Nairobi National Park
Open grassland with acacias, rocky gorges and the riverine forest along the Mbagathi River in the south, with the city's high-rises on the northern horizon. KWS describes the park as a rhino sanctuary, and with around 175 animals it holds far more rhinos than KWS says the area can ecologically support (90 to 100). It suits a morning, a long airport layover, or the start of a day that continues with Sheldrick and the Giraffe Centre.
Honestly: The park is fenced on three sides and open only to the south towards the Kitengela plains; planes on approach, traffic noise and the skyline are part of the picture. The only elephants you will see are the orphans at the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, which is a separate visit that must be booked in advance. In the rainy season many grazers move south, which also makes lion sightings harder.
- Big Five
- no
- Malaria
- low
- Wildlife
- Black rhino (126, July 2025), white rhino (49), lion (three prides), leopard (rare, estimated at fewer than ten), cheetah, buffalo, giraffe, plains zebra, wildebeest, hartebeest, gazelles, ostrich, hippo and crocodile at the Hippo Pools, over 400 bird species; no elephants
- Conservation fee, non-resident adult, per day
- 80 USD (2026-10-02)
