About This Property
Macushla House is a six-room guesthouse on four acres in Langata, the leafy south-western suburbs of Nairobi. Go2Africa places it in a quiet pocket of savannah-style garden, about 30 minutes from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport — a one- or two-night landing before or after a flying safari, not a city-centre hotel.
The house is run as a home: open-beamed ceilings, colourful rugs, wicker and a mix of African furniture. There are two lounges — one with books and board games, one with a log fire and bar — a small indoor dining room, and a covered stone verandah looking onto the swimming pool and gardens where monkeys sometimes play. Wi-Fi runs through the lodge. It is owner-run, and the staff reputation is for the small requests (chapati off-menu, a late check-in, a guide booked for the Giraffe Centre).
Go2Africa lists a single room type: Standard Double Rooms, with mosquito-netted beds, en-suite walk-in showers, sliding doors to a private verandah, and cupboard space. Tourdust, writing from the same six-room inventory, describes four-poster doubles, high wooden ceilings and ensuite bathrooms with over-bath showers — rooms differ in size and finish, so the shower layout is not identical in every key. Children of all ages are welcome; babysitting can be arranged. The pool is unfenced.
Breakfast is on the sheltered verandah. Lunch and dinner are à la carte; half-board and full-board supplements are published if you would rather not go out. The Giraffe Centre is a walk; Karen Blixen, Kazuri Beads and the Sheldrick elephant orphanage are a short drive. We would use it as the Nairobi bookend, not as a week in town.
Why We Love It
We like Macushla House because it is still a house. Six rooms, four acres, a pool you can see from the verandah, and breakfast on that same verandah — it is a calmer first or last Nairobi night than a highway hotel.
The geography is the other reason we send people here. Wilson Airport is about 15 minutes; Jomo Kenyatta about 30. The Giraffe Centre is a walk, not a booking battle, and Blixen, Kazuri and Sheldrick sit in the same suburb. You can land late, sleep, and still have an hour with the giraffes before a safari flight.
It is not a design hotel. Rooms are individually done, mosquito nets and verandahs, not a cookie-cutter block, and the public rooms — log fire, bar, long table — are the point as much as the beds. Staff get mentioned by name in reviews for a reason: this is a small house that will make chapati if you ask.
Bed and breakfast is the published base. Eat in if you are tired; walk to the giraffes if you have a morning. It is not Giraffe Manor, and it does not pretend to be. It is a good Karen guesthouse for the nights either side of the bush.
Rooms & Details
Standard Room
Six ensuite bedrooms, each a different size and décor. Plump beds with mosquito netting, colourful rugs and wicker, an en-suite walk-in shower, sliding doors to a private verandah, and ample cupboard space.
Some rooms have four-poster doubles and an over-bath shower — the bathroom layout is not identical in every key. Wi-Fi throughout. Occupancy treated as two adults per room (12 guests in the six-room house).
Lounge
Two lounges: one with African furniture, books and board games; one with a log fire and bar. A small indoor dining room sits beside a long dining table.
The house is a one- or two-night Nairobi stop before or after a flying safari. Onward Kenya stays on this site include Angama Amboseli, Angama Mara and Mahali Mzuri.
Dining
Breakfast is served on the sheltered verandah. Lunch and dinner are à la carte; half-board and full-board supplements are published if you would rather not go out.
Swimming pool
A swimming pool sits in the garden, looking onto four acres of savannah-style planting where monkeys sometimes play. The pool is unfenced. Outdoor seating runs along a covered stone verandah.
Amenities & Features
Photo Gallery
Rates
Prices start from $128 per night. Final pricing depends on season, room type, and availability. Check current rates on our booking partner's site for the most accurate pricing.
What's Included
- Breakfast (sheltered verandah; eggs to order)
- Swimming pool and gardens
- Library / lounge with log fire and bar
- Nature walks in nearby indigenous forest (short stroll from the house)
- Day tours on request (Giraffe Centre, Karen Blixen Museum, Kazuri Beads; extra)
Bed and breakfast is the published base (accommodation, breakfast, statutory taxes on the Porini card). Half board adds dinner; full board adds lunch and dinner. Wi-Fi, the swimming pool and gardens are part of the stay. Day tours, airport transfers, lunch and dinner on B&B, and babysitting are extra.
Location
How to Get There
From Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (NBO / JKIA)
Go2Africa puts the house about 30 minutes by road; Tourdust gives about 30 km from the international airport. Transfers can be arranged (not included in the bed-and-breakfast rate). Late-evening arrivals are a common pattern on guest reviews; TripAdvisor lists 24-hour reception.
From Wilson Airport
The usual field for safari light aircraft. Venue directories put Wilson about 8 km / 15 minutes to the north-east. This is the practical hop between a Mara or Amboseli flying safari and a Karen/Langata night.
By road in Karen / Langata
The published street address is Nguruwe Road, Hardy Area, Karen (also indexed on some booking sites as Koitobos Road or Gogo Falls Road — confirm the pin with the house when you book). It sits in a quiet suburban pocket opposite / within walking distance of the Giraffe Centre. Free parking is listed on travel directories.
Nearby Attractions
Giraffe Centre (walking distance), Karen Blixen Museum, Kazuri Beads workshop, Utamaduni Crafts, David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (elephant and rhino orphans), Nairobi National Park, Carnivore restaurant
Things to Do
At the property
The stay is the garden, the pool and the two fire-lit lounges. Read in the library, eat on the verandah or in the dining room, and use the bar. There are no on-site game drives. Monkeys use the gardens; a resident cat is a fixture of guest write-ups.
In the area
Walk to the Giraffe Centre (African Fund for Endangered Wildlife) — Go2Africa also flags a 100-acre indigenous forest for a late-afternoon stroll. Karen Blixen Museum, Kazuri Beads and Utamaduni Crafts are a short drive. The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (elephant and rhino orphans) and Nairobi National Park are the other obvious outings; the house can help arrange a guide.
Day trips
Go2Africa lists day tours as an activity. Typical Karen/Langata loops are Giraffe Centre, Blixen, Sheldrick and Nairobi National Park. These are extra to the room rate. Carnivore restaurant is a published dining outing a few kilometres north.
Good to Know
Children: Children of all ages are welcome (Tourdust). Flexible meal times and babysitting are offered; there are no child-specific activity programmes. The pool is unfenced — adult supervision required. Porini 2026: ages 2–12 at 50% of the quoted rate.Meal plan: Bed and breakfast is the published base (Go2Africa and Porini). Lunch and dinner are à la carte in the dining room (Go2Africa); half board and full board supplements are on the Porini card. Breakfast is served on the sheltered verandah.Check-in: Third-party sites list check-in from 14:00. Check-out is inconsistently published (10:00, 11:00 or 12:00) — confirm with the house. 24-hour reception is listed on TripAdvisor.Rooms: Six ensuite bedrooms in the main house. A private cottage (two keys) appears on the TripAdvisor business description but is not on Go2Africa, Porini or Tourdust inventories — confirm if you need a seventh/eighth room.Wildlife on the grounds: Monkeys in the gardens (Tourdust); resident cat (guest reviews). An indigenous forest of about 100 acres is a short stroll away (Go2Africa).Parking and Wi-Fi: Complimentary Wi-Fi throughout; free parking listed on directories.
Who It's For
Safari travellers who want a quiet Karen/Langata night either side of a Wilson or JKIA flight; families (children of all ages, unfenced pool); couples who prefer a six-room house to a large hotel. Not a game lodge and not a CBD business hotel. Budget-minded relative to Hemingways or Giraffe Manor, with the Giraffe Centre still a walk away.
Best Time to Visit
Year-round as a Nairobi layover. Pair it with Kenya’s usual safari dry seasons (late June–October and January–February) if you are connecting to the Mara or Amboseli. Nairobi itself has two rainy seasons (roughly March–May and November); the house is a garden stop in any month.
