Safari, Nairobi, Kenya

Feb. 2, 2024 - Feb 3, 2024 

Our adventure in Nairobi was a brief, but eventful way to conclude our Kenya adventure. After flying in from Samburu, we spent a night in Nairobi National Park, followed by a memorable trip to the Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage and the Giraffe Center. 

Upon landing at Nairobi airport, we took a car to the gates of Nairobi National Park where we then switched transport into a jeep sent by Nairobi Tented Camp where we'd be spending the night. 

There was already a tremendous line of cars queuing up to get inside the park, but thankfully we got to jump the line. 

Heading into the park 

We drove for awhile into the park before happening upon the campground.  A few quick tidbits, the camp only opened about 8 months ago and is the only camp in Nairobi National Park. The Park itself is also a site to behold as it's the only game park located in a capitol city. It's also only fenced on 3 sides, whereas the open southern boundary allows migrating wildlife to move between the park and the adjacent Kitengela plains. The park is located only 7 km from the Nairobi city center so you can see rhinos and giraffes with skyscrapers behind them and it's home to up to 400 animal species. It's pretty wild. Letizia shared that when she was growing up in Kenya, it wasn't fenced on 3 sides and the animals would roam the landing strip of the airport and had to be shooed away when airplanes needed to land. 

The camp itself was nice and clean with real beds in the tents, warm water for the showers that were in the tents, and flushing toilets.

our bed in our tent 

the outside of our tent 

Upon arrival we met a nice Canadian couple who was also staying at the camp and was just starting their safari. Unlike at our previous accommodations, the game rides weren't private so we were all loaded into the jeep together, along with our new friends (which was fine for us, of course! Though we may have been a bit obnoxious for the sweet Canadians) 

Rhinos 

A lion 

We saw a variety of species during the drive, as well as some other less savory sites. When we happened upon a lot of trash accumulating around the hippo pond, I think we made the poor Canadians a bit uncomfortable as Letizia demanded the driver call someone to come pick it up (she wasn't wrong). 

We then happened upon giant railway that was built through the park in 2017 as part of the larger Standard Gauge Railway (SGR project) in Kenya. It stretches over approximately 6.4 kilometers (about 4 miles) and is quite an eyesore. The railway was built by the Chinese government and is hugely disruptive to wildlife (and has also raised concerns about making over 40,000 people homeless from its construction). Looking at it honestly just made me quite sad.

Our driver shared with us that many Kenyans had protested the bridge. Letizia shared she had joined protests here in the U.S. in solidarity. Our driver shared that sadly the protesting didn't work and it still happened. What is worse, our driver shared, is that while the Kenyan government was sold on this going to Uganda and Rwanda, the money ran out. Because there was so much push back from building the tracks through the park, they did that part of the project first and then couldn't continue - making it a railway that leads to nowhere and that no one uses.

A photo of the railway to nowhere

The three-car train that goes by only twice per day 

After spending quite a bit of time talking about the railway, Murray promised the very confused Canadians that we weren't train enthusiasts and we continued the rest of the safari until the sun went down. I think at the end of the ride the Canadians were quite pleased to be leaving us.

A beautiful sunset 

The next morning, we had the car to ourself. It was a nice drive before checking out. There were lots of cars in the park as you can drive your own car in, which is pretty cool! Letizia shared that when they lived here, her father would take the entire family to the Park every Sunday.

Last game drive of the trip!

As part of our last drive, we visited the Ivory Burning Site in the park. The ivory burning site at Nairobi National Park, inaugurated in 1989, represents a historic event where over 12 tons of confiscated ivory were set ablaze, signaling Kenya's staunch opposition to the illegal ivory trade and its dedication to wildlife conservation.

Looking at the ivory burning site 

Standing in front of the burned ivory 

The park was very cool, but I would probably suggest staying there at the start of your safari (instead of at the end) only because it felt somewhat anticlimactic after Samburu. That being said, it is absolutely worth a visit! 

After bidding goodbye to Nairobi National Park ,we headed off to Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage. This place is a MUST if you find yourself in Safari in Nairobi. The Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage (Sheldrick Wildlife Trust) is a renowned sanctuary in Nairobi, Kenya, dedicated to the rescue and rehabilitation of orphaned elephants (and orphaned rhinos), providing them with specialized care until they can be reintegrated into the wild.

A few pro tips - they only allow the public in for one hour a day (between 11am-noon) and only a certain number of people per day so it's wise to get reservations in advance. You'll always want to arrive early because the earlier folks will get the best views of these adorable little baby elephants and rhinos. Also, be sure to print EVERYTHING (your receipt, confirmations, etc.)

I was also excited to come to Sheldrick because for Christmas, Letizia and Murray had "adopted" a baby elephant for G and I from Sheldrick named Talek that the orphanage had been sending us updates on so I was looking forward to meeting the little guy! (Fun fact, anyone can adopt an animal from Sheldrick for as little as $50 a year! And like Letizia and Murray did for us, you can also adopt on behalf of someone and they get the updates. Sheldrick does a great job with the photos and stories so it makes a great gift!)

The goal of Sheldrick is to take these orphaned elephants and rhinos whose parents were killed and to nurture them, rehabilitate them, and get them back into the wild when they're ready. It's really cool.

The line to get into Sheldrick

Instructions to get into Sheldrick

The first animal to come out was a sweet little baby rhino named Raha. The Sheldrick workers stayed close to her, keeping mud on her to keep her cool, as she walked around for a few minutes. My heart melted looking at the little cutie!

Raha 

More Raha - so cute!

Raha's story

Next up came the elephants and Oh My God they were cute! The workers from Sheldrick all held bottles as the little elephants scampered down the hill to drink milk (put into bottles that were held by the staff). They group the elephants by age so we saw the smallest/youngest ones first, followed by another dozen slightly older, then one more group. All in all, we saw well over 30 baby elephants. It was quite an experience! 

Adorable little guy 

Drinking up 

Heading back 

After Sheldrick, we made a stop at the Giraffe Center to feed some giraffes. It was a quick stop, but very fun (highly recommend for children!)

Feeding a giraffe

Having fun 

Irina taking her turn

Me feeding the giraffe 

After a thorough hand washing, we stopped at the Utamaduni to get some souvenirs and gifts. The place was awesome and I grabbed some great handmade Kenyan puppets for some of the kiddos back home, as well as a beautiful basket for my mom. With our stash of goodies, we then went back to the hotel where Murray, Letizia, and Irina would be crashing before heading to South Africa the next day (G and I had a late flight to start our trek back home). 

After a drink and a bite, it was time to say goodbye and head out. I felt tears well up in my eyes as I hugged Murray and Letizia. It had been one hell of a trip and I was so grateful (and a bit sad to go home!). 

The trip home ended up being a bit of a slog (it took us 40 hours to get home to Sacramento), but it was worth every minute of it. What an adventure, what a trip, what memories!