Lady’s Itinerary for 36 Hours in Nairobi, Kenya

Today I want to share my itinerary for 36 hours in Nairobi with you. The Kenyan capital offers a lot to do and see, from wildlife encounters to shopping and dining. It’s worth a special trip when you’re traveling in East Africa.

36 Hours in Nairobi

Last time I was in Nairobi was exactly four years ago. I came with two girlfriends, and we stayed with the parents of one of their classmates from Georgetown.

It was a great trip, complete with a safari in the Masai Mara and a four-day getaway in Zanzibar. I had no idea when I would return, but when I moved to London I figured it was only a matter of time.

Africa Trip Itinerary

That time has come. Tired of the snow and cold in London, my boyfriend and I chose Africa for our annual February escape from Seasonal Affective Disorder.

We figured seventeen days in Kenya, Mali, and Senegal would have us in high enough spirits to survive the rest of the long London winter.

Nairobi Hotel

Our 36 hours in Nairobi began when we arrived at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport late last night. We were picked up by a driver from our hotel and taken to the Miti Mingi Guesthouse in the Westlands neighborhood.

The hotel’s owner, Carla, gave us a warm welcome and a tour before letting us fall into bed for the night.

We woke up this morning to a beautiful sunny day and a huge breakfast on the garden terrace. After the meal we found ourselves a driver who agreed to take us around Nairobi for the day.

Nairobi Tour

We left the hotel around noon continued our 36 hours in Nairobi by heading to the Giraffe Centre, a conservation trust in Nairobi where you can feed the giraffes.

I’d been there on my previous visit to Nairobi, and couldn’t wait for my boyfriend to see it.

Giraffe Centre

We pulled up during a convenient lull in tourist activity, and had the giraffes all to ourselves for a few minutes.

We held up our hands and fed them pellets that were a mix of molasses and grains. They eagerly reached our their long purple tongues for them.

Distracted by the pellets, they didn’t care that we took the opportunity to pet their soft faces, which were almost as big as our entire bodies.

After feeding the giraffes, we walked around the Giraffe Centre’s learning area, then explored the rest of the grounds, including the turtle enclosure and the outdoor cafe and shop.

Mamba Village

Leaving the giraffes behind, we continued our 36 hours in Nairobi by heading to Mamba Village, a wildlife park with a crocodile farm.

We spent the next hour watching the adult crocs sunbathing lazily in the afternoon heat and the babies running and swimming around their enclosure.

When we had seen enough prehistoric reptile action, we headed to the large lake on the other side of Mamba Village.

Our first stop was the ostrich enclosure, where we got close to four rather ornery ostriches. Dodging their darting beaks, we took photos of them as they tried to eat everything from the metal food bin to the wooden railings of their pen.

From there we found some random rabbit hutches with bunnies of every color, and then walked over to the giraffe area. The lone giraffe saw us coming from quite some distance and seemed as interested in us as we were in it.

Quite the prima donna, it posed for a number of photos and kept very close to us the whole time. I’d like to believe I’m a giraffe whisperer, but I think it was just hoping for food.

Shopping in Nairobi

From Mamba Village we continued our 36 hours in Nairobi by going to The Hub Karen, a shopping, recreation, and entertainment mall in an upscale part of the city.

We got some lunch and picked up some of the same Kenyan tea I’d bought on my previous visit to Nairobi.

I bought the biggest bag I could fit in my suitcase, happy to no longer have to ration the last of the box I bought four years ago.

After eating lunch at one of the small cafes in The Hub Karen, we went to a more local shopping area.

Along the way we passed a market where Masai women were selling brightly-colored cloth, slender wooden carvings, and other souvenirs.

We made our way past them and into the shopping center, which was much more of a local market in Nairobi than The Hub Karen. We walked around for a bit and then made our way back to our driver.

Jet lag and fatigue from staying up until 2am to watch the Super Bowl before our flight had fully caught up with us at that point. We headed back to the hotel to take a nap and relax before dinner.

Talisman Restaurant in Nairobi

Tonight we headed to Talisman Restaurant in Karen for our evening meal. It was rich in international cuisine and local Tusker beer. Eating there was a great way to end our 36 hours in Nairobi.

36 Hours in Nairobi: The Verdict

In the morning we head to Bamako, Mali for the second of our seventeen snow-free days in Africa. We’ll be back in Nairobi twice before our African adventure is over, though, so there are more stories to come about Kenya’s capital city.

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