Please sign in to post.

Long Layover in Nairobi- how’s the airport?

Hello fellow travelers,

We’ll be going to Kenya soon, and expect a 10+ hour pre-departure wait (from around noon to 22:00) in the NBO airport en route to Europe. As we’ve never visited Kenya, we are wondering if this airport feels spacious (quiet spaces where one might work on their laptop?), has charging ports, decent and available seating, dining options, etc. We are considering whether or not it would be worth it to book a hotel for the day (near the airport). It also looks like it’s possible to reserve three hours in one of the airport lounges, which might be worth it if the lounge isn’t overly crowded itself.

Thanks in advance for sharing your experience.

Posted by
1337 posts

It's been a few years since I've had a long layover in Nairobi, but I always used the Turkish Airways lounge which was a great space to get work done and also has food and showers.

Posted by
64 posts

We had an unexpected long day at the Nairobi airport and enjoyed ourselves at the Aspire Lounge. It's fairly compact and minimal but had enough to comfort us; the staff was great. The airport overall is OK but not conducive to long comfortable waits.
If you can book an airport hotel, that would be a fabulous option!

Posted by
9960 posts

We took a safari three years ago in Kenya and Tanzania and came in to Nairobi airport, but didn't stay there.
It was nice enough, but it is not a large airport like the huge airports in Cairo, Rome or Paris.