Nairobi National Park

Nairobi National Park is perfect for a day trip, providing an exciting escape into nature away from the lively capital city.

The park is home to an array of East African wildlife, and you are sure to have an excellent safari.

You can see up to 400 bird species, including endangered grey-crowned cranes, ostriches, martial eagles, and secretary birds, among many others.

Which animals can you see in Nairobi National Park?

The extensive list of animals in the park includes:

zebra, Masai giraffe, wildebeest, hyenas, baboons, crocodiles, hippos, and four out of the Big Five, with only elephants missing.

However, elephant lovers can visit the Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage to watch orphaned elephants being bottle-fed.

No wonder there is so much wildlife. Nairobi National Park, established in 1946, is one of the oldest national parks in Africa and the first official national park of Kenya.

Nowhere else will you find big cats, buffalos, and other wild animals living in such close proximity to a large capital city.

The wildlife is separated from the bustling metropolis by a fence on its northern, eastern, and western boundaries, which prevents escaped lions from bringing Nairobi’s traffic to a standstill – a not uncommon occurrence in the past.

The southern border is a crucial link to the Kitengela Game Reserve, allowing wildlife to migrate north and south as the seasons change from dry to wet.

Geography of Nairobi National Park

Surprisingly, the park is a vast ecosystem with diverse habitats spanning 28,911 acres.

In the northwest, evergreen acacia forests are home to bushbucks, buffalos, and stalking leopards. In the central savannah, zebras and small gazelle live among the Whistling Thorn acacia trees, which are regular hunting grounds for the park’s lions.

Multiple rivers that converge like capillaries into the Mbalaghati River on the southern boundary create aquatic ecosystems for hippos, a few crocodiles, and turtles.

Meanwhile, the riparian forests are home to numerous monkeys and birds.

Conservation efforts

To many, the park is fondly referred to as Kifaru Park (Rhino Park), as it serves as a crucial sanctuary for endangered black and white rhinos, making it one of the best places in Kenya to see these incredible animals.

The park has also been the symbolic stage for the fight against elephant poaching. On July 18, 1989, the then-president of Kenya, Daniel Arap Moi, set fire to 12 tonnes of ivory seized from poachers to draw global attention to the severe poaching crisis in Kenya at that time.

This strong message has since been repeated with three additional ivory burns.

You can visit this historical site to reflect on the death of hundreds of thousands of elephants and the dedication by many to turn a crisis into a triumph by protecting these magical creatures.

As Kenya’s first park, it is the grandfather of all of Kenya’s parks and the beating heart behind the vast strides in pioneering conservation and tourism in the country.

Overcoming the poaching crisis and maintaining the park’s boundaries in a growing capital city is a testament to the dedication of Kenyans to act as guardians with the will to preserve this precious gem.

Visit this beautiful park for a fantastic experience and let tourism be the lifeblood of this sanctuary on the city’s doorstep for many years to come.