The farmhouse of the Out of Africa author at the foot of the Ngong Hills, now a museum with gardens and coffee machinery
The single-storey stone bungalow with its deep verandas sits in large gardens about 10 kilometres from central Nairobi, below the Ngong Hills that Karen Blixen described in her memoir Out of Africa. The house was the centre of her coffee farm, and today its rooms are furnished as they might have been in her time, partly with pieces she sold when she left Kenya that were later bought back for the museum.
Guides lead visitors through the house and tell the story of Blixen's life in Kenya, her farm and the people around her. Outside, old tractors, wagons, ploughs and coffee-processing machinery recall the working farm, and a short nature trail with labelled trees winds through the grounds.
The house was built in 1912 by the Swedish engineer Åke Sjögren. In 1917 Karen Blixen and her husband, Baron Bror Blixen-Finecke, bought it as the farmhouse for their coffee farm of about 6,000 acres. After their marriage broke down Bror left, and from 1921 Karen ran the farm herself until falling coffee prices and debts forced her to sell; she returned to Denmark in 1931 and later wrote Out of Africa under the pen name Isak Dinesen.
The house passed through several owners and was bought by the Danish government in 1964, which presented it to Kenya as an independence gift. It was used as a college principal's residence until the 1985 film Out of Africa, starring Meryl Streep and Robert Redford, revived interest in Blixen's story, and the National Museums of Kenya opened it as a museum in 1986. The surrounding suburb of Karen takes its name from her.
Karen is now one of Nairobi's greenest suburbs, with large gardens, riding stables, cafés and restaurants. The museum is a popular venue for weddings and events, and its grounds are used by local artists through Karen's Art Corner. Many Kenyan visitors come for the gardens and history as much as for the film connection.
Visits are by guided tour, which takes visitors through the main rooms and explains the history of the house, the farm and Blixen's writing. Afterwards visitors can wander the lawns and gardens, look at the old farm equipment and follow the nature trail. A museum shop sells books, souvenirs and work by local artists. The museum is often combined with the Giraffe Centre and Nairobi National Park on a day tour of southern Nairobi.
The museum is open every day, so it can be visited in any season. The dry months, roughly June to October and January to February, are the most pleasant for the gardens and the nature trail, and mornings are generally clearer for views of the Ngong Hills.
Checked against the sources on 29 October 2026. Opening times and fees can change — confirm before you go.
General guidance from our specialists, not official information.
The Giraffe Centre lies a short drive east in Lang'ata, and Nairobi National Park's main gate and the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust nursery are a little further on. The Ngong Hills, popular for hiking, rise to the west. Karen's shopping centres, cafés and restaurants are close by.
Kenya · 7 nights4★ LodgeKenya · 9 nights4★ ResortThis guide was researched from the sources below and reviewed by our team on 29 October 2026. Facts under “Verified information” link to the page they were checked on; travel tips are general guidance. Photos are credited on each image. The ambient recording’s author and licence are shown in the sound player.
