Visit the Karen Blixen Museum

Visit the Karen Blixen Museum to learn about the Out of Africa author’s extraordinary life in Kenya. The museum is set in the Karen area of Nairobi, which is named after Blixen, on the coffee farm where she once lived. A lot of guests want to visit the museum because they’ve read Out of Africa, or seen the movie. They find her story very intriguing – she really put Nairobi and Kenya on the map and was passionate about helping the local community.

You’ll usually spend around 30 minutes to an hour at the museum. A guide will sit you down under a tree and tell you Karen’s story, from divorcing and running the farm alone to her lover Denis Finch Hatton dying in a plane crash and her coffee business failing. You’ll also get to walk around the property and beautiful grounds, which have a view of the Ngong Hills. It’s fascinating to see some of the old coffee plantation equipment, Karen’s paintings and the study where she used to write.

For me, Karen’s is a sad story but it’s also one of resilience and of her first incredible experiences in Africa. I believe she fell in love with the country and its people and were it not for the fact that she fell ill and her second partner died, I think she would have loved to stay longer. The museum is a piece of Kenyan history and an amazing tale of how one person survived so many bad things and still had the heart to be kind to those around her.