A first day in Nairobi

Most international flights land in Nairobi in the evening or the early morning. The instinct is to leave for the bush immediately. Sometimes that is right. Often a night in the city, and one unrushed morning, makes the safari that follows much better.

A morning that earns its place

The Giraffe Centre, the elephant orphanage, or a walk in Karura if you would rather have trees than a sight. We pick one, not all three. Lunch somewhere you can sit down properly, then the flight or the road north or west.

When to skip the city

If you land early, feel well, and the Mara flight is the same morning, go. If you have crossed several time zones with children, stay. We would rather you meet the first game drive awake.

Where we put you

A hotel with a reliable car to the airport or Wilson, not a lodge an hour from both. The first night is logistics. The view can wait until the park.