With kids · Nairobi · Kenya
Nairobi with kids
Family-tested sights, a calm base and the practical details that make travelling with children easier.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Daniel Case, CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answer
Nairobi is one of the easiest places in Africa to show children big animals in a single day: baby elephants at the Sheldrick orphanage, giraffes to feed at the Giraffe Centre and a short game drive in the national park. Distances are long, so plan days around one area. Top picks: Sheldrick Wildlife Trust elephant orphanage, Giraffe Centre and Nairobi National Park. Families usually base themselves in Karen.
Key facts
- Family picks
- 7
- Best area for families
- Karen
- Rainy-day options
- 2
- Busiest months
- July–August
Best things to do with kids
Nature · Nairobi National Park
1.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
2.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
Nature · Langata
3.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
Zoo · Langata
4.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
Museum · Central Business District
5.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
Park · Gigiri
6.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 · 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
Rainy-day ideas
- Nairobi National Museum — Buy a combined ticket if you also want the snake park, and save time for the garden's nature trail.
- Nairobi Railway Museum — Spend most of your time in the outdoor yard, where you can walk among and inside the old locomotives.
Where families should stay
$$$$ · Best for families, couples, quiet stays and luxury
Karen
Named after Karen Blixen, whose coffee farm once covered the area, Karen is a green, low-density suburb of boutique hotels, garden restaurants and craft workshops such as Kazuri Beads. It is the most convenient base for the Giraffe Centre, the Karen Blixen Museum and the Sheldrick orphanage, and many safari travellers spend their first and last nights here.
- Good
- Close to the wildlife sights; Quiet garden hotels; Short drive to Wilson Airport
- Watch out
- Little to walk to; you need a driver or ride-hailing; Expensive boutique stays
- Nearby
- Karen Blixen Museum, Giraffe Centre, Kazuri Beads, Ngong Hills
Family travel tips
- Book the elephant orphanage visit online well before you travel.
- Ride-hailing cars rarely have child seats; book a driver who can supply one or bring a travel seat.
- Game drives with young children work best early in the morning and for two or three hours at most.
- Pack warm layers: mornings and evenings are chilly at this altitude, especially from June to August.
- Karen and Langata garden restaurants often have play areas and lawns for children.
Day trips for families
- Lake Naivasha and Crescent Island (About 2 hours by road) — A freshwater Rift Valley lake fringed with yellow fever trees, where boat rides pass hippos and fish eagles.
- Hell's Gate National Park (About 2 hours by road) — One of the few Kenyan parks where you can cycle or walk among zebras, buffalo and giraffes, below the volcanic plug of Fischer's Tower.
- Lake Nakuru National Park (About 3 hours by road) — A fenced Rift Valley park around a soda lake, known for black and white rhinos, Rothschild's giraffes, lions and, in some years, large flocks of flamingos.
- Amboseli National Park (About 4–5 hours by road; best overnight) — Large elephant herds against the backdrop of Mount Kilimanjaro across the border in Tanzania are Amboseli's classic image.
When to go with children
The best months overall are January–February and June–September. July–August are the busiest, so book the big sights early. Weather by month.
Questions travellers ask
+Is Nairobi good for kids?
Nairobi is one of the easiest places in Africa to show children big animals in a single day: baby elephants at the Sheldrick orphanage, giraffes to feed at the Giraffe Centre and a short game drive in the national park. Distances are long, so plan days around one area.
+What can kids do in Nairobi?
Sheldrick Wildlife Trust elephant orphanage, Giraffe Centre, Nairobi National Park, Nairobi Safari Walk and Nairobi Railway Museum.
+Where should families stay in Nairobi?
Karen: Leafy suburb of large gardens at the foot of the Ngong Hills.