Nairobi

Nairobi is where nearly every Citrus safari begins and ends. It is the largest city in East Africa and the region's main aviation hub, with direct long-haul connections and a domestic network reaching airstrips in every major park. What makes it unusual is Nairobi National Park, which starts a few kilometres from the central business district: lion, rhino, giraffe and buffalo live within sight of the skyline, and it is genuinely possible to complete a game drive before a morning flight. The city also holds the David Sheldrick elephant orphanage, the Giraffe Centre, and the Karen Blixen Museum in the former farmhouse of the author of Out of Africa.

Why visit Nairobi

• Nairobi National Park — the only national park inside a capital city, with rhino, lion and giraffe against a skyline backdrop.
• The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust elephant orphanage, open to visitors for a short window each day.
• The Giraffe Centre, where endangered Rothschild's giraffe can be seen at close range from a raised platform.
• A practical, well-connected arrival and departure point with good hotels at every level.

Wildlife

Nairobi National Park holds black and white rhino, lion, cheetah, leopard, buffalo, giraffe, zebra, eland and over 500 recorded bird species. There are no elephants in the park. The southern boundary is open, allowing seasonal movement of plains game in and out.

• Black and white rhino within the city limits
• Lion and cheetah against the Nairobi skyline
• Rothschild's giraffe at the Giraffe Centre
• Orphaned elephant calves at the Sheldrick Trust
• More than 500 recorded bird species in the national park

Best time to visit

Year-round. Nairobi sits at about 1,795 m so the climate is mild and evenings are cool. July and August are the coolest and often overcast months.

Year-round.

Things to do

Nairobi National Park game drive

A half-day drive, practical either side of an international flight.

Sheldrick elephant orphanage

Open to visitors for a limited daily window; usually a separately paid optional visit.

Giraffe Centre

Close-range viewing of Rothschild's giraffe from a raised platform.

Karen Blixen Museum

The preserved farmhouse of the Out of Africa author, at the foot of the Ngong Hills.

How long to stay

Most itineraries use Nairobi for a single night on arrival or before departure. A full day allows the national park plus one or two of the city's wildlife and heritage sites.

What it combines with

Nairobi is the starting point for essentially every Kenyan route in the catalogue and the usual hand-over point for cross-border journeys into Tanzania.