Nairobi National Park Half Day Tour with David Sheldrick

Nairobi National Park Half Day Tour with David Sheldrick

Nairobi National Park is unique as the only protected area in the world with such a huge variety of animals and birds close to a capital city. It is a principal attraction for visitors to Nairobi and also serves many local residents. It is a 117 km2 area including a diverse range of habitats with a wealth of flora and fauna. There are vast tracts of open grass plains with scattered acacia bush. There is a highland dry forest on the western side of the park and to the south, there is a riverine forest and a permanent river.

There are also stretches of broken bush and deep, rocky valleys and gorges with scrub and long grass. Further environments have been created by man-made dams and these have attracted certain species of birds and aquatic life. During the dry season, the dams also attract water-dependent herbivores.

Nairobi National Park has over 400 species of bird (some are seasonal). Northern migrants pass through the park primarily from late March through April.

Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product

Stop At: Nairobi National Park, Langata Road, Nairobi Kenya

A short drive out of Nairobi’s central business district is the Nairobi National Park. Wide-open grass plains and backdrop of the city scrapers scattered acacia bush play host to a wide variety of wildlife including the endangered black rhino, lions, leopards, cheetahs, hyenas, buffaloes, giraffes and a diverse birdlife with over 400 species recorded.


Duration: 5 hours

Stop At: David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, Mbagathi Road Kws Workshop Entrance - Nairobi National Park, Nairobi 00503 Kenya

Occupying a plot within Nairobi National Park, this nonprofit trust was established in 1977, shortly after the death of David Sheldrick, who served as the antipoaching warden of Tsavo National Park. Together with his wife, Daphne, David pioneered techniques for raising orphaned black rhinos and elephants and reintroducing them into the wild, and the trust retains close links with Tsavo for these and other projects. The centre is one of Nairobi's most popular attractions, and deservedly so.

After entering at 11am, visitors are escorted to a small viewing area centred on a muddy watering hole. A few moments later, much like a sports team marching out onto the field, the animal handlers come in alongside a dozen or so baby elephants. For the first part of the viewing, the handlers bottle-feed the baby elephants – a heartwarming sight.

Once the little guys and girls have drunk their fill, they proceed to romp around like toddlers. The elephants seem to take joy in misbehaving in front of their masters, so don’t be surprised if a few break rank and start rubbing up against your leg! The baby elephants also use this designated time slot for their daily mud bath, which makes for some great photos; keep your guard up, as they’ve been known to spray a tourist or two with a trunkful of mud.

While the elephants gambol, the keepers talk about the individual orphans and their stories. Explanations are also given about the broader picture of the orphans project and some of the other projects in which the trust is involved. There's also the opportunity to 'adopt' one of the elephants. For those who do, there's a chance to visit when your elephant returns to the stockades around 5pm every evening – advance bookings essential.

The trust is also home to a number of orphaned rhinos, many of which, like the baby elephants, mingle with wild herds in Nairobi National Park during the day.

Duration: 2 hours