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Nairobi · Kenya

Car hire and driving in Nairobi

Driving distances to the cities around, the rules that change at the border, and where to compare rental prices.

OverviewFlightsHotelsHostelsTrainsBusesCar rentalTours

In Kenya traffic drives on the left. Picking up at NBO means 13 km (8 mi) into the centre before the trip starts. The emergency number is http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q1061257 / http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q3086706.

Drives from Nairobi

Car rental from Nairobi: distances and estimated journey times
RouteCountryDistanceEstimated time
Nairobi to KitengelaKenya27 km (17 mi)about 25 min
Nairobi to LimuruKenya27 km (17 mi)about 25 min
Nairobi to JujaKenya30 km (18 mi)about 27 min
Nairobi to ThikaKenya40 km (25 mi)about 36 min
Nairobi to MwalaKenya71 km (44 mi)about 1 h 5 min
Nairobi to NaivashaKenya76 km (47 mi)about 1 h 10 min
Nairobi to KaruriKenya77 km (48 mi)about 1 h 10 min
Nairobi to NakuruKenya136 km (85 mi)about 2 h 5 min
Nairobi to KisiiKenya238 km (148 mi)about 3 h 37 min
Nairobi to KisumuKenya264 km (164 mi)about 4 h 1 min
Nairobi to EldoretKenya264 km (164 mi)about 4 h 2 min
Nairobi to KakamegaKenya288 km (179 mi)about 4 h 24 min
Nairobi to MombasaKenya442 km (274 mi)about 6 h 44 min
Nairobi to MatugaKenya443 km (275 mi)about 6 h 46 min

Distances are straight-line; road and rail routes run about 15–25% longer. Times are estimates from distance and typical speeds, not timetables.

Where to compare car hire

ExpediaCar hire from the major suppliers, and the one to look at if the flight or hotel is already booked there. Part of Expedia Group.Check car hire on Expedia (opens www.expedia.com in a new tab)
DiscoverCarsCompares local and international suppliers. Read the counter reviews before you pick.Check rental cars on DiscoverCars (opens www.discovercars.com in a new tab)
Rentalcars.comBooking.com's car arm, with wide airport coverage worldwide.Compare suppliers on Rentalcars.com (opens www.rentalcars.com in a new tab)
Every link above leaves this site.

We take no bookings for these providers and hold no reservation with them. The provider you choose handles payment, confirmation, changes and refunds. How that works.

Common questions

Which side of the road do they drive on in Nairobi?

The left, as everywhere in Kenya.

How are the journey times on this page worked out?

From straight-line distance and typical speeds for each mode, so they are estimates for planning, not timetables. Road and rail routes run 15–25% longer than the straight line.

Where these facts come from

  • GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, elevation, time zone, postal codes
  • Wikidata (CC0): area, sister cities, visitor numbers, heritage listings, stations and ports
  • OurAirports (public domain): airports, runways
  • Natural Earth (public domain): map outlines

Data compiled 14 September 2026. Hotel and hostel figures are from our booking partner’s catalogue on that date. Journey times on this page are estimates from distance, not timetables; check the operator before you rely on one.