Overview
Nairobi is Kenya's vibrant capital and East Africa's hub — a fast-growing “Green City in the Sun” with the world's only national park inside a capital city, a celebrated elephant orphanage and giraffe centre, and the gateway to the safaris of the Maasai Mara and beyond.
Travel
Nairobi is the beating heart of East Africa — Kenya's capital, the region's commercial and diplomatic hub, and for most visitors the gateway to the country's legendary safaris, but also a rewarding stop in its own right. Its singular boast is Nairobi National Park, the only national park within a capital city: a vast tract of open savannah on the city's southern edge where lions, rhinos, giraffes, zebras and buffalo roam against a backdrop of skyscrapers — a genuine game drive minutes from downtown. Right beside it, two of the city's most beloved attractions draw animal lovers: the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust's elephant orphanage, where rescued orphaned elephant calves are bottle-fed and rehabilitated (open to visitors for a magical hour each midday), and the Giraffe Centre, where you can hand-feed and eyeball endangered Rothschild's giraffes from a raised platform. In the leafy suburb of Karen — named for the Danish author Karen Blixen, whose Out of Africa was set on her nearby coffee farm — the Karen Blixen Museum preserves her colonial-era farmhouse and gardens at the foot of the Ngong Hills. The city centre mixes the modern skyline and the saucer-topped Kenyatta International Convention Centre with the excellent Nairobi National Museum, the Snake Park, and the colourful, bargain-hard Maasai Markets that rotate through the city selling beadwork, carvings and textiles. Nairobi's food, music and nightlife scenes are among Africa's liveliest, from nyama choma (roast meat) joints to a fast-rising café and creative culture. Beyond the city, it's the launchpad for Kenya — flights and road trips to the Maasai Mara, Amboseli beneath Kilimanjaro, the Rift Valley lakes, Mount Kenya and the coast. Sitting at altitude on the equator, Nairobi enjoys a mild, spring-like climate year-round; the dry seasons (roughly January–March and July–October) are best for combining the city with a safari.
Nairobi's headline experience is wildlife on the doorstep. Nairobi National Park, fenced on the city side but open to the plains to the south, is the only national park inside a capital — an early-morning game drive here can deliver lions, black and white rhino, giraffes, zebras, buffalo and abundant birdlife, all with the city skyline on the horizon, a surreal and convenient introduction to the African safari. On the park's edge, the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust runs the world's most famous elephant orphanage, rescuing and hand-raising orphaned calves; visitors can watch the babies being bottle-fed and mud-bathed during the one-hour public visit each midday (book ahead). A short distance away in Langata, the Giraffe Centre lets you feed and nuzzle endangered Rothschild's giraffes from a raised wooden platform — a delight for families and the origin of the famous Giraffe Manor next door. Together these make a full, unforgettable day without leaving the city.
Frequently asked questions
Diplomatic missions in Nairobi
3 embassies based in this city, grouped by region.
Visaja keeps this page's contact details and visa guidance under continuous review — still, requirements can change at short notice, so confirm the essentials with the mission or the official government portal before you travel.