Nairobi elevation at a glance
| Usually quoted | about 1,795 m (5,889 ft) |
|---|---|
| SRTM model at the GeoNames point | 1,684 m (5,525 ft) |
| GeoNames point | 1.2833° S, 36.8167° E |
| Population (GeoNames) | 2,750,547 |
Nairobi lies just south of the equator on the eastern edge of the Great Rift Valley. The city grew from a railway depot built in 1899 on the Uganda Railway, at a swampy stream the Maasai called Enkare Nairobi, "cool water". The ground rises from the plains in the south-east, around Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and Nairobi National Park, towards the forested ridges of Karen, Westlands and Kikuyu in the west, where the land climbs to the Ngong Hills and then falls steeply into the Rift. Because of this slope there is no single elevation for Nairobi: the airport and the western suburbs differ by a couple of hundred metres.
Why two numbers?
The often quoted 1,795 m and GeoNames' 1,684 m are both reasonable; they simply describe different places. GeoNames reads its value from the elevation model at its own gazetteer point, while the quoted figure comes from an older reference point elsewhere in the city. Click on the map where you live or work to get the value that matters to you.
Equator, altitude and climate
Its height gives Nairobi a mild climate all year, despite lying about 140 km from the equator: daytime temperatures are often in the low to mid twenties Celsius, and nights in July and August can be cool. Air pressure is around a fifth lower than at sea level, which is one reason why Kenya's distance runners, many of whom train at similar or greater heights in the highlands, do so well at sea-level races.
Mount Kenya, more than 5,000 m high, lies about 140 km to the north, over three kilometres higher than the city.
How to find the elevation of a place in Nairobi
- The map opens on the city point and shows its elevation in the panel.
- Search for another place or zoom in to the street, park or plot you want.
- Click the exact spot; each click adds a point with its height in metres and feet.
- Switch to feet if you prefer, copy the share link, or download the points as CSV or GeoJSON.
The map opens on the GeoNames point for Nairobi and reads its height straight away. Heights come from the open Terrain Tiles dataset and are read in your browser; nothing is uploaded. A city has no single elevation: the number depends on the spot, so the values on this page are a guide, and official heights come from the national mapping agency. Read more in how to find the elevation of a location.
Frequently asked questions
Is Nairobi higher than Addis Ababa?
No. Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, lies at around 2,350 m, several hundred metres higher than Nairobi. Both are among the highest capitals in Africa.
Does the altitude in Nairobi cause altitude sickness?
Rarely. Altitude sickness usually begins above about 2,500 m. At Nairobi's height most visitors only notice that they get out of breath a little faster during the first days.
How accurate is the elevation for a specific address in Nairobi?
Kenya is covered by SRTM data with a grid of about 30 m. For a plot of land the value is usually within 5–10 m of the true ground height, less precise next to steep valleys and between tall buildings.
Something wrong or missing? E-mail [email protected] and it will be fixed.