Neighborhood to choose to stay Nairobi

Should we stay in Westlands or Karen for three nights after we land before heading on safari? Our safari company will do airport transfer to Wetlands hotel but not Katen. In addition we would have to leave for safari from their office on Westlands. We want to see many sights though that are in or near Karen: Katen Blixen museum, bead center, Nairobi National Park and some others. Also want to see the national mus which is in Westlands. Would like to have some good restaurants near where we stay. And maybe some nightlife, we'll see how jet lagged we are.

That's a difficult decision. If you're looking for something quieter and with more green space, then I would 100% recommend Karen. On the other hand, if you're looking for more of the Nairobi city life, then Westlands is better. Both areas have good restaurants (my personal favorite restaurant in all of Nairobi is Talisman in Karen), however, if you're looking for nightlife, Westlands may be better. Karen has some nice places to get drinks, but if you want something more lively, then Westlands is much better.

However, my ultimate recommendation would be to see how many trips you would have to make back and forth between Westlands and Karen being based in either neighborhood. The Nairobi traffic is absolutely awful and the last thing you want is to spend half your day in the car commuting. Is it possible to do all your Karen activities in one day? If so, I would recommend staying in Westlands and hiring a taxi for a full day to take you around Karen and then your second full day, perhaps spend in the Westlands area. However, if your Karen activities will take more than a day, then it might be better to base yourself in Karen...

Either way you can't go wrong, but just avoid making any trips between Westlands/Karen during the peak traffic hours.

Karen is wonderful! But maybe its's easier to maneovre around by foot/public transport in Westlands.... if that's easier with the tour company/airport transport

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