Exploring Nairobi With Kids

We spent a full day in Nairobi to kick off our Kenya visit. We arrived on an early morning flight, about seven hours later than expected. I mention that to say we were tired, but our excitement carried us through the day.

After finally making it through the airport entry process, we made our way outside and spotted our driver. My husband and I took a pause, planted our feet, and inhaled the African air. In that moment, we both knew we were experiencing a dream come true. Not to be too sentimental, but as a black family who aren’t African born, our roots and the history of our ancestors is always there in the back of our mind. Though our ancestry doesn’t trace back to Kenya specifically, just being on the continent (despite its vastness) made us emotional. It felt like a homecoming.

Okay…exhale…now that we’ve gotten through that….

We loaded up into the SUV with our driver, and headed toward our rental to get freshened up and changed to start our day.

Where to Stay in Nairobi With Kids

My husband was in charge of booking our Nairobi accommodations, and he decided on a condo. It ended up being perfect for our short stay there. It was a beautiful three bedroom, 3 bathroom condo with a full kitchen and laundry. My only complaint were the towels. It may seem silly, but a fluffy, delightful smelling towel goes a long way after 21 hours of traveling and a hot shower.

The final 10 hours of our trip was also spent in Nairobi before we needed to check in to the airport. We decided to book two rooms at the Crowne Plaza airport location in order to rest up for the long flight ahead of us. This hotel was absolutely beautiful. We got adjoining rooms for the kids, and instead of resting they decided to binge on cartoons while mommy and daddy slept until it was time to catch our 1am flight out.

5 Fun Things To Do In Nairobi With Kids

I knew we’d have limited time in Nairobi and I wanted to make the most of it. So we jam packed the day with amazing outings that we knew the kids would love. Spoiler alert…us parents enjoyed it, too!

The Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage. We began our adventures with the Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage, where we had the opportunity to meet baby elephants during their feeding and play time. The caretakers were so sweet with the elephants as they fed them. Some of them came right up to the rope as if they were just asking us to pet them. We all happily obliged.

While watching the feedings, the lead caretaker gave an informational about the conditions under which baby elephants end up at the orphanage. He spoke to poaching, malnutrition, and other issues as well. It was very informative, and at least one of my kids has plans to send some of her Christmas money back as a donation later in the year.

Giraffe Manor. You may have heard of the world famous Giraffe Manor where you can stay and giraffe’s roam free on the property, even popping their heads into your bedroom windows or trying to nibble at your food while you enjoy lunch in the cafe. Honestly, I’d imagined we would spend the night at the manor, but after reviewing pricing it was hard no for me. Let me just say, if you can do it, definitely stay there…it looks phenomenal.

Next best thing was going to the Manor’s Giraffe Center where the kids got to get up close with the tall, majestic creatures. They fed them, pet them, and tried to avoid being licked by them. After hanging out with the Giraffe’s, we went into a small room where we watched an educational video on the three types of Giraffe’s, and then had a makeshift weightlifting competition with the leg bone of a giraffe. By the way, a giraffe’s bones are completely solid…so very heavy.

Bomas of Kenya. This was hands down my personal favorite part of our time in Nairobi. The Bomas of Kenya offers a traditional look into the diverse tribes and cultures of the country. When we first arrived on site, we went to the onsite restaurant – Utamaduni where we were seated in a lovely tree house, which we had all to ourselves. The menu was loaded with traditional Kenyan dishes, and everything was delicious.

After lunch we headed over to the entertainment arena for the daily show of cultural performances – mainly dances representative of each tribe of Kenya. There were live instruments, vibrant costumes, and even crowd involvement.

I love all kinds of African dance; just the sounds and rhythm make me so happy. At one point I think my hips started moving on their own, lol. That’s how much the music permeated through the room.

Once the show concluded, our guide – Rose walked us around on a private tour of the villages (They have replicas to represent every traditional tribe of Kenya). We were allowed to walk through the compounds and into the dwellings while Miss Rose gave us a verbal history on the ways of life, and how, if at all, these traditions still show up in modern day life. One of my biggest take-aways from this tour was learning that almost all of the tribes practiced polygamy. It was very common to see separate huts for the Husband, 1st wife, 2nd wife and so on.

We even got to see the replicated tribe of President Obama’s father. The kids got a kick out of that!

I left the Bomas with a greater appreciation for the Kenyan culture and more knowledge altogether. This is a must-visit.

Impromptu ATV-ing. As we were wrapping up our visit through the Bomas, on the outlying grounds of the property was a man offering ATV rides. The kids jumped at the chance and had an unexpected blast on their first 4-wheelers. This encounter reminded me to always leave room for the unknown, and be open-minded to new experiences, even the ones you’ve never considered.

Galleria Mall. We decided to get off the animal excursions long enough to get in some time at the mall. It’s your typical mall, but with a twist. They had a grocery store, and an entire store dedicated to fresh fruit and vegetables. Other than that, there were plenty of traditional retail shopping, book stores, and even a kids play area. On our very last day in Nairobi (when we had those hours to spare before our early morning flight home), we had lunch in the mall at Java House. It’s a chain restaurant throughout the country. Oh my goodness, the food was delicious. I had the pancakes, because breakfast should be served AND eaten all day, and my husband and kids had the hamburgers, which were also yummy (I had to sample, lol). If your kids like mall play areas, make sure you head upstairs and get them checked in for some fun.

I wish we’d had more time to spend in the City, but we made the most of our limited stay. Whatever you do, don’t just make Nairobi your point of entry and exit…really get out and experience what it has to offer. You won’t regret it, and the kids will have a great time.

Happy Travels!