Sit on the Right side of the plane for the best views on flights from London to Nairobi. The right side wins overall because the London departure view is genuinely spectacular and hard to beat — the Thames and city skyline on a clear day are iconic. The Nile Valley crossing in Sudan and the Ethiopian highlands are also better framed from the right on the typical southeasterly routing. The Wilson landing view from the left is good but briefer.

During takeoff from Heathrow (LHR), sit on the Right side for the best views. Heathrow typically departs eastbound on runways 09L/09R, so a right-side seat looks south over central London as the aircraft climbs and turns. You get a clear view of the Thames snaking through the city, the South Bank, and the wider urban sprawl toward the North Downs. Notable sights include: River Thames and its bends through central London, Wembley Stadium arch to the north, Windsor Castle and Great Park to the west during initial climb, the City of London skyline including the Shard.

When landing at Nairobi Wilson (WIL), sit on the Left side for the best views. Wilson Airport sits on the southwest edge of Nairobi and aircraft typically approach from the south or east. A left-side seat gives you the best view of the Ngong Hills rising to the southwest and the Nairobi National Park's open savannah immediately south of the city, which is genuinely visible on final approach. Notable sights include: Ngong Hills ridge to the southwest, Nairobi National Park open savannah directly south of the city, Nairobi city centre skyline to the north, Athi Plains stretching east.

The flight from Heathrow (LHR) to Nairobi Wilson (WIL) takes Approximately 8 to 9 hours.

The route typically tracks southeast over France and the Alps (visible as a broad white mountain mass), then across the Mediterranean near Sicily, over Egypt and the Nile Delta, down the Nile Valley through Sudan where the river is clearly visible as a green corridor through desert, across the Ethiopian Highlands which show dramatic dissected plateau terrain, then descending over the flat semi-arid scrubland of northern Kenya toward Nairobi