9 days in Nairobi - what to see?

[Sandrine1982]

Thinking of going to Nairobi for 8-9 days this autumn, with our 6 year old who's crazy about wildlife. As the time is limited we won't get a chance to go to the beach so will have to stay in and around Nairobi.

People who have done this, what would you recommend?

• any nice wildlife places, safaris?
• any amazing stays, e.g. jungle stays, treehouse stays, glamping, eco lodges (reasonably priced)
• any nice areas to stay in Nairobi (pool is a must)
• any cultural experiences

Thanks in advance!

Is Lake Naivasha / Nakuru doable in one day? or should we spend the night there?

Naivasha yes, Nakuru definitely not. I wouldn't recommend Lake Nakuru tbh as the flamingos have all gone now and that was the main draw. Naivasha is a really beautiful place to stay so if it were me I'd book a night there but it depends how much you want to move around.

The flamingos have gone?! What happened? 😭

We plan to book Airbnbs and in terms of transport I was wondering if I can just ask our hosts to organise the driver to take us to the next spot?

Asking your Airbnb host is a good shout. They'll likely have a driver they use and they can send you the driver's WhatsApp number so you can coordinate between you. It's unlikely your Airbnb host would want to sort out travel for you tbh.

Bear in mind most tourists go on arranged package tours and so DIY tourism in Kenya is for the more seasoned traveller. You just need to be a bit more savvy than you would somewhere like Thailand or Bali. For example, if you've booked a driver to take you to Naivasha in the morning then message a few days before and the night before just to confirm. Be careful about paying for anything up front.

The flamingos have gone?! What happened? 😭

Looks like they might be making a bit of a recovery but population was totally decimated:
https://nation.africa/kenya/health/new-hope-for-flamingo-birds-in-lake-nakuru-4511810

You need to be SO careful about vehicles and standards of driving. Accident stats are horrendous. I agree - DIY is a faff and I rather suspect the budget is an issue here. I’m not sure many animals will be seen.

Thanks. Just looking at the train line between nairobi and mombasa and it looks like the express train stops in Voi !! So perhaps we can do a safari after all ?? So, would people recommend skipping the national park in Nairobi and do a safari in Tsavo instead? With an overnight stay in one of the eastern lodges?

There isn’t really a safari experience in Nairobi. There’s little there these days. Voi would be better. It’s a decent enough lodge with a water hole. It’s a huge arid expanse and not the Mara. Worth looking at though.