Karen Blixen Museum Nairobi

If you are on holiday in Nairobi in Kenya a visit to the Karen Blixen Museum is an absolute must. The museum is run by the National Museums of Kenya and is located in the residential area of Karen, around 10km from the center of Nairobi at the foot of the Ngong Hills.

The Karen Blixen Museum consists of her farmhouse, a kitchen that is located in a building outside the main house, and a coffee drying shed in the woods.

Karen Blixen’s former living rooms and kitchen have been restored, but you can still see some of the Blixen-couple’s original furniture, which is displayed along with photographs and other memorabilia. The most special thing about the museum is of course its history, which a guided tour will help you get an impression of. When she was only 28 years old, Karen Blixen married the Swedish Baron, Bror Blixen-Finecke, who was one year younger than she was. Together they started a new life together at the M’Bagathi farm in Kenya in 1914. Despite financial problems, the business expanded in 1916 when they bought the M’Bogani coffee plantation in the Ngong Hills just outside of Nairobi. Due to the disruption of the war-torn years of WWI, a stuttering economy, illness and a failed marriage the coffee farm was sold at a compulsory auction in 1931, and Karen Blixen’s African adventure came to an end - but today it still lives on through the fantastic Karen Blixen Museum.

Even though we would recommend that you join a guided tour around the museum, which will give you a deeper insight into its exciting history, it is possible to see the museum without a guide. Please note that there isn’t a café in the museum if you get hungry, but there is a fine restaurant nearby.

Highlights:

• Get an insight into Karen Blixen´s experiences and dreams of a life in Africa.
• Guided tour of the restored living rooms on the coffee plantation, where you can see photographs and original items from Karen Blixen’s time at the farm.