Things To Do in Nairobi, Kenya

I recently spent a little time in Nairobi on my way to Maasai Mara. (I was supposed to visit Madagascar as well, but political unrest there caused me to cancel that part of my trip.)

Nairobi is a vibrant, busy, and cosmopolitan city with much to offer the visitor. If you go, be sure to check with your hotel if it’s safe to walk around the areas you’re interested in. I was told not all areas are safe. Also, give yourself extra time to go anywhere, as the traffic can become seriously backed up, leaving you stuck for 20 minutes or longer.

During my short stay, I managed to visit many of the city’s most popular tourist attractions, and with the exception of one, I found them all to be worthy of my time. Note, however, that non-residents pay more for each location, which is also the case at some places in the U.S.

Giraffe Centre. This was a fun experience. When you enter, they hand you a small coconut shell filled with pellets made of corn, wheat, grass, and molasses. You can then walk to the feeding area where the giraffes are ready to take the pellets from your hand. Signs instruct you to place the pellets on the giraffe’s tongue and to watch out for head butts. Sure enough, I saw one of the giraffes trying to heat butt someone at the end of the video below.

Most of them were very sweet, however, and it was fun to feed them. Occasionally, one would consent to be petted, but that might also invite head butting! I also saw a couple of warthogs on the property.

The giraffes at the centre are endangered Rothschild’s giraffes, a specific species that has solid white stockings – i.e., no spots on the lower legs like the Maasai giraffes and some other types. The centre also has a nature trail (great for birdwatchers), a tea house, and a small gift shop.

The centre was founded in 1979 by the late Jock Leslie-Melville and his wife, Betty Leslie-Melville, who were concerned about the plight of the Rothschild’s giraffes. It’s run by the Kenyan non-profit, Africa Fund for Endangered Wildlife (A.F.E.W.), so it’s a worthwhile cause.

Karen Blixen Museum. Author Karen Blixen and the subject of the film based on her book, Out of Africa, starring Meryl Streep and Robert Redford, is revered in Kenya. Many businesses and even a hospital in the area surrounding the museum are named “Karen” after her. The museum is her former home in Kenya where she also had her coffee plantation.

A personal guide took me around the property and gave me a history of Mrs. Blixen. It was a fascinating visit. The exterior of the house was used in the film, and there are several large artifacts on the grounds, such as the coffee processing machine from the era. You aren’t allowed to take photos inside the house, but it was quite luxurious for the time period.

Kazuri Beads Factory. This was one of my most enjoyable experiences in Nairobi. It’s a women-run business that was founded in 1975 by Lady Susan Wood, starting with just two employees. By the late 1980s, it employed more than 100 people. “Kazuri” means “small and beautiful” in Swahili, and the women who work at the factory are mostly single mothers.

They primarily make beaded jewelry but also a few figurines out of eco-friendly clay from Mount Kenya. All of the beads are handmade, fired, painted, and strung at the factory. You can buy the beads online, but if you’re in Nairobi, it’s worth a visit to meet the women and choose your own beads. Then, one of them will help you string your own necklace. I had great fun with the woman who helped me. She said she’s been working there for 15 years and enjoys it immensely. The women have a lot of fun together, she told me.

As you can see, the beads are stunning, and there’s a wide variety of colors available to spark your creativity. An 18″ necklace costs less than $40US.

Nairobi National Park. No visit to Nairobi is complete without taking a game drive through Nairobi National Park. This remarkable green space in the middle of the metropolitan city houses big game, including elephants, lions, and other big cats. You can even potentially get a photo of large African animals with the Nairobi skyline in the background. The video below shows an ostrich near a railway bridge that goes through the park.

The park is fenced on just three of its sides, while the fourth side, which empties into a river, is open. This allows the animal species populations to self-regulate without management.

Since I was going to Maasai Mara on safari, I didn’t feel the need to see big game in the park, but I was immensely interested in the bird life, as Nairobi has many species that Maasai Mara does not. Nevertheless, I also saw some mammals in the park that I didn’t see in Maasai Mara. So it’s definitely worth a visit.

Entrance to the park can take a while, however. They have an online system where you have to register with a lot of your personal information and pay in advance. I couldn’t get it to work ahead of time, so it took a bit of time with the park’s personnel to get that straightened out.

Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. This facility within Nairobi National Park requires a prior reservation and a cash donation of $20US. You also have to pay for entrance into the national park, so you can potentially combine a visit to Sheldrick with a visit to the park itself. Sheldrick is a sanctuary for orphaned elephants, many of them very young, and it’s only open from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. daily.

This was a delightful experience. We all stood around an area where the elephants enjoyed rolling around in mud while one of the handlers gave us a lecture about the animals and their life at Sheldrick. It was comical to watch them (and a little dusty at times). You can even pet an elephant a little bit there.

It’s an excellent cause to support, as they work toward reintegrating each elephant into the wild. You can also adopt an elephant there from afar.

The Nairobi Railway Museum. This interesting museum has small exhibits indoors and old trains on tracks outdoors. It tells the story of the railway system in Kenya, and it also contains some vintage telephones and typewriters. as well as some other artifacts. If you’re interested in trains or history, you’ll enjoy this one.

Maasai Market. Since I was going to Maasai Mara, I didn’t visit this market, but you might want to give it a look while you’re in the city. I understand it contains handmade artwork that you can buy as gifts or for yourself.

Nairobi National Museum. This museum is interesting for all ages. It contains a Cradle of Humankind gallery about evolution, exhibits about Eastern African birds and mammals, and exhibits about the history of Kenya, as well as a small snake farm with live snakes. I was a bit disappointed in the snake farm, however. Most of them are behind dirty glass that makes it hard to see them.