Do you have a long layover in, or are you launching other travel plans from, Nairobi, Kenya? Keep reading for how to maximize your short visit and what I did during my one-day visit.
Table of Contents
What to do in less than 24 hours in Nairobi, Kenya
En route to Tanzania for safari and a Mt. Kilimanjaro climb, I stopped over in Nairobi, Kenya. I chose to fly into Nairobi because there was a direct flight from the JFK airport in New York. From there, I could take a bus to Arusha, Tanzania to start my safari adventure.
I arrived at the Nairobi airport in the morning, caught a cab, and went to my hotel in the city center. I thought the accommodations at Kweza Bed and Breakfast were nice. It is a budget hotel but I had all of my needs met and rather enjoyed the rooftop patio, breakfast, and the wonderful staff.
Not one to let the better part of a day go to waste when traveling, I researched activities to do for the time I had available. The two places I decided to visit were the Giraffe Centre and the Elephant Nursery. Per my request, within 30 minutes of my arrival to the hotel, the staff arranged for a taxi driver to pick me up and spend the better part of a day driving me around and patiently waiting while I explored each place.
Elephant Nursery
As we departed the city center, we drove southwest to the Elephant Nursery. The taxi driver became more of a guide as he told me we must hurry so I could arrive in time to see the elephants out and about and the baby elephants being fed. This occurs daily from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. We arrived just in time.
As I found my way to the viewing area, the adult elephants were walking out from another part of the property and headed straight for the mud pit. The baby elephant, was being bottle fed by a staff member. Although the circumstances that lead to the elephants being at the nursery are sad, it is nice to know that there are places they can go and be cared for.
There is information on their website about how you can adopt an elephant. Unfortunately you don’t get to take it home but you would be contributing to its care and wellbeing, which undoubtedly is rather costly.
Of note, since September 2023, if you plan to visit the Elephant Nursery, you must pay the Kenya Wildlife Services fee in addition to the $20 USD adult entry fee. Their website encourages you to pay the Kenya Wildlife Services fee in advance to prevent any potential delays to your entry. They provide more information on the fee and ticket purchase process on their website.
Giraffe Centre
A short, roughly 20 minute drive away from the Elephant Nursery and still only 30 minutes from Nairobi’s city center is the Giraffe Centre.
You may have heard of the Giraffe Manor, which is a luxury accommodation where one of many experiences includes interacting and feeding giraffes while enjoying your breakfast. The Giraffe Manor accommodation and experiences may be of great interest to you. If you are more budget conscious, like I am, you may find it to be a bit too costly. You must also book your stay well in advance. One online reviewer said she booked her room 1.5 years in advance, but that it was worth the wait.
If, however, you want to engage with and feed the same giraffes on the same property, you can do so at the Giraffe Centre for around $11-12 USD.
Not only do you get the unforgettable experience of feeding a giraffe, you are supporting the conservation efforts to protect and repopulate the Rothschild Giraffe. which is one of the most endangered giraffe populations.
In addition to the conservation of the Rothschild Giraffe, the Giraffe Centre focuses on education and creating awareness of Kenya’s environment and wildlife. The primary audience of this education and awareness campaign is intended to be the local schoolchildren. Other beneficiaries of the Giraffe Centre’s education and awareness campaign about Kenya’s environment and wildlife are the many tourists that visit each year.
Like the Elephant Nursery, your visit to the Giraffe Centre helps support their conservation and education efforts. If you aren’t able to visit in person, you can still support their work as outlined on this page of their website.
Conclusion
As my taxi driver and I made our way back to Nairobi’s city center, I gladly accepted his offer to stop at a large store with amazing handmade arts and crafts. While I showed some level of restraint on how much I purchased, keeping in mind I would be traveling for two weeks, I now wish I had had the opportunity to purchase more. If you enjoy shopping for locally made gifts when you travel, there are wonderful shops in between the Elephant Nursery, the Giraffe Centre, and the city center that sell some truly impressive and beautiful handmade crafts.
While I particularly enjoyed the experiences described above, there are many options of things to do during a one day stopover in Nairobi. If you enjoy museums, there are several with good ratings. If you would like to visit a coffee farm, that is an option also. And, of course, you can launch your safari from Nairobi as well.
Overall I was super pleased with my time spent in Nairobi and was happy I chose this city as my gateway to Northern Tanzania.
Have you been to Nairobi?
Have you ever been to Nairobi? What did you do? What would you recommend to others?
Leave a Reply