The Nairobi National Museum
Did you know?
Nairobi National Park, only a few kilometres from the city centre, is one of the few national parks in the world bordering a capital city, and lions and rhinos can be seen against a skyline of office towers.
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.