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Write a User ReviewUnspoiled Savannah in the Shadow of the Concrete Jungle
Within 20 minutes of collecting my bag at Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, I’m already driving through seemingly endless savannah on the trail of hunting lions. Nairobi National Park is often overlooked – and occasionally actively scorned – by inexperienced safari ‘aficionados’ who see it as little more than an urban safari park. In fact Nairobi NP deserves recognition as an incredible wilderness region where great herds of zebra and antelope graze alongside herds of several hundred buffalo. Despite its location, right on the edge of the city, Nairobi National Park boasts large numbers of both white and black rhino, and a population of lions that is almost too large for the area. It is also home to two wonderful accommodation options (Emakoko Lodge and Nairobi Tented Camp) where you can now start your safari within a few minutes of leaving the airport, rather than having to battle across town to an inner-city hotel through Nairobi’s notorious traffic.
A Top Safari Experience Bordering the Capital
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thing in the morning or late in the afternoon, when animals are most active. A striking feature of the park is the distinctive skyline of the city centre, which can be seen from several vantage points. Indeed, Nairobi National Park as a whole pays heartening testament to the tenacity of large wildlife within roaring distance of one of Africa’s largest cities.A Safari on the Outskirts of the Capital
We only had time for one game drive, but it was one for the books. We had several sightings of white rhino and ended up watching a lioness trying to get up a tree at dusk. When you’ve seen lions climbing trees, you’ll know it can be a very clumsy affair. It took her several attempts before she managed to get onto a suitable branch. While we watched her scanning the area and calling (possibly her
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cubs), a black rhino casually walked past us.I always thought of Nairobi National Park as a good filler for when you have a day to spare in the capital. Now, I would say that the park is worth adding to any Kenyan safari and not just to get that iconic shot of wildlife in front of the Nairobi skyline.
A Host of Wildlife, Right on the Capital’s Doorstep
There’s something rather surreal about the sight of a small herd of wildebeest or buffalo, a pair of giraffes or even a cheetah and her cubs pacing across a grassy plain within sight of a city centre. These are not zoo animals – they’re wild – but I had to keep reminding myself of this whenever I lowered my binoculars from an animal sighting and once again caught a glimpse of Nairobi’s distant tower blocks through the heat haze.
I’d recommend Nairobi National Park if you’re on a brief visit to Nairobi, or are in transit, and have a few hours in the early morning or late afternoon to spare between appointments or flights – it’s quick and easy to get to from the city centre and the sense of being out in the wilds is surprisingly satisfying.
Out of Nairobi
For anyone spending a few days in Nairobi, a tour of Nairobi National Park should be at the top of your must-see list – unless you’re already gamed-out, that is. In the dry season, this wonderful wildlife sanctuary, which literally lies at the edge of the city, teems with game. It’s certainly one of the best places in Kenya for seeing rhino at very close range. Lion, cheetah and serval are also possible for anyone with a cat fetish. On my last visit we easily spied zebra, buffalo, rhino, hartebeest, eland, crocodile and a brand new baby giraffe. There are also plenty of opportunities for bird-watching. On leaving the park, I’d suggest you loop back to Nairobi through the leafy outer suburb of Karen – once the home of Karen Blixen of ‘Out of Africa’ fame – and visit the museum set up in her former home, which looks out over the Ngong Hills, under which Blixen’s lover Denys Finch-Hatton is buried. And don’t miss nearby Giraffe Manor where you can eyeball a giraffe and feed it straight from your hand.
Tower Block Safari
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it being just moments from the city centre you can often have the place much to yourself (avoid weekends and holidays though).There are now a couple of upmarket lodges and camps within the park, meaning that you can be enjoying the full Africa safari experience within minutes of leaving the international airport. Also, I can think of almost no other park that is so perfect for a family safari with younger children – even more so if you combine it with a visit to the nearby Giraffe Centre and the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust where you can play with orphaned baby elephants and rhinos.
Kenya’s Capital Park
Lion, leopard and cheetah also roam the park – I’ve never visited without seeing lions – along with hyena, buffalo, wildebeest and zebra; sadly, though, no elephants are present. I also love the variety of antelope – Coke’s hartebeest, bohor reedbuck and bushbuck were my recent highlights.
The birdlife – more than 400 recorded species, almost as many as in the entire UK but within just 117 sq km
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of park – is extraordinary for a park of this size. Despite the park’s proliferation of wildlife, the proximity to Nairobi means that it’s always busy and I always feel a safari here is like an appetizer for the main event, a fine way to spend an afternoon while in Nairobi before heading out into the wilderness for a real safari.Genuine Wildlife a Stone’s Throw Away From the City
But after my first visit, my preconceptions were shattered – perhaps not into tiny little pieces, but shattered nonetheless.
You don’t actually see the high-rise buildings from within the majority of this fairly small (117km2/45mi2) reserve, and for the bulk of the two days I spent there, I often felt I was truly in the bush, a million miles away from the trappings of human civilization. Occasionally, a Boeing would fly low overhead, or the wind would change direction and I would hear the sound of distant traffic, but otherwise, the ambience is one of genuine wilderness.
I also thought it would be fully fenced, but this also turned out to be a misconception on my behalf. There are river crossings and wildlife
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corridors to the south, leading to the much larger Kitengela Game Conservation Area, and as such, animals are free to roam in and out as they please.It’s a great place to stay (or visit) if you must be in or near Nairobi. And what’s more, it’s possible to get there within half an hour of leaving the airport.
You’ll likely see lions and cheetahs. Hippos and rhinos too. And with almost 500 bird species recorded, it really is a twitcher’s paradise.
City Safari
Nairobi National Park is located within a stone’s throw of downtown Nairobi. The park’s wide-open grass plains and scattered acacias are juxtaposed against a backdrop of city skyscrapers and noisy highways, ensuring that this park scores lowest marks in terms of ‘wilderness vibe’. There is, however, something very unique and surreal about taking a game drive and seeing a surprising variety of wildlife right amidst the capital city.
Aside from the endangered black rhino and lion, you stand a chance of spotting the more reclusive leopard, cheetah and hyena, although my experience has been that healthy populations of buffalo, giraffe, general game and abundant birdlife are more reliably sighted.
Nairobi National Park is one of Kenya’s foremost black rhino sanctuaries, but the reserve is probably most famous for the highly publicized burning of Kenya’s ivory stockpiles in front of the international media in 1989 and again in 2016: unequivocal statements from Kenya that the ivory trade should never resume.
Giraffes and Skyscrapers
Just a short drive from the big city, Nairobi National Park isn’t exactly a wilderness destination, but if you don’t have the time to visit one of the country’s better-known parks then this is a good option. Nairobi encroaches upon the park on several sides, making for unusual photo opportunities such as giraffe browsing peacefully amongst the thorn trees with the city skyline as a backdrop.
Lion, buffalo, rhino, leopard, giraffe, impala and zebra are well represented here and those keen on seeing cute baby elephants can visit the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust and its elephant orphanage close to the main entrance of the park.