Safari activities
Safari activities in Nairobi National Park
Game drives here are unusually flexible — from a two-hour layover safari to a full day, plus a cluster of conservation attractions right by the Main Gate.
Half-day game drives
The classic Nairobi National Park activity, run over three to four hours and ideal for layovers between flights at Wilson Airport or JKIA. Morning drives from around 6.30am and afternoon drives from 3pm give the best light and the most active wildlife.
Full-day game drives
A full day with a picnic lunch lets you cover every circuit, from the open plains and Impala Hill in the west to the rocky Athi River gorges further south, maximising your chances with rhino, lion and cheetah.
Sunrise game drives
Entering at the Main Gate as it opens gives you the park in its coolest, quietest hours, when predators are most active and the city skyline glows behind the grazing herds.
Walking trails at Hippo Pools
One of the few places in the park where visitors can leave their vehicle on foot, under KWS ranger escort, to view hippo and crocodile along the Athi River and enjoy the riverine forest.
Picnic sites
Several designated picnic sites dotted around the park make it easy to combine a game drive with a relaxed outdoor lunch overlooking the plains.
Nairobi Safari Walk
A raised boardwalk trail near the Main Gate showcasing Kenya's habitats and wildlife, including reptiles, on foot — a good introduction before or after a drive, and charged separately from park entry.
Animal Orphanage
Also at the Main Gate, the KWS Animal Orphanage cares for injured, orphaned and confiscated animals and makes an easy add-on for families, with its own separate entry fee.
David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust
A short drive from the park, the Trust's elephant nursery is famous for its daily public visiting hour, where orphaned elephant calves are hand-reared before release back into the wild.
Giraffe Centre
Also nearby in Langata, the Giraffe Centre lets visitors hand-feed endangered Rothschild's giraffe from a raised platform — an easy pairing with a park game drive.
Ivory Burning Site Monument
A memorial inside the park marking the spot where Kenya has publicly destroyed tonnes of confiscated ivory and rhino horn, a powerful stop for anyone interested in the country's anti-poaching history.
Birdwatching
With over 500 recorded species across grassland, forest and riverine habitats, the park rewards birders year-round, and is especially rich during the Palaearctic migration season.
Corporate and team events
The park's proximity to the city makes it a popular venue for corporate team-building days, half-day retreats and quick escapes that do not require an overnight stay.
Make a night of it
Most visitors treat Nairobi National Park as a half-day or full-day excursion, but a night at one of the properties in or beside the park — such as Ololo Safari Lodge and Farm or The Emakoko — lets you fit in a sunrise and a sunset drive either side of dinner, without the traffic of driving back into the city.
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