11 Incredible Free Things To Do In Nairobi
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Looking for free things to do in Nairobi? You’ve come to the right place.
Nairobi is the capital of Kenya, chaotic dust and cow-filled city perched atop the Great Rift Valley, that scar across the earth so deep and long that it can be seen from space. In a country that sits upon the equator and ranges from arid desert to tropical jungle, Nairobi and the highlands are a cool breeze.
Located approximately 2000 meters above sea level, in Nairobi palm trees are replaced by wild olives and humidity turns to cool nights but still, the animals remain.
Nairobi may be the third-largest economy in Africa, a booming city in terms of infrastructure and economy, but in my mind, it is still primarily notable for the animals.
Nairobi National Park is the only safari destination within city bounds in the entire world. 100 + acres of unspoiled habitat occupied by 4/5 of the safari big 5. In the city streets, warthogs and baboons roam, monkeys steal fruit out of apartment windows and cows cause traffic jams at every turn.
In my neighborhood, giraffes pop their head over high fences, and the hyena can be heard at night. Eagle-eyed runners may spot leopard spoor on our muddied roads and be wary of lions in the woods at night.
Nairobi doesn’t have the glitzy malls of the west, the expansive gardens of the east, or even the azure blue seas of the Indian Ocean but it does have a wealth of things to do. Here are my top 11 free things to do in Nairobi.
Best Free Things to do in Nairobi
Karuara Forest
Karura Forest is one of the most extensive inner-city forests in the world. You drive through a maze of high rises and traffic jams before reaching a towering expanse of green, in the center of the city.
Karura Forest is 1000 hectares of indigenous forest, a haven of enormous trees, waterfalls, rivers, and over 50 km of hiking trails.
The forest is alive with animals: bushbaby, bushbuck, bush pig, porcupine, duiker, genet, dik-dik, civet, and bats as well as Nairobi’s usual suspects, the warthogs, and ever-present monkeys.
In recent years, the impossibly grand Colobus monkey with his glamorous black and white tail swag has been reintroduced.
The gorgeous River Café restaurant is located at the entrance to the forest and serves fantastic cocktails and yummy food. There is also an obstacle course for the kids if bike riding and river jumping hasn’t tired them out.
Visiting this forest is one of the best free things to do in Nairobi.
Visit the Village Market
The Village Market is an ever-expanding shopping mall with some of Nairobi’s best restaurants and shops. We aren’t talking endless designer chains here, but rather local artisans, a few international stores, and some great places to eat.
As malls go, it’s a beautiful place to spend time, there are waterfalls, rivers, and over 2000 exotic plants and gardens.
There is also a soft play, trampoline park, and cinema, so there is plenty for the kids to do. My favorite shops are the little hidden treasures tucked away in the old part of the building, there are some excellent antique and craft shops. The food hall is a must-do.
Hike the Ngong Hills
The Ngong Hills are located to the very south of Nairobi, made famous in the classic film ‘Out of Africa’ these are the hills that real-life frontier woman Karen Blixen gazed at from her farm, and I look at them every day.
Stunning from a distance, they are even more incredible up close and offer a perfect spot for a challenging day hike or a leisurely picnic.
From the top of the hills, you look northwards to the Nairobi city skyline or southward into the great expanse of rift and across to Tanzania. The drop from the top of the Ngong Hills into the Rift Valley is over 1000 meters, and the views are unbeatable.
The hike is approximately an 8-hour walk from one end of the sinuous line of hills to the other.
In the beginning, the distinctive ridges are grassed Tellytubby style, but as you progress to the higher peaks, the forest covers the land filled with exotic trees such as sandalwood, croton, and acacia.
The Ngong Hills are home to many species of animals: buffalo, bushpig, and antelope are here, and frequent rumors of leopard and lion abound.
You can’t miss out on these hills; visiting them is one of the best things to do in Nairobi.
Giraffe Centre
Another one of the best things to do in Nairobi is to visit the Giraffe Centre. The Giraffe Centre is a charitable trust that was set up in the late 1970s by two Nairobi residents who wanted to personally help to halt the decline of the endangered Rothschild Giraffe.
Today the Giraffe Centre is part of a sanctuary where the giraffe is able to roam in their natural habitat whilst being protected from predators. An information center lets you meet the giraffe who come daily for the pellets that tourists feed them.
The center has a platform that raises you to the giraffe’s head height. You may never get closer to a giraffe. You can hand feed, stroke, and even kiss the giraffe (a tourist rarely leaves the center without this eponymous Instagram shot).
The giraffe is used to humans but still wild, so be careful when feeding as a giraffe headbutt is not something you will likely forget.
Rollerblade at the Hub
The Hub is one of the largest and newest shopping centers in Nairobi. Created around a courtyard, the central space is alive, with kids zooming around on small cards and bikes or whizzing through pedestrians on their roller skates.
Rollerblading at the Hub is a favorite after-school or Saturday thing to do. If you aren’t comfortable on the blades, then spend the afternoon browsing the shops and sipping coffee at one of the restaurants that line the square
Boat Trip on Lake Naivasha
Naivasha is just outside of Nairobi, a 90-minute drive into the Rift. The descent into the rift is breathtaking and makes the drive worth it alone. Naivasha is situated next to a vast freshwater lake packed with hippos and birdlife.
Take an easy day trip down to the lake, hire a boat to look at hippos up close, and then lunch at Carnellys or the Ranch House. The lake is open to much of Kenya’s native animal life; you may be here to see hippos, but you will invariably see a giraffe, zebra, buck, and maybe even a honey badger (I did!)
Words can’t describe the serenity of Naivasha compared to close by Nairobi. Fish eagles call, hippos snort, and your cares seem to float into the ether.
Shop at Spinners Web
Browsing is free, and there is no better place to seek out African crafts than Spinners Web. Stopping by here is one of the best free things to do in Nairobi—a huge greenhouse-style building packed to the rafters with unusual finds from across Africa.
From beaded jewelry to woven baskets, clothing from upcoming designers, and tribal masks, you can easily spend a day in here just marveling over lost antiquities and stunning local design. Spinners Web has a great café in the center, which is the perfect lunch stop.
Kitengela Hot Glass
Forty minutes out of Nairobi is the Dali-esque and frankly gobsmacking Kitengela Glass. Kitengela glass products are now sold worldwide, with shipments heading to Harrods in the UK and international hotels in Asia.
Hand-blown glass colored with reds, blues, greens, and yellows makes a rainbow of delight for visitors to Kitengela.
You can buy enormous vases, delicate wine glasses, beads, and bowls, each completely unique. Watch the glassblowers at work and then wander around the estate, which is a model of the bizarre.
Surreal works of art are everywhere; glass animals hang from trees, and ribbons of glass sparkle in the air. It’s a totally unexpected and utterly wonderful way to spend a day, making it one of the best free things to do in Nairobi.
Maasai Markets
The Maasai Markets are a national institution, a moving market that appears at a different venue each day of the week. It is a coming together of Maasai craftspeople displaying traditional products and pieces of art for you to buy—some 300 stalls glitter with beads and brass decorative coins.
Paintings, clothing, soapstone ornaments, local materials: kikoy, kanga, and the infamous Maasai Shuka. My recommended items to buy are Maasai beaded belts and sandals, be prepared to bargain hard. Stopping by here is one of the best free things to do in Nairobi.
Baby elephant at the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust
Not strictly free, but for a nominal fee of $5 USD, you can visit the world-famous David Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage. One of my favorite things to do in Nairobi, the David Sheldrick animal orphanage, is a charitable organization that rescues elephants from across Kenya and Tanzania.
The orphanage takes in mainly baby and juvenile elephants and works to rehabilitate them before they are released back into the wild. The lengths of care that the trust goes to are awe-inspiring. Each elephant has its own keeper, a surrogate parent of sorts.
This person sleeps in the stable with the elephant, feeds him/her from giant baby bottles, takes them on walks, and even applies sun cream. A visit to the orphanage allows you to meet the adorable babies and their teenage cousins and learn more about the great work that the orphanage undertakes.
I strongly suggest adopting an elephant which, as well as being a worthy form of donation, enables you to visit in a smaller intimate group and personally meet, feed, and watch the babies being put to bed.
Kazuri Bead Factory
Kazuri Bead Factory sells handmade beads in all colors, shapes, and sizes. Visit their shop and buy bracelets, earrings, necklaces, or packets of beads and make your own.
What makes the beads so special is that the ladies who make them are located on-site; you can tour the workshop and see each bead being made.
Kazuri beads are another local initiative that provides work to women who need employment. A visit is educational and allows you to purchase a unique Kenyan craft.
Now you know all of the best free things to do in Nairobi!
This post was contributed by Nadine, the blogger behind The Expat Mummy. Be sure to keep up with Nadine’s adventures on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram!
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