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Things to do in Nairobi when it rains

Fancy having breakfast with giraffes?

Don’t believe the hype, there are plenty of things to do in Nairobi, even when the heavens open. So if you’re passing through Kenya’s capital en route to that dream safari, here are 5 enchanting activities to keep you culturally sated, even when the weather says “no!".  

 

1. Eat Kenyan barbecue

Nyama choma, ‘grilled meat’ in Kiswahili, is the unofficial national dish of Kenya. Usually starring goat, you can also indulge in large chunks of steak, chicken and lamb, served with various sides. The aptly named Carnivore is one of the most popular places in town to try Kenyan barbecue, but expect some unexpected offerings: ostrich anyone?

 

2. African Heritage House

Part museum, part restaurant, part boutique hotel, the African Heritage House overlooking the Nairobi National Park is a mélange of mud architecture dwellings from across Africa and filled with African art and furniture.

 

3. Maasai Markets

‘Maasai Markets’ are open-air markets set up by Maasai women in order to sell their wares direct to the public. Taking place across the city almost every day of the week, including in the High Court car park and next to the Nairobi River, the intricate hand-crafted pieces on offer include everything from jewellery to wood carvings to distinctive colourful Maasai beadwork.

Haggling is expected, so find what you like, ask the price and start negotiating.

 

4. Grab a coffee

Nairobians are serious about their coffee, and Kenya produces some serious arabica coffee beans. Linger over a dark, earthy brew at Nairobi Java House, one of the best chains in Africa, according to caffeine connoisseurs in the know, or try local favourite Kaldis Coffee House, which gets packed out on the weekends.

 

5. The Karen Blixen Museum

For those searching for the romance of Africa past (or for those who loved the movie), the Karen Blixen Museum, the home of the Danish author from 1917 to 1931, is evocative of a bygone era. Filled with many of her belongings, some of the most memorable scenes from Out of Africa were filmed here.

 

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6. Giraffe Manor

Book into Giraffe Manor, an ivy-engulfed historic house in the Nairobi suburbs where a herd of doe-eyed Rothschild giraffes are given free rein, roaming the nearly five acres of pristine grounds, and poking their long necks through the open windows as breakfast is served.

 

 

Find out more about Africa with these stories:

– 7 secret travel gems

– 9 reasons you need to visit Ethiopia

– 6 must-eat Egyptian foods

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At the foot of the pyramids, Egypt finally tells its own story

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    Ancient Egyptian history has been scattered across the globe for decades, admired, preserved, and studied, but it’s rarely seen where it actually belongs. The newly opened Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) brings it home.

    From a viewing platform inside the Grand Egyptian Museum, the Great Pyramids of Giza rise from the desert, and for a moment, it feels like modern Egypt and ancient Egypt are shaking hands. The museum, grand in name and reality, has been a long time coming—since 1992, to be exact. Towering pharaohs, relics, and entire chapters of civilisation are on display here, all in full view of the pyramids. And because the GEM is the largest archaeological museum in the world dedicated to a single civilisation, it gets to tell Egypt’s story through its own voice, something many overseas institutions, understandably, haven’t quite managed.

    Reshaping Giza

    GEM entrance and gardens
    The GEM holds its own commanding position. (Image: Natasha Bazika)

    You might expect any building beside the Great Pyramids of Giza to fade into the background, but the GEM doesn’t bow to its famous neighbours. Perfectly aligned on the same axis and vast enough to span 70 football fields, the museum is less of an addition to Giza and more of a marker of the shift from a gateway to a cultural district.

    Inside, hieroglyphs carved from alabaster sweep across the walls and triangles appear everywhere, yet it’s a 3,200-year-old, 11-metre-tall, statue of Ramesses II who commands the room. His scale dictated the soaring atrium ceilings, which pour in natural light, unusual in museums but safe for the stone artefacts displayed.

    Hieroglyphs line the walls of the main entrance of the GEM
    Hieroglyphs line the walls of the main entrance. (Image: Natasha Bazika)

    Unlike many museums, the GEM has really considered how visitors move through it. The six-storey grand staircase leads you chronologically through Egypt’s history, from the Predynastic era to the Coptic period, flanked by statues that grow in scale and complexity as you climb. Elevators and lifts run alongside, keeping the journey accessible to everyone.

    At the top, a viewing wall frames the pyramids before you enter the main gallery to see artefacts rarely seen outside tombs, including the complete contents of Tutankhamun’s tomb, a highlight for many visitors.

    Pharaohs, artefacts and everything in between

    The GEM's showpiece Ramesses II
    The GEM’s showpiece Ramesses II. (Image: Natasha Bazika)

    The GEM holds around 100,000 artefacts across seven millennia, but the experience is entirely modern. Digital panels, QR navigation and clear bilingual signage make self-guided wandering easy, while short, glare-free labels in English, Arabic and braille are colour-coded to move you from broad themes to object-level detail.

    That said, a guide adds context you don’t get from a panel. I was lucky to have Essam Al Ebd Aziz, an Egyptologist, on board a 12-day Uniworld Nile cruise, walk me through some of the museum’s standout pieces.

    Top of the list is, of course, the Tutankhamun exhibit. Almost everything from his tomb, much of it never shown outside the Valley of the Kings, is here, from his golden funerary mask to delicate jewellery and ceremonial objects. But the GEM isn’t just about one boy king.

    GEM entrance is guarded by an 11-metre-tall Ramesses II statue.
    An 11-metre-tall Ramesses II statue guards the entrance. (Image: Natasha Bazika)

    Essam points out the canopic chest of Hetepheres, mother of Khufu, where her organs were stored in alabaster. I loved the forty little marching soldier figurines from the tomb of Mesehti, all lined up and hanging on a wall. And then there’s the statue of Metri, a scribe, with piercing blue eyes carved from lapis lazuli. All these pieces, and thousands more, now sit under one roof. And for the first time, people can see Egypt’s history in one place, told in its own voice, without leaving the shadow of the pyramids. That alone changes everything.