Nairobi National Park is a fantastic place to go on an African Safari. Located right next to the busy capital city of Nairobi, this national park is not only extremely convenient to get to, but it also displays a one-of-a-kind setting where the wild animals of Kenya are beautifully showcased against an impressive city backdrop of towering skyscrapers.
There’s no other place like it!
Established in 1946, Nairobi National Park was Kenya’s first national park and today, seeing these two completely different worlds laying side-by-side is quite a unique sight. On one hand you have the bustling city of Nairobi, full of activity, people and energy. Yet, immediately adjacent to this populous city, are wild animals peacefully grazing in the vast plains of Nairobi National Park.
Where else in the world can you to spot a giraffe grazing on the plains while flying into a capital city or see a herd of wildebeest while driving down a busy highway? It’s truly a remarkable sight!
Flying into Nairobi and immediately witnessing this phenomenal juxtaposition of worlds was my family’s first introduction to Kenya and I’d love to share with you what we learned.
Our First Stop: Nairobi National Park
NAIROBI NATIONAL PARK
Nairobi National Park is a perfect place to conveniently see a lot of Africa’s amazing wildlife. Whether you’re just passing through the capital and looking for a quick safari, or you are touring throughout all of Kenya and visiting some of its more famous parks (like Samburu or the Maasai Mara), Nairobi National Park is truly worth taking some time to see.
NAIROBI NATIONAL PARK’S SIZE & LAYOUT
- Total Area = About 45 square miles
- This one of Kenya’s smallest national parks.
- But, don’t let this small size fool you, Nairobi National Park is simply bursting with an abundance of Africa’s most sought after wild animals.
- It is fenced in on the three sides that boarder the city of Nairobi (the west, the north & the east sides)
- The southern boundary of the park remains open (with no fence.) This allows the migrating wildlife to move freely between the park and the neighboring Kitengela plains.
- In some parts of this park, the city of Nairobi makes an exceptional skyline behind the animals, but in the majority of this park we really felt like we were far away from human civilization, let alone a major city.
WHAT ANIMALS ARE IN NAIROBI NATIONAL PARK?
Over 100 mammal species and over 400 bird species have been observed in Nairobi National Park. This includes four of the sought after “Big Five” which includes the Lion, Buffalo, Leopard & Rhino.
Other prominent animals to look for within this park include giraffes, zebras, impalas, ostriches, baboons, wildebeests, elands, hippos and cheetah, just to name a few.
TOP THINGS TO DO IN NAIROBI NATIONAL PARK
The top thing to do when visiting Nairobi National Park is to go on a Safari.
At Nairobi National Park individuals are allowed to self-drive, but most people hire a guide and go on a tour. We chose to have a guide drive us and our experience completely exceeded our expectations.
Our guide was not only incredibly skilled at helping us find and identify a lot of different mammals and bird species, but he also knew right where to go to find some pretty amazing animal interactions. (Before our first safari, I had not realized just how important this would be.)
For example, on our first game run in Nairobi National Park, our guide (randomly) stopped the vehicle. At first, no one in our family saw anything, but then we spotted a lion laying low in the grass. It was exciting, but we could barely see him so after a little we were ready to move on. But our guide told us to wait for a few more minutes. We had no idea why, but we were so glad we did!
After waiting for a few more minutes, the male lion stood up, and then a female revealed herself from amongst the long grass. Before we realized what was going to happen next, they were mating!
We would never have seen this (or got this great picture) without our wonderful guide. And this is just one of many experiences that our guide helped us find. So if you are able to have a knowledgeable guide take you on a safari here, we highly recommend it.
TIPS FOR FINDING A SAFARI TOUR OPERATOR
- The Kenya Association of Tour Operators, or KATO, has a directory of reputable tour operators in the area. This would be a good place to start.
- For a custom tour across Kenya, we recommend checking out Journeys International. This is who we used and they did a fantastic job helping us design our trip.
- Another option (according to the website) is that you can hire a tour guide and a six seater Landcruiser tour van right at the main entrance to the park, subject to availability. (Please confirm this option with the park to make sure vehicles are still available before you go.)
Tip: If you have the choice, we recommend opting for a safari vehicle that has a roof that raises. This allows for fantastic unobstructed views of the animals while on your safari.
More Things to Do in Nairobi National Park Include:
- Nairobi Safari Walk & the Orphanage
- Walking Trails at Hippo Pools
- Ivory Burning Site Monument
- Picnic Facilities
- Kingfisher picnic site – a green shaded area with picnic tables
- Mokoyiet picnic site – an open cliff top site with shaded tables, bathrooms and parking. Close by leopard cliff observation point.
For More Information: Nairobi National Park’s Official Website
WHAT TO EXPECT AT NAIROBI NATIONAL PARK
First, when you arrive at Nairobi National Park, you’ll need to stop at the gate and check in. If you are on a tour, your guide will do this for you. (This is a good place for a last minute bathroom break before you head into the park.)
As you, or your guide, checks in/pays, always watch out for wild animals that may be roaming by (especially if you are heading to the bathroom.) I mention this, because on our first visit to Nairobi National Park we were greeted at the gate by a large troop of baboons casually walking down the road towards us.
We were thrilled! And we clicked away on our camera while sitting safely in our vehicle. But I’ll admit, this might have been a little nerve racking if we had been caught off guard wandering around outside of the vehicles to the bathroom.
Tip: Always be aware of your surroundings before you exit your vehicle, even if you aren’t officially in the park yet.
Once you enter the park, you’ll drive for a short bit before the bushes and trees lining the road begin to thin and the plains open up. Get ready to start looking for animals. They could be anywhere!
Binoculars
To aide in your safari experience, we highly recommend bringing a set of binoculars or two. This is so helpful in finding animals, especially the ones that are almost completely camouflaged in the grass or up in the crook of a tree. You wouldn’t believe how often a tree stump or termite mound in the distance looked like it may have been an animal. Our binoculars, quite frankly, helped us more times than I can count.
This was also a fantastic way to help keep our kids engaged as they searched for animals as well.
Before our trip, we tried out many different types and styles of binoculars. Below are our two favorites. (We brought both of these with us on our trip and ended up using them everyday!)
Bushnell H2O Waterproof/Fogproof Compact Roof Prism Binocular
- We have the 8x25mm. First, we love this binocular’s compact size, which was very important to us with limited space when traveling internationally for several weeks. We also thought it had great optical clarity for spotting animals far away.
- These lightweight binoculars are also now our preferred set when hiking or for any adventure on the go, since they can be easily thrown into our pack and not take up much room.
Bushnell H2O Roof Prism Binoculars
- We also brought the 10x22mm of this binocular. The size of this binocular is larger and slightly heavier than the ones mentioned above, and honestly I was nervous at first as to whether or not we should bring it to Africa with our limited packing space. But I’m so happy we did because its optical clarity was spectacular, and 10x magnification was perfect for finding animals off in the distance and birds up in the trees.
- Why Binoculars are So Useful in Africa – Is that dark bump on the tree over there a gnarled branch OR a Leopard? Is that brown colored place in the grass a termite mound, a fallen log, a single impala grazing, OR a Lion?
- Our “Eagle Eye” son with these binoculars was able to help us answer many upon many questions like this while we were out on safari.
- And as a bonus, since these binoculars were a little bigger in size, we were even able to take some really cool pictures using our phones held up to this binocular for an extra zoom!
- We also brought the 10x22mm of this binocular. The size of this binocular is larger and slightly heavier than the ones mentioned above, and honestly I was nervous at first as to whether or not we should bring it to Africa with our limited packing space. But I’m so happy we did because its optical clarity was spectacular, and 10x magnification was perfect for finding animals off in the distance and birds up in the trees.
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WHAT IS COMMONLY SEEN ON SAFARI IN NAIROBI NATIONAL PARK?
First of all, know that there are no elephants in Nairobi National Park. The park is really too small and it does not have sufficient woodland forest to support them.
But, Four of the other “Big Five” can be found here. This includes Lions, Buffalos, Leopards & Rhinos.
Nairobi National Park happens to be one of the best places in Kenya to see both the critically endangered Black Rhino & the Southern White Rhino. (It is home to 60 endangered Black Rhinos and 11 Southern White Rhinos that have been translocated here for their protection.)
Zebras, Impala, Wildebeest, Thomson’s Gazelles, Ostriches and Giraffes are also abundant throughout Nairobi National Park.
Safari Time
First of all, know that every safari drive into the park will be different, and that on some drives you will see more than on others.
But it is this uncertainty that makes going on a safari so exciting. These animals are not fenced in like at a zoo. They are wild, roaming free and so you really never know what you may see.
Yet, at the same time, you also never know when you may encounter that special moment or experience that exceeds every expectation you thought possible.
For us that moment came early on our family’s second safari within Nairobi National Park when we came upon the mating ritual and dance of two ostriches!
An Ostrich Mating Dance
The mating dance of the ostrich was something that I honestly had never even heard about (and I watch a lot of National Geographic shows), let alone think that I would ever see it. Yet, here we were, on our second safari in Africa and we see this male ostrich swinging his head back and forth onto his back, making this weird repetitious thumping sound, with his feathers all puffed out as he kneeled trying to entice the female ostrich over to him. It was quite an extraordinary site!
(And shortly thereafter, we had yet another lesson on the “birds and the bees” for my children.)
Now I’m definitely not saying that you should expect to see this impressive sight when you go out on a game run in Nairobi National Park. But, what I am saying is that the possibilities are endless as to what exciting sights and experiences you may encounter.
And with this in mind, don’t be afraid to enter the park (or any other park on safari) more than once if you have time. You never know what new experiences and sights await you.
HOW OUR FAMILY CHOSE TO EXPERIENCE NAIROBI NATIONAL PARK
Our family went on two safaris drives in Nairobi National Park and each drive lasted about 3 1/2 hours.
Our first safari began about 1pm on our first day in Nairobi.
And our second safari began the next morning at 6:30am.
For our family, this was perfect. It was a nice amount of time to get a good feel for Nairobi National Park and surprisingly, both of our safari drives were completely different. On each drive we encountered new and diverse wildlife and somehow each safari drive managed to leave us with specific unforgettable moments (like the surprise lion mating and the unforgettable ostrich mating dance.) Who knows what a third safari drive would have shown us. Hopefully someday we can go back and find out.
But if you are more limited in time, as many people are, one safari into Nairobi National Park would be sufficient to see a lot of fantastic African wildlife and to have an amazing time.
ANIMALS YOU MAY ENCOUNTER IN NAIROBI NATIONAL PARK
(And What They Look Like)
So You Can Identify Them On Safari Like A Pro
Vervet Monkeys – Look for their family groups up in the trees or in the bushes alongside the road.
Rhinos – Both the Critically Endangered Black Rhino and Southern White Rhino can be found here. (That’s Nairobi in the background!)
Eland – The World’s Largest Antelope! Males can be over 5 feet tall and 2,000lbs!
Hartebeest – Easy to identify due to its unusually elongated head and uniquely shaped bracket horns.
Impala – A good way to identify this antelope is by the black “letter M” pattern on their backside. There is also usually one single male with a large harem of females.
Masai Giraffe – The tallest among all land-living species, up to 19 feet tall!
Zebra – Zebra are everywhere in Nairobi National Park, but don’t overlook them in search for some of the more sought after African animals or you might miss a special moment like seeing this precious baby zebra nursing.
Yet, sometimes zebra won’t let you miss them, and they’ll stand directly in your path through the park.
A Male Ostrich – notice the beautiful black and white coloring along with its pink neck.
A Female Ostrich – females have a brown coloring that lets them camouflage better.
Crocodiles – look for crocodiles sunning themselves near bodies of water.
Hippos – Hippos can be found in or out of the water, but if they are in the water look for their heads sitting just above the surface.
Thomson’s Gazelle – So I don’t know if this is normal, but it seemed like animals were mating everywhere when we were there. (We visited in late July.)
So just be prepared if you are traveling with kids, like we were, that you may get a few interesting questions or comments regarding this.
Crowned Lapwing – And don’t forget to check out some of the really unique birds found here as well.
This was actually one thing that really surprised me about our visit to Kenya. The birds sound completely different, which makes sense, but I had never really thought about that before.
Last but not Least,
Lions – There are many lions in Nairobi National Park and hopefully you’ll get to see several. On our first game run we only saw two lions. (Those were the two that mated.) But on our second safari we saw ten! And several were lying right beside the road!
I hope that you can be so lucky as well.
The two animals that unfortunately we did not get to see in Nairobi National Park were cheetahs and leopards.
These animals can be very hard to spot, but I hope you are able to see one here!
WHAT TO BRING ON SAFARI?
- Water (Bottled water since the tap water is not safe to drink.)
- Snacks
- Binoculars (like the ones I mentioned above.)
- Sun Hat (This is our favorite.)
- Sun Screen
- Pocket Animal Guide (We like this one best.)
- Camera – preferably one with a good zoom if you can
- The Camera we use – a fantastic investment
- Our Zoom Lens – for amazing close up shots
- And Our Camera Backpack – this is the best camera bag ever! And we’ve tried out a lot.
Because with a good camera and zoom, you can capture spectacular moments like this…
WHERE TO STAY NEAR NAIROBI NATIONAL PARK
Only a 15 minute drive from Nairobi National Park, this 5-star hotel offers spacious rooms, a swimming pool, shuttle service, two onsite restaurants and is conveniently located near both Jomo Kenyatta International and Wilson Airports.
This is where our family chose to stay and we thoroughly enjoyed our visit.
Tip: We stayed here 3 separate times, yet one time we were given a room that only had a narrow bathtub with a European handheld showerhead to shower. This was not a problem for us, but if you prefer a traditional stand-up shower, make sure to doublecheck the description on your booking to include a separate walk-in shower.
TOP NEARBY ATTRACTIONS IN NAIROBI
- David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust – Elephant Orphanage
- The Giraffe Center
- Bomas of Kenya
- Karen Blixen Museum
Have a Great Trip to Nairobi National Park With Your Traveling Feet!
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