Nairobi travel guide
Kenya
Kenya's capital, a major East African hub with a national park inside the city limits where giraffes graze against the skyline. Nairobi is fast, ambitious and green, and the starting point for most safaris in Kenya.
Essentials
- Language
- English and Swahili; English is used widely in business and tourism
- Currency
- Kenyan shilling (KES)
- Plugs
- Type G, 240 V
- Emergency number
- 999 or 112
- Tipping
- Around 10% in sit-down restaurants is appreciated where no service charge is added; small tips for guides and drivers are customary.
Rough daily budget
Approximate spend per person per day, in US dollars:
- Backpacker: $30-50, with a hostel or shared room, street food and public transport.
- Mid-range: $80-140, with a private room and restaurant meals.
Last reviewed: October 2026
Where to stay in Nairobi
- Westlands: restaurants, rooftop bars and much of the city's nightlife.
- Kilimani: residential and central, with cafés and easy rides to most of the city.
- Karen: a leafy suburb near the Giraffe Centre and the Karen Blixen Museum.
Getting around Nairobi
Ride-hailing apps are the simplest way around, and matatu minibuses are cheap if you know your route. Traffic is heavy at rush hour, and taking a car rather than walking after dark is sensible.
Best time to visit Nairobi
June to October and January to February, the drier months.
Top things to do in Nairobi
- Take an early-morning game drive in Nairobi National Park, looking for rhino, lion and giraffe with the city skyline behind them
- Feed Rothschild's giraffes from the raised platform at the Giraffe Centre in Langata
- Walk or cycle the forest trails to the waterfall in Karura Forest
- Get your bearings on Kenyan history and wildlife at the Nairobi National Museum
- Browse the rotating Maasai Market for beadwork, textiles and carvings, and bargain with a smile
What to eat in Nairobi
- Nyama choma: grilled meat, usually goat or beef, shared at the table with kachumbari salad
- Ugali: a stiff maize-flour porridge, eaten with the hand to scoop up stews
- Sukuma wiki: collard greens fried with onion and tomato, the standard side to ugali
- Mandazi: lightly sweet fried dough, often eaten with chai for breakfast
Day trips from Nairobi
- Hell's Gate National Park: cycle or walk past zebra and through the gorge, about two hours by road
- Lake Naivasha: boat trips among hippos and birdlife, right beside Hell's Gate and easily combined with it
- Ngong Hills: a ridge walk with views over the Rift Valley, about an hour from the centre
Local etiquette
Greetings matter, so say hello and ask how someone is before getting to business. Ask before photographing people, especially in Maasai communities.
Staying connected
Safaricom and Airtel SIM cards are sold at the airport and in town, registered against your passport, and mobile data is fast in the city.
Staying safe
Phone snatching and pickpocketing happen in the busy city centre and through open car windows in traffic, so keep valuables out of sight. Use ride-hailing rather than walking after dark.
A local tip
Book ahead for the elephant orphanage's single late-morning visiting hour, at the edge of Nairobi National Park; places fill up.
Visas:rules depend on your nationality and change often – check your own government's official travel advice before you go.
Meet people in Nairobi on Waypacker
Waypacker is a free travel community: stay with ID-verified local hosts, join meetups and city groups, and ask people who live in Nairobi for advice. We are new here, so if you live in Nairobi, you could be one of the first hosts.
Questions about Nairobi
- What currency is used in Nairobi?
- Nairobi uses the Kenyan shilling (KES).
- What is the emergency number in Nairobi?
- In Nairobi, call 999 or 112.
- When is the best time to visit Nairobi?
- June to October and January to February, the drier months.
- How much does a day in Nairobi cost?
- Roughly $30-50 a day in US dollars on a backpacker budget (a hostel or shared room, street food and public transport), and $80-140 mid-range (a private room and restaurants). These are broad estimates, last reviewed October 2026.
- Is Waypacker free to use in Nairobi?
- Yes. Joining is free and stays with hosts carry no nightly rate or booking fee.
- Are Waypacker hosts ID-verified?
- Every host's ID and selfie are checked by hand by a real person before they can host. Nothing is sent to an AI service.
- Can I meet locals in Nairobi without staying with anyone?
- Yes. You can join meetups and city groups, or ask locals for tips, without booking a stay.
- Will anyone see my exact location?
- No. Hosts and meetups appear as a neighbourhood-sized area about a kilometre wide, and exact addresses are never stored.