Things to do · Nairobi · Kenya
15 best things to do in Nairobi
15 sights and experiences ranked for a first visit, with honest notes on time, cost and crowds.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Samwalton9, CC BY 4.0
Quick answer
The essential sights in Nairobi are Nairobi National Park, Sheldrick Wildlife Trust elephant orphanage and Giraffe Centre. Of the 15 picks below, 3 are free, 3 work on a rainy day and 8 suit children. Allow about 3 days to see the highlights without rushing.
Key facts
- Top sight
- Nairobi National Park
- Free sights
- 3
- Good on a rainy day
- Nairobi National Museum
- Time to see the highlights
- 3 days
At a glance
| Sight | Area | Time needed | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nairobi National Park | Langata | Half a day | Mid-priced |
| Sheldrick Wildlife Trust elephant orphanage | Nairobi National Park | 1 hour | Low cost |
| Giraffe Centre | Langata | 1 hour | Low cost |
| Karen Blixen Museum | Karen | 1 hour | Low cost |
| Nairobi National Museum | Museum Hill | 2–3 hours | Low cost |
| Nairobi Safari Walk | Langata | 1–1.5 hours | Low cost |
| Bomas of Kenya | Langata | 2 hours | Low cost |
| Karura Forest | Gigiri | 2–3 hours | Low cost |
| Kazuri Beads workshop | Karen | 45 minutes | Free |
| Kenyatta International Convention Centre rooftop | Central Business District | 45 minutes | Low cost |
| Nairobi Railway Museum | Central Business District | 1–1.5 hours | Low cost |
| Nairobi Gallery | Central Business District | 45 minutes | Low cost |
| City Market | Central Business District | 1 hour | Free |
| Maasai Market | Rotates between malls | 1–2 hours | Free |
| Oloolua Nature Trail | Karen | 1.5–2 hours | Low cost |
The 15 best things to do
Nature · Langata
1.Nairobi National Park
Kenya's first national park, opened in 1946, covers about 117 km² of grassland and acacia bush just south of the city. It has one of the country's most reliable populations of black rhinos, plus lions, cheetahs, giraffes, zebras, buffalo and hippos, but no elephants. Game drives start from the main gate on Langata Road, and the skyline view behind grazing animals is the park's signature photo.
Enter as the gates open in the early morning, when predators are most active and traffic on Langata Road is lighter; KWS gates are cashless, so carry a card.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Iconic
- Kids
- Nature
- Outdoors
- Photo spot
Nature · Nairobi National Park
2.Sheldrick Wildlife Trust elephant orphanage
The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust raises orphaned baby elephants and rhinos before returning them to the wild in Tsavo. During the single public visiting hour the keepers bring the young elephants out for milk feeds and a mud bath while explaining each orphan's story. Visitors can foster an elephant and arrange a separate evening visit to see it bedded down.
Stand at the front of the rope line on the side nearest the mud wallow; the calves often splash the first row.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- Book ahead
- Visits must be booked online in advance through the trust's website, and slots fill up in the safari high season.
- Iconic
- Kids
- Nature
- Photo spot
Nature · Langata
3.Giraffe Centre
Run by the African Fund for Endangered Wildlife since 1979, the centre breeds endangered Rothschild's giraffes and lets visitors feed them pellets from a raised wooden platform at head height. Across the road a short nature trail leads through a forest sanctuary. It is next door to Giraffe Manor, the hotel where giraffes put their heads through the breakfast-room windows.
Combine it with the elephant orphanage and the Karen Blixen Museum, which are all within a 20-minute drive of each other.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- Iconic
- Kids
- Nature
- Photo spot
Museum · Karen
4.Karen Blixen Museum
The Danish author of Out of Africa lived in this farmhouse below the Ngong Hills from 1917 to 1931 while running a coffee farm. The house, run by the National Museums of Kenya, keeps period furniture and some of her belongings, and the gardens include farm machinery and views towards the hills she wrote about. Guided tours are short and included in the ticket.
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
5.Nairobi National Museum
Kenya's flagship museum covers human origins, with fossil casts from the Turkana basin, alongside galleries on Kenyan history, cultures, birds and mammals. The same complex includes a snake park and botanic gardens, and the shop and café make it an easy half-day in the city. It sits on Museum Hill just north of the CBD, close to Westlands.
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
Zoo · Langata
6.Nairobi Safari Walk
A raised wooden boardwalk run by the Kenya Wildlife Service at the national park's main gate, passing enclosures of rescued animals including a white rhino, lions, cheetahs and bongo antelope. It is a gentle introduction to Kenyan wildlife for young children or for anyone without time for a full game drive.
Pair it with a game drive from the main gate, which is right next to the boardwalk entrance.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Kids
- Nature
- Outdoors
Experience · Langata
7.Bomas of Kenya
Opened in 1971, Bomas recreates traditional homesteads of several of Kenya's ethnic communities and stages afternoon performances of their songs and dances in a large circular auditorium. It gives a quick overview of the country's cultural diversity before a safari.
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
Park · Gigiri
8.Karura Forest
About 1,000 hectares of indigenous and planted forest in the north of the city, saved from land grabbing in the late 1990s by a campaign led by Nobel laureate Wangari Maathai. Marked trails lead to a waterfall on the Karura River and to caves used by Mau Mau fighters, and bicycles can be hired at the main gate on Limuru Road.
Hire a bike and ride the loop to the waterfall in the morning, then have lunch at the café near the main gate.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Outdoors
- Nature
- Active
- Kids
Experience · Karen
1.Kazuri Beads workshop
Founded in 1975, this Karen workshop employs local women, many of them single mothers, to hand-make and paint ceramic beads and pottery. A free guided walk follows the clay from shaping to kiln and glaze, and the factory shop sells jewellery and tableware.
Visit on a weekday to see the workshop in full production, then continue to the Karen Blixen Museum nearby.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Shopping
- Off the beaten path
Viewpoint · Central Business District
2.Kenyatta International Convention Centre rooftop
The cylindrical 1973 tower beside Parliament is one of Nairobi's landmarks, and its rooftop helipad gives a 360-degree view across the CBD to Nairobi National Park and, on clear days, the Ngong Hills. Rooftop access is by paid ticket at the ground-floor desk.
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
3.Nairobi Railway Museum
Next to the old railway station, the museum tells the story of the Uganda Railway around which Nairobi grew from 1899. Steam locomotives and carriages fill the yard, including the coach in which a man-eating lion killed police superintendent Charles Ryall in 1900. Children can climb into several of the engines.
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
4.Nairobi Gallery
Housed in the 1913 Old PC's Office at the junction of Kenyatta Avenue and Uhuru Highway, this small National Museums of Kenya gallery shows African art and artefacts, including pieces from the collection of Joseph Murumbi, Kenya's second vice-president. It is a quiet stop on a CBD walk.
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
Market · Central Business District
5.City Market
A 1930s covered market off Muindi Mbingu Street, with fruit, vegetable and flower stalls in the main hall and curio dealers selling carvings, soapstone and baskets around the edges. Butchers and fishmongers occupy the back section.
Compare prices at several curio stalls before buying, and bargain with a smile; first quotes to visitors are high.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Shopping
- Food
Market · Rotates between malls
6.Maasai Market
An open-air craft market that moves to a different site on different days of the week, including mall car parks such as Village Market in Gigiri. Traders sell Maasai beadwork, kikoys, kiondo baskets, soapstone and wooden carvings, and paintings, often at lower prices than city curio shops.
Ask your hotel where the market is on the day you are free, and bring small notes or mobile money for bargaining.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Shopping
Nature · Karen
7.Oloolua Nature Trail
A forest trail along the Mbagathi River managed by the Institute of Primate Research in Karen, passing a small waterfall, a cave and bamboo groves. Monkeys and birds are common, and it is far quieter than the city's better-known green spaces.
Wear shoes with grip; paths near the waterfall get muddy after rain.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Outdoors
- Nature
- Off the beaten path
Pick by interest
| Interest | Best picks |
|---|---|
| Art and museums | Karen Blixen Museum, Nairobi National Museum, Nairobi Railway Museum and Nairobi Gallery |
| History | Karen Blixen Museum, Nairobi National Museum, Bomas of Kenya and Nairobi Railway Museum |
| Views | Kenyatta International Convention Centre rooftop |
| Outdoors and nature | Nairobi National Park, Sheldrick Wildlife Trust elephant orphanage, Giraffe Centre and Karen Blixen Museum |
| Food and markets | City Market and Maasai Market |
| With children | Nairobi National Park, Sheldrick Wildlife Trust elephant orphanage, Giraffe Centre and Nairobi National Museum |
| On a rainy day | Nairobi National Museum, Nairobi Railway Museum and Nairobi Gallery |
What to book ahead
- Sheldrick Wildlife Trust elephant orphanage: Visits must be booked online in advance through the trust's website, and slots fill up in the safari high season.
Plan the rest of your trip
Questions travellers ask
+What is the number one thing to do in Nairobi?
Nairobi National Park. Kenya's first national park, opened in 1946, covers about 117 km² of grassland and acacia bush just south of the city.
+What can you do for free in Nairobi?
Kazuri Beads workshop, City Market and Maasai Market. More free things to do.
+What is there to do in Nairobi when it rains?
Head indoors to Nairobi National Museum, Nairobi Railway Museum and Nairobi Gallery.