2 Best Hotels in Nairobi National Park, Kenya

A 45-minute drive from Nairobi's Jomo Kenyatta International Airport is a luxurious paradise bush lodge in a seemingly remote and hidden valley. In earshot of the roars of the Nairobi lions, the Emakoko offers spacious, beautifully designed rooms with huge verandahs built into the side of a valley on the Mbagathi River. Game drives are included in the room price. The owners are experts on Kenya and its wildlife and could be the best advisors you encounter on any of your travels. It is also easily accessible for visits to the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust to see baby elephants or the Giraffe Centre. The lodge bar and communal dining area overlooking the swimming pool is a good place to relax after the rigors of a long flight.

Insulated by a hidden glade—home to leopards, lions, and hyenas—Nairobi Tented Camp is in a secluded part of Nairobi National Park, providing an authentic bush experience within a few miles of the city center. Tents are comfortably equipped with large en suite bathrooms (with traditional hot-water bucket-showers). The lounge tent is sumptuously furnished with all the comforts of home and set meals are served around a big table, but this is a carefully prepared eco-camp that could potentially be removed within 48 hours, leaving zero imprint on the natural habitat. Hot water bottles tame Nairobi's cool high altitude nights but the bush around is as wild as anywhere in Africa; you might have a giraffe or rhino wandering around the camp.