Speciality Museums
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THE 5 BEST Nairobi Specialty Museums
Specialty Museums in Nairobi
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Speciality Museums
Nairobi Central Business District
Speciality Museums • Theater & Performances
Speciality Museums • Natural History Museums
Nairobi Central Business District
What travelers are saying
- PGM09Alentejo, Portugal57 contributionsLovely location, interesting if you are a fan of Karen Blixen and/or the movie Out of Africa (4/5).
If you can, ask for Irene to show you around, she is a very knowledgeable guide on the subject, and was of great help to us (5/5).Written September 23, 2024This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews. - Connoisseur-of-LifeMississauga, Canada1,362 contributionsOn the Sunday morning of our visit, we were the only visitors to this important but neglected historical tribute to the building of a railway which gave birth to Nyrobi/Nairobi and the colonization of Kenya and beyond. It has been in a time warp since my visit in 2018 and the closed gift shop is presumably a victim of low visitor footfalls and funding. There is lots to fascinate and educate but the paper exhibits are deteriorating. The outdoors cabs and cars are also in a state of slow decay. Only the lost UK industrial penchant for solidity and longevity in matters of iron and steel ensure survival of these artifacts. My wife, not a train enthusiast, found our two hours rewarding and fascinating. Recommended for the train enthusiast and historical buff. BTW, also no cafe and hard to find, at least for Uber drivers.Written August 19, 2024This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- walthessElk Grove, CA176 contributionsWe recently spent two nights at the Aero Club prior to our safari into the Masai Mara. The room was very comfortable, the staff extremely friendly and helpful. Staff booked us a local driver for our journeys around Nairobi. The location is perfectly located at Wilson Airport making travel into the backcountry a breeze. Highly recommend if you are in Nairobi.Written February 29, 2024This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- ImmerWandernPalos Park, IL11,893 contributionsIn preparing for our trip to Kenya I had quickly learned that when it came to tribes or ethnic groups not only were the Maasai the first and only culture that immediately came to mind, theirs was the only one marketed to visitors; Nairobi’s Maasai market, the beadwork, and visits to their villages are always being promoted. The Bomas of Kenya is not a Maasai-focused institution.
The reality is that that Kenya is ethnically diverse with well over 40 tribes identified; during our East Africa safari I would hear of Kenya consisting of between 42 and 47 tribes during our time in East Africa, the same diversity applying the neighboring Tanzania. In Kenya the top 3 tribes by population were Kikuyu 17%, Luhya 14.3%, and Kalenjin 13.4%, followed by Luo 11%, Kamba 10%, with the Maasai accounting for about 2%. There are 8 times as many Kikuyu as there are Maasai, and the top 3 tribes combined outnumber the Maasai by a factor of 18. Despite this seeming numerical “disadvantage” the Maasai and their culture have an outsized impact on overall on perception of visitors of indigenous culture.
Officially Kenya promotes itself as a multicultural nation; the coat of arms features one word, Harambee, Kiswahili for “Let’s pull together” or “All for one”. The other reality is that despite that aspiration there is, not surprisingly, political strife between tribes and alliances especially between the former partners, Kikuyu and Luo.
The Bomas of Kenyan was founded in 1971, 8 years after the nation achieved independence from British rule with a mission to “preserve, showcase and promote” the “rich and diverse cultures of various ethnic groups of Kenya”
We visited with an independent tour guide who made the ticket purchases for us. We watched the daily show which runs in the early afternoon. There is one dance troupe, the Harambee Dancers, that perform the various dances of the different tribes. The performances take place in a large, circular arena with almost 360-degree seating. There were two large groups of schoolchildren who made up the majority of the audience. Even so we barely filled one-fifth of the place.
The dances were energetic and we enjoyed watching the performances. The music was often piped-in but there were occasional dances accompanied by live music on traditional instruments. Unfortunately the overhead announcements of the tribes and their unique characteristics were often difficult to understand; a handout or even website to access outlining the sequence of dances and brief descriptions of each would have been nice to have.
I was one of the tourists selected to join one of the dances; as we trooped out I was hit up for a tip and no “asante” after I gave them the money. I do not know if the others were similarly treated. So if one of the dancers comes up the stairs and waves at you to join him politely decline or be prepared to pay up. The performers also engaged the children some of whom did eventually join the troupe on the floor to dance and seemed to enjoy the experience
The dances lasted for about 1.5 hours. We spent the next hour visiting the many of the 23 recreations of tribal bomas. We saw baboons on the grounds, a pair having knocked down a trash can to rummage through the contents. Several Sykes’ monkeys were running along the power lines and sitting high up in the trees among the bomas.
“Boma” may refer to the family homestead but the literal and perhaps original meaning is cattle enclosure or stockade. Tribes had different construction styles for their bomas depending on their particular environment and available building materials. Even so they all had the same philosophy in terms of their layout. Typically the circle of huts were linked by a wooden stake fence that enclosed a central space where the family housed its cattle and other livestock. The father and head of the family had his hut as did the first wife, second wife, unmarried son, grandmother etc. The wives’ huts would have a rear door for facing away from the central courtyard; the husband would use this to discretely visit whichever wife he wanted.
Our tour guide rejoined us for this portion of our visit which helped our understanding of the layout and the construction of the bomas. Even so they soon blended into each other and we would have left much sooner if it wasn’t for our guide and our conversations with him. He started describing the internal reputations or stereotypes of different tribes. I do not recall his tribal affiliation but he was not Maasai. Many of the younger generations of Kenyans have chosen an urban lifestyle and their tribal backgrounds play less central a role in their lives. Intermarriages between tribes is less frowned upon, apparently. Even so stereotypes will persist including the Kikuyu having the rap of being ruthless merchants/businessmen, the Luhya as best cooks and chefs but also enjoying food too much and likewise the Luo being too materialistic seeking the finer things of life too much such as fancy imported cars. I no longer recall which tribe reputedly had the most beautiful women. The Kalenjin might have the most positive stereotype; after the Maasai the Kalenjin might be the most well-known outside of Kenya especially in the runners’ community. The “running tribe” is deserving of the reputation.
It is worth visiting Bomas of Kenya for several reasons. This might be the only time you might hear of and experience even a touch of the many tribal cultures other than Maasai. The dances are definitely worth watching.
Not sure why but the TA would not upload pictures of the dances. Maybe the AI screening deemed the dancers pictures too risqué even though other reviewers have uploaded their pics of the same.Written July 7, 2024This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews. - ImmerWandernPalos Park, IL11,893 contributionsWe dropped in on our first full day after arriving in Nairobi. Visiting the museum proved a great introduction to the history, both cultural and natural, of Kenya.
We stayed at the Nairobi Serena Hotel during our visit to Kenya. It turns out that as the museum grew after its founding in 1910 it was temporarily housed in a larger building at the location of the hotel in 1922. The museum then transferred to its current location in 1930.
Our city guide helped with the purchase of the museum tickets and handed us off to a museum guide, Joseph. He was very friendly and knowledgeable.
The museum is divided into permanent galleries. We found the “Cradle of Human Kind” was particularly informative about the early hominids; it was inspiring to see the ancient tools made by our oh-so-distant predecessors. The “History of Kenya“ was of particular interest to me; I am always trying to understand the context of places I visit. The colonial and post-colonial periods caught my attention. The many tribal communities with their intrinsic rivalries unfortunately made it easier for Britain to apply divide-and-conquer approach to their rule, similar to what Spain had done in South America and the Philippines. Those same inter-tribal tensions come into play in contemporary times, exhortations and appeals for unity notwithstanding. Our guide, Joseph, made sure to emphasize the importance of “Harambee.” Meaning “all for one” or “pulling together” this word is the national motto of Kenya and is featured on the flag.
The “Story of Mammals” the “Birds of East Africa ” galleries were both fairly interesting but we had the typical mixed feelings regarding the sheer number of stuffed specimens of local animals knowing that we were going to see so many of these alive and in the wild. The “super tusker” elephant, Ahmed, was an impressive sight.Written August 1, 2024This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
