Photo: Grace Nandi · Unsplash Licence
Nairobi, Kenya
Nairobi: a game park inside the city boundary
The only capital on earth with a national park inside it. Fly overnight, be on a morning game drive, and still make dinner in Westlands. £498 return.
- Best booking window
- 10–14 weeks out. Migration season (Jul–Sep) needs longer and costs more.
- Visa
- UK passport holders need an electronic travel authorisation in advance. Apply at least a week ahead.
- Lodge, per night
- from £64
- Migration season
- £520–£700 return
- Flights, low season
- £450–£560 return
A safari before breakfast
Nairobi National Park runs right up to the city boundary. Land at six, be watching giraffe against the skyline by eight, and be back in Westlands for lunch. No other capital offers that.
City break or Mara add-on
Flown as a city break it is a short-notice, good-value long-haul. Bolt the Mara onto the end and the week costs less than most people assume — the internal flight is the expensive part, so book it with the international leg.
Traffic decides your day
Nairobi traffic is not a rounding error. We build transfer times around it rather than pretending the airport is twenty minutes from town, because on a bad afternoon it is two hours.