Nairobi Safari Tour – What You Need To Know

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Kenya was my first visit to an African country, and what a place to start. While exploring the city of Nairobi was lots of fun, it was getting out of the city I was most excited about. And that meant planning a Nairobi safari. That’s right, you don’t have to travel too far to see some of Africa’s most famous wildlife stars.

Within minutes of leaving Nairobi airport I had seen zebras grazing on the side of the road, and a giraffe plodding along in the distance like a moving tree.

So imagine what else I would be able to see on a dedicated Nairobi safari tour, which start at a fraction of the cost of popular multi-day safaris.

Why book a Nairobi safari?

Why not book a Nairobi safari should be the real question. There’s really no excuse. Sure, you might have a longer safari booked further away from the city, or in one of the neighboring countries. But this only increases your chances of seeing some of the Big Five. And it’s a great day out away from busy Nairobi city.

I had a 3 day safari booked in Tanzania, but given the extra time we had in Nairobi I figured you can never see enough awesome animals.

The fact you don’t need to travel too far from the city makes it so easy to add a Nairobi safari to your Kenya itinerary.

How long should you spend on your Nairobi safari?

One great thing about a Nairobi safari as opposed to a safari in the Maasai Mara or similar more remote locations is the time needed. Most people have lots of plans if traveling this far to Africa. Myself, I was climbing Kilimanjaro which was a big chunk of my vacation time. A Nairobi safari is usually only a day trip from the city.

While I would always suggest a longer safari option if you have the time and money, as it increases your odds of seeing many more animals, there are shorter options available.

It’s a great way to get a taste of safari life. Believe me, you’ll want to stay longer no matter how much time you spend.

Our Nairobi safari was a full day tour including a visit to the Giraffe Centre Nairobi. We were picked up just after 6am, bright and early for wildlife viewing, and ended the tour around 5pm.

There are half day/6-hour tours but I’d recommend against anything that short as the wildlife doesn’t appear on demand and you’ll want to explore more of Nairobi National Park.

Nairobi Safari – Car or Tour?

Given how close Nairobi National Park is situated to the city, you could think about renting a car. That way you’d be able to leave when you want, spend however long you want, and aren’t bound by a tour itinerary.

The only thing to pay is entry to the National Park which can still be about $40-60 USD per person. Well, and the car rental.

The benefit of a tour, of course, is that you will not be responsible for the vehicle if a rhino charges you (joking…kind of). But the tour guide can really make the trip next level awesome.

Our tour guide was so knowledgeable, and explained the animals we were seeing including how to identify males vs. females and how he tracks the animals around the park. That of course meant he knew when we were close.

While a car might give you more freedom, and can be tempting, I’d recommend to stick with the safari tour. Sit back, relax and wildlife spot without worrying about the driving – or hitting a warthog.

How much does a Nairobi safari cost?

For those who can’t afford a multi-day, expensive safari, a Nairobi safari is way cheaper. You can spend an entire day exploring the National Park surrounding the city – and all the animals who live there – for as little as $200. Sometimes less.

For our full day private guided tour, 11 hours, including park fees and entry to the Giraffe Centre it was about $230 USD per person.

You can likely find a number of tour options on Viator or GetYourGuide – all of which offer similar experiences.

TOP SAFARI TRAVEL TIP: When booking your safari check what is included. Some include all fees including National Park fees and other activities, others don’t. Also take some cash for a tip for your driver/guide.

Where will I start my safari?

In Nairobi of course. All Nairobi safari tour options I found included a hotel pick up. Which makes it super easy to just roll out of bed at the early hour you’ll need to be ready for, and jump in your waiting vehicle.

The other reason most safaris start early is that Nairobi traffic can be insanely busy. Leaving early means you avoid a lot of it. In fact we were at the gates of Nairobi National Park within 20 minutes of leaving our hotel. That gave us tons more time for scouting out animals.

There are a number of gates to the park, and your driver will be experienced enough to know which ones are easiest to enter depending on where your hotel is. Likewise, the best one to go through at the end of the day to avoid traffic where possible.

What else can you do on your Nairobi safari tour?

Passively touring around a beautiful National Park animal spotting not enough for you? Not to worry, most tours include other activities too.

The most popular attractions just outside of Nairobi are also animal-related. Interact with the herd of Rothschild’s giraffes at the Giraffe Centre Nairobi – including getting to feed them. The sanctuary takes care of the animals, who have an incredible amount of space, and are free to come and go as they please.

Another popular attraction out here is the Karen Blixen Museum. It’s the former home of Dutch author Karen Blixen whose famous book was turned into a more famous movie, Out of Africa, starring Meryl Streep and Robert Redford. A tour of her former property tells the story of her move to Africa and the work she did to bring education to children in Kenya.

The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust is an elephant orphanage where you can get up close and personal with baby elephants and other animals. Sounds too good to be true, right?! Unlike the Giraffe Centre their visiting hours are very limited, only one hour per day. And booking in advance is essential. Make sure your tour has booked your ticket (this was a disappointment in ours as they “forgot” and we weren’t able to go in).

A lot of the Nairobi safari tours also include a visit to a bead factory, where you can buy locally made beaded jewelry and souvenirs. They support single mothers and other local women who use their creative skills to make some gorgeous necklaces and bracelets.

What animals will I see?

SO. MANY. ANIMALS! Within minutes of entering the gate to the National Park our Nairobi safari tour was off to an incredible start. Giraffes grazing with the city skyline as a contrasting backdrop. My favorite African animal dream was realized right away.

From there we spotted so many of the animals I’d either only seen on TV, or in a zoo as a child. To see them in the wild for the first time is a wonderful experience. I’m not going to lie, it was a very emotional day being so close to all these beautiful animals.

To make the most remarkable day even more fun, I had created fun Bingo cards for my friend and I to cross off animals we saw throughout the safari. Although I did create the Bingo game with our Tanzania safari in mind, so some of the animals (like elephants) are not found in Nairobi National Park.

RHINOS

Our first Big 5 animal of the day turned out to be a 3 in 1. A black rhino family of three: father, mother and a shy infant hiding behind mama.

Their small, and comically disproportioned ears fluttering to dispel the flies. Their gargantuan horns looking like something you don’t want to get too close to. And their small, sad-looking eyes that make your heart melt.

I was happy watching all three of the rhinos interact with each other as if we weren’t anywhere near. I would later see another family of rhinos in the park.

LIONS

The lioness crouches low, eyes locked on an impala who has wandered too far from the herd. Ears pricked, sensing danger, the impala nervously grazes, looking up after every bite. Rejoining the group and moving just out of reach to be worth running after, the impala avoids becoming prey, the lioness choosing to conserve her energy in the hot midday sun.

Tell me you didn’t read that in David Attenborough’s voice! My first lions were just as lazy as I could imagine. They eventually meandered into the road, forcing the vehicles to stop and let them pass.

It’s clear lions really rule the show here. A lioness climbs on top of the National Park sign, lays down and goes to sleep meters away from where I stood safely inside the vehicle. Wow!

OSTRICHES

A long neck and billowing black and white feathers, an ostrich came closer, emerging from the long grass with delicate but strong strides. This is the biggest bird I have ever seen. It was more obvious in this moment than any other in my life that birds are descended from dinosaurs.

I thought geese were scary but there’s no way I would want to come toe to toe with a 6-8ft ostrich. Still, seeing them stalking along with a slow and methodical graceful walk it’s hard not to stare. Or watching them take a dust bath, particles of Africa’s dry, red earth swirling around them.

ZEBRAS

Every single African animal you will encounter on your Nairobi safari is so incredibly unique, yet the zebra just feel the most unreal. Stumpy-legged, striped horses – they look so similar to the animal you know from back home, but a little more extra.

Zebras were to my friend as giraffes are to me. The number one animal she needed to see. Mostly because she’d gone an entire 3-day South Africa safari a few years back without seeing one at all. We weren’t disappointed. There were herds of zebras around every corner of our trail through Nairobi National Park.

CROCODILES

Basking in the sun at the main water source in the park were the almost camouflaged crocodiles. But every now and again something would get a little close and the massive jaws would open, revealing rows of the sharpest teeth.

A nervous, but thirsty giraffe, contemplated passing the snappy reptiles, rowed up like a defensive line of pawns in a potentially deadly game of chess. He thought better of it, and they remained blissfully at peace in the still water.

WHAT ELSE???

As already noted, one of the most popular of the Big 5 – the elephant – cannot be found in Nairobi National Park. While I was excited to see my first elephant, I would have to wait for my later safari. However you can visit the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust if you really want to see one.

We did, however, see the three Ws (OK, I just made that up): Water buffalo, Wildebeest and Warthogs. The latter is one of my favorites – how can you not love Pumba?!

These odd-looking little creatures, with their wiry hair and gruff looking tusked faces are not the cutest. But that’s kind of why I like them, they don’t get as much attention as some of the other, prettier, animals.

There are a lot of antelopes in the park – perfect for hungry lions. As well as impalas, you can find the hartebeest and the eland (the world’s largest antelopes).

While you might have your favorite animal or your must-see species, a lot of that fades away as you enter the park. Seeing any of these animals in the flesh, up close, is an amazing thing. Keep your eyes peeled as you drive along – you never know what you’ll end up seeing.

Is a Nairobi safari worth the time and money?

For a day out of your vacation? Absolutely! You don’t need to commit to a huge amount of time, more than one day, to your Nairobi safari. And the multitude of tours being offered by local companies keep the rates competitive. This is by far one of the most budget-friendly safari options I saw on my African adventure.

For everything we were able to see and do in a day, I was happy to pay for this amazing experience. Seeing so many animals on only my second day in Kenya was a dream come true. It really set the stage for my longer safari. The animals are also all so close to Nairobi city.

Our safari was a little more expensive than some as we opted for the private tour, only the two of us with our driver. It also included all the entry fees.

You can often get cheaper tours if you travel as part of a larger group. Usually the vehicles hold up to 6 people – and don’t worry, they’re very spacious with room to stand up and move around so everyone gets great views (and photos).

If you’re spending any time at all in Kenya I can’t recommend a Nairobi safari tour enough. While I enjoyed my Tanzania safari in the more isolated Serengeti, seeing the animals in Nairobi National Park with the city in the background was a unique perspective I can’t imagine missing.

If you’ve enjoyed this post leave a comment or share using the social media buttons below. Have you visited Kenya before? Did you take a Nairobi safari tour on your visit? Which animals would be top of your list?