Nairobi
The safari capital: a national park at the city's edge and the Mara a flight away.
Nairobi is East Africa's hub, a highland city of gardens, markets and traffic with a national park inside its boundary, where giraffe and rhino graze against the skyline. It is the starting point for Kenya's safari circuit — the Masai Mara, Amboseli under Kilimanjaro, the lakes of the Rift Valley — and for the coast at Mombasa and Diani.
Why go
For the wildlife, which begins at the city limits and continues in the reserves beyond it: the great migration crossing the Mara river in the late summer, elephants below Kilimanjaro, flamingos on the Rift lakes.
And for Nairobi itself, which rewards a day or two: the giraffe centre and the elephant orphanage in Karen, the Karen Blixen house, the markets, the restaurants and the coffee.
Highlights
What people go for, in no particular order.
01Nairobi National Park
Plains, acacia and a rhino sanctuary a short drive from the centre, with the towers of the city behind the lions. A half-day game drive before or after a flight.
02The Masai Mara
The rolling grassland of the Mara, with lion, cheetah, leopard and elephant year-round and the wildebeest migration from roughly July to October. Reached by light aircraft from Wilson airport.
03Amboseli
Elephant herds on the marshes below Kilimanjaro, with the mountain clearest at dawn. A drive or a short flight south.
04Karen and the giraffes
The giraffe centre where the animals lean over the platform, the elephant orphanage's feeding hour and the former farmhouse of the author of Out of Africa, in the leafy suburb of Karen.
05The Rift Valley lakes
Lake Naivasha's hippos and boat trips, Hell's Gate's gorges on foot or by bicycle, and the flamingos and rhinos of Lake Nakuru, a couple of hours north-west.
06Maasai culture and the markets
Village visits arranged with communities near the Mara, the Maasai market of beadwork and carvings that moves around the city through the week, and the Kazuri bead workshop in Karen.
07The coast
Mombasa's old town and Diani's white beach, an hour's flight or a train ride from the capital, for the end of a safari.
Areas
Where to base yourself, and what each area is like.
Westlands and Kilimani
The restaurant, café and hotel districts west of the centre, convenient and lively.
Karen and Langata
The green suburbs by the national park, with lodges, gardens and the animal sanctuaries.
The safari camps
Most trips spend the nights out in the reserves, in tented camps and lodges booked as part of the safari.
When to go: Nairobi
- Dry seasonJune – October
- The long dry season: cool, clear mornings, grass grazed short and game easy to see, with the migration in the Mara. The peak.
- Shoulder monthsJanuary and February
- The short dry season, warm and bright, with calving on the plains and good visibility.
- Wet seasonMarch – May, November and December
- The long rains in spring and the short rains in late autumn: green landscapes, dramatic skies, some muddy tracks and quieter camps.
Getting there
Airports
One airport in our search serves Nairobi. Distances are measured in a straight line.
- NBOJomo Kenyatta International
Distance from
- JNBJohannesburg2,910 km
- DXBDubai3,560 km
- BOMMumbai4,540 km
- CDGParis6,490 km
- LHRLondon6,830 km
- SINSingapore7,470 km
- JFKNew York11,830 km
- SYDSydney12,150 km
Getting around: Nairobi
Ride-hailing and taxis are the way around the city; traffic is heavy and journeys are planned around it. Light aircraft from Wilson airport reach the Mara and Amboseli in under an hour.
Safaris are arranged as a whole — vehicle, driver-guide, camps and flights — and the road to the Mara is a long day if driven. The train to Mombasa is a comfortable alternative to flying.
Practical facts
The country, its currency and languages, the time zone and the time there now.
- Country
- Kenya
- Currency
- KES · Kenyan Shilling
- Languages
- Swahili and English
- Time zone
- East Africa Time
- Local time now
- Calling code
- +254
The atlas
Nairobi in figures
The figures under this guide: the climate on modelled 2001–2020 averages, how far it is from the UAE, and the places around it.
Climate
The weather in Nairobi, month by month
- Jan27°
- Feb29°
- Mar29°
- Apr27°
- May25°
- Jun25°
- Jul26°
- Aug26°
- Sept28°
- Oct28°
- Nov26°
- Dec26°
- Mild to warm and dry
- Mild to warm, humid or showery
- Hot
- Cool
- Wet
- Cold
Good for going all year, on these averages.
Mean highs run from 25°C in June to 29°C in February, with about 601 mm of rain in a year.
These are modelled averages for 2001–2020; the seasons described above are our own reading of a typical year.
Month-by-month climate for NairobiModelled averages for an area about 50 km across, not a weather station's record: NASA POWER climatology, 2001–2020.
Airports
How far it is from the UAE
From DXBNairobi
3,560 km
4 hrs 55 mins · Estimate
From AUHNairobi
3,450 km
4 hrs 50 mins · Estimate
The great-circle distance, and a rough flying time: the distance at an average 850 km/h plus 45 minutes for take-off and landing. Real flights follow airways, meet headwinds and wait for traffic, so schedules differ.
On the map
Places near Nairobi
Plan this trip: Nairobi
Open the trip builder with Nairobi already filled in. Flights, stays and everything else are priced together in one quote, prepared by a person on our team.
