I started off my day at 6 a.m. My friend Kevin, who runs a tour company in Nairobi, took me to Nairobi National Park, which is the only National Park in the world that is located in a city. Besides that, it is the oldest National Park in Kenya and home to 4 out of the BIG 5. We spent about 3 hours in the park and Kevin managed to find Lions, lots of Buffalo’s and Rhinos. The only animal that hid that day was the Leopard. Apart from that, we saw Giraffes, Zebras and Wildebeest- the park is host to 100 mammal species.
What I found super impressive was having the skyline of a well-developed city in the background while having wild animals in front of your camera.
Nairobi National Park Entrance fee: 43 US$ per adult (non-resident) + vehicle fee.
Our next stop at the Elephant Orphanage Centre was definitely heart-warming to say the least. This center takes care of baby elephants that are orphaned due to poaching.
All the little guys and girls can be seen every day between 11. a.m. and 12 p.m. (noon). While watching the elephants taking a mud bath and getting bottle fed, one of the keepers explained the different elephants and their stories. If you would like to visit them there is a donation entrance fee of 500 Kenyan Schillings but it´s worth it and for a good cause.
The Giraffe Center was founded in 1979 as a breeding centre to save the species of the Rothschild Giraffe.
It also became well known as an education center for Kenyan school children and nowadays it is a famous tourist attraction. It’s also super fun getting to feed the giraffes. They stick out their long wet tongue to eat straight out of your hands. Definitely worth a visit.
Giraffe Center Entrance fee for non-resident adults is approx. 10 US$.
What is a day trip without a taste of the local cuisine? We finished off our day at a local restaurant called “Mangrove Restaurant” in the South B neighborhood where I had some super yummy food.
The Kenyan cuisine is a mixture of different cultures. I tasted Mkate Wa Nyama (Samosa pastry filled with minced meat) and Mishkaki Chicken Kebab. More of my favorite Kenyan dishes and local drinks you can find in this post.
This isn´t everything Kenya has to offer. Here you can find more posts about my Kenya trip.
What are your favorite things to do in Nairobi? Let me know in the comments!