Solo travel · Nairobi · Kenya
Solo travel in Nairobi
How to enjoy Nairobi at your own pace.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: SteveRwanda, CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answer
Nairobi works well for solo travellers who plan transport carefully: ride-hailing is cheap, hostels and serviced apartments in Westlands and Kilimani are easy places to meet people, and group safaris leave the city every day. Many solo travellers base themselves in Westlands.
Key facts
- Base
- Westlands
- Getting around
- Ride-hailing
- Emergency number
- 999 or 112
- Language
- English and Swahili
Solo travel tips
- Join a shared group safari from Nairobi to the Maasai Mara or Naivasha to split vehicle costs.
- Stay in Westlands or Kilimani for cafés, co-working spaces and easy ride-hailing.
- Use ride-hailing apps after dark instead of walking, and keep your phone away from car windows.
- Visit the CBD museums and markets in daylight and with only what you need in your pockets.
- Register a local SIM with mobile money; it makes paying for almost everything simpler.
Where to stay
$$$ · Best for first-timers, nightlife, food lovers and solo travellers
Westlands
Westlands is where many mid-range and business hotels cluster, around the Sarit Centre, Westgate and the Nairobi Expressway's western end at James Gichuru Road. It has the densest choice of restaurants, rooftop bars and clubs in the city, and the Expressway makes the run to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport faster than from most other areas outside peak hours.
- Good
- Widest choice of restaurants and bars; Quick Expressway link to JKIA; Good-value business hotels
- Watch out
- Heavy traffic at rush hour; A long drive to Karen and Langata sights
- Nearby
- Sarit Centre, Karura Forest, Nairobi Expressway
Great on your own
Museum · Karen
Karen Blixen Museum
Read or watch Out of Africa beforehand; the guides point out rooms and views that appear in the book and the 1985 film.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Couples
- Outdoors
Museum · Museum Hill
Nairobi National Museum
Buy a combined ticket if you also want the snake park, and save time for the garden's nature trail.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Rainy day
- Kids
Experience · Langata
Bomas of Kenya
Ask at the gate about the day's performance schedule and arrive a little early to walk the homesteads first.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Kids
- History
Viewpoint · Central Business District
Kenyatta International Convention Centre rooftop
Go on a clear morning in the dry season; haze often builds up by afternoon.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Low cost
- Views
- Photo spot
- Architecture
Museum · Central Business District
Nairobi Railway Museum
Spend most of your time in the outdoor yard, where you can walk among and inside the old locomotives.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Kids
- Off the beaten path
- Rainy day
Gallery · Central Business District
Nairobi Gallery
Combine it with the KICC rooftop and the City Market, all within a short walk in daylight.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Low cost
- Art
- History
- Rainy day
Meeting people
- Nyama choma afternoon — Order goat by the kilo at a garden grill, wait while it cooks slowly, and share it with ugali, kachumbari and cold Tusker beer. Weekend afternoons are when Nairobians do this with friends.
- Carnivore in Langata — Open since 1980, Carnivore carves grilled meats at the table from Maasai swords until you lower the paper flag on your table. It has not served game meat for many years; beef, lamb, chicken and pork dominate.
- Westlands — The main bar and club district, with lounges and clubs around Woodvale Grove and rooftop bars on nearby hotels and malls.
- Kilimani — Lounges, restaurants with DJs and live-music bars along Argwings Kodhek Road and around the Yaya Centre.
Sensible precautions
Phone snatching, pickpocketing and bag theft are well-documented problems in the CBD, at matatu stages and in slow traffic. Use ride-hailing at night, avoid walking alone after dark and follow ranger instructions inside the national parks.
- Emergency number
- 999 or 112
- Staying connected
- Safaricom and Airtel sell SIM cards at the airport and in malls; registration needs a passport. 4G coverage is good across the city.
Questions travellers ask
+Is Nairobi good for solo travellers?
Nairobi works well for solo travellers who plan transport carefully: ride-hailing is cheap, hostels and serviced apartments in Westlands and Kilimani are easy places to meet people, and group safaris leave the city every day.
+Where should solo travellers stay in Nairobi?
Westlands: Restaurants, malls and the city's main bar district north-west of the CBD.