In 2007 when my sister and I took our first trip to Africa, we landed in Nairobi late one evening and spent two nights and one full day in the Karen suburb before continuing on to Tanzania.

The House of Waine in the Karen suburb of Nairobi.

Our short stay in Nairobi was at the House of Waine, a wonderful boutique B&B in the Karen suburb of Nairobi.  The house and grounds were beautiful, and the service extraordinary. http://www.houseofwaine.com/main.htm

The pool at the House of Waine.

We had only one day to explore the area, so we had to pick and choose how we spent our time.  Ever since I read the opening line of Out of Africa, “I had a farm in Africa, at the foot of the Ngong Hills”, by Isak Dinesen (Karen Blixen), I wanted to see her home.  That was a top priority. 

Karen Blixen's home in Nairobi.

Karen Blixen’s home is now a museum, located in the suburb of Nairobi known as Karen.  Everything it that area is called Karen.  We saw the Karen Country Club, the Karen School and the Karen shopping mall.

The front of Karen Blixen's home.

The house/museum is where Karen Blixen lived from 1914 to 1931. She left after a series of personal tragedies, but the lovely colonial house has been preserved as a museum. It was presented to the Kenyan government at independence by the Danish government along with the adjacent agricultural college.

I had also heard of Giraffe Manor and the giraffe park on its grounds, so we did that as well.  A nice lunch, some local shopping, and relaxation by the pool, and we had spent our first full day in Africa, adjusting to the time zone changes in preparation for our first safari.

Giraffe Manor in the Karen suburb of Nairobi.

My sister feeding a giraffe.

A shop in Nairobi.

Shopping.