2025 Guide to Visiting Nairobi National Park – Kenya

Nairobi National Park, located roughly only 7kms from Kenya’s capital city, offers a unique safari experience with its juxtaposition of African wildlife against city skyline views. This safari park not only provides an easy escape from urban Nairobi but also holds the distinction of being the only national park in the world located within a capital city. The park is fenced on three sides, but open to the south for migratory animals to wander in and out.

Nairobi National Park is a great chance to go on a safari without having to go very far — visiting this park works out really well if you’re in Nairobi on business and don’t have time to take a full-on safari. In this guide, I’ll give you everything you need to know about visiting Nairobi National Park.

Table of Contents

• Getting to Nairobi National Park
• How much does it cost to visit Nairobi National Park?
• What animals will we see in Nairobi National Park?
• When to visit Nairobi National Park?
• Why did we visit Nairobi National Park when we already did a 13 day safari?
• Is Nairobi National Park worth it if you’re going to other game parks in Kenya?
• What Else to See and Do in Nairobi National Park
• Picnic Sites and Restrooms
• What else to do after visiting Nairobi National Park?
• More East Africa Safari Information

Getting to Nairobi National Park

Nairobi National Park is conveniently situated approximately 7 kilometers south of the Nairobi city center. It is easily accessible by car, and you can also find taxis or arrange for a guided tour that includes transportation to and from the park. This is one of the few game parks in East Africa that allow you to self-drive your own vehicle, although I do not recommend it.

I definitely recommend hiring a driver/guide for the day to do this park. Be honest with yourself — do you know African wildlife patterns? Do you know where in the park they like to roam? The guides radio each other to alert them of an interesting encounter, such as a lion preparing to take down its prey – you won’t be privy to that information. If you don’t know this stuff, you’re not going to see much! A guide will give you the best possible experience here – I recommend looking at SafariBookings.com and you’ll find tons of tour operators in Nairobi that will give you a one-day game drive in Nairobi National Park. Your tour will also include hotel pick-up and drop off in the Nairobi area.

Signage in the park isn’t always that clear — you might find yourself driving around in circles, not knowing which way is which. Another vote for hiring a guide!

For us, we hired a private guide and driver for the day. We were picked up at 6am to start our tour and arrived back at the hotel around 4pm. In addition to the game drive, we visited the Giraffe Center and went out for lunch. I recommend the Boho Eatery as a great place to eat that’s close to the park and the Giraffe Center! The chicken tacos were fab!

RELATED: Overwhelmed on how to chose a safari tour operator? So was I! Here is my guide to choosing a safari tour operator.

How much does it cost to visit Nairobi National Park?

If you’re just looking at park entrance fees, fees have gone up quite a bit for 2024 — it will now cost you $100 USD per person to visit the park (assuming you are not a Kenyan citizen). Compared to when we went (Spring of 2023) we paid only $35 per person for our entry fees.

But you’re going to want a guide/driver for the park. Again, look at SafariBookings.com for a tour operator. They will typically include your park fees in the overall price.

What animals will we see in Nairobi National Park?

You can find lots of animals in Nairobi National Park, including lions, leopards, buffalo, and rhinos. This is a true game park – you will be viewing these animals in their natural habitat and there is no guarantee that you will something. Again, I want to stress the need for hiring a guide to take you on a game drive here – you will see so much more than going at it on your own.

When to visit Nairobi National Park?

The park is open year round from 6am – 6pm. The best time of year visit is during the dry seasons, from July to October and from January to February. These months offer the best wildlife viewing opportunities as animals gather around water sources. Mornings are typically the best time of day to see animals when they are most active.

We visited Nairobi National Park in mid-March, which is the start of rainy season. It did not rain once when we were in Nairobi during this time and we saw plenty of wildlife in the park! Although during our visit, the air was hazy and it was really tough to get a shot of wildlife with the city skyline in the background.

Why did we visit Nairobi National Park when we already did a 13 day safari?

Good question! We visited Nairobi National Park after we had already done a 13 day safari in Kenya and Tanzania. At this point in our trip, we were back in Nairobi for a few days before we would head to Uganda. My husband was in Nairobi for work and didn’t have time to go on a full safari like my sister and I did, so along with a few of his coworkers, we did a day trip to the park.

RELATED: Crash Course for Planning Your First East Africa Safari

Is Nairobi National Park worth it if you’re going to other game parks in Kenya?

Hmm. It depends. I really enjoyed our safari here — we did this just as a half day safari, starting in the early morning, and in the afternoon, we visited the Giraffe Center. It was really interesting to see giraffes up against the skyline of Nairobi, we saw four of the “big five” just in our half day here, and we saw an gruesome ‘kill’ from a lion taking down its prey.

But Nairobi National Park isn’t a must-do if you’re going to the Masaai Mara or other game parks. You won’t find elephants here. If you have extra time in Nairobi, then sure — that’s why we did this, as ultimately, there isn’t a whole lot to see in Nairobi after a few days.

What Else to See and Do in Nairobi National Park

• Game Drives: The main thing to do in Nairobi National Park obviously, is to go on a game drive to see some of Africa’s most iconic wildlife, including lions, giraffes, zebras, and cheetahs, against the backdrop of Nairobi’s skyscrapers. The park offers both self-driven and guided tour options. You can find four of the “Africa Big Five” in this park! (You won’t find elephants in this park).
• Walking Trails: For those who prefer a more intimate encounter with nature, the park has several walking trails. The Hippo Pools Trail offers a guided walk that includes a chance to see hippos and crocodiles up close. The walking trails are located at the park entrance. We did not do this on our visit.
• The Ivory Burning Site Monument: Visit this historic site where, in 1989, President Daniel arap Moi made a significant statement against poaching by burning 12 tons of ivory.
• Sheldrick Wildlife Trust Elephant Nursery: Located near the park, this renowned rehabilitation center for orphaned elephants and rhinos offers public viewings during feeding times, an excellent opportunity for visitors to learn about conservation efforts. You can read about my experience here.

Picnic Sites and Restrooms

There are several scenic picnic sites throughout the park, such as Kingfisher Picnic Site and Impala Picnic Site, where you can enjoy a meal surrounded by nature. Be sure to keep food secured, as monkeys may try to take your grub!

There are also restrooms located at these picnic sites, but they’re quite…rustic. Make sure to bring your own toilet paper – it’s often not stocked properly, or they just don’t bother with it (squatty toilets are common in this part of the world). This goes for any safari park — some of them do not have picnic areas and you’ll just have to go in the African bush!

What else to do after visiting Nairobi National Park?

Nairobi’s other main tourist attractions are located not too far from the national park.

Sheldrick Wildlife Refuge / Elephant Nursery: This is now, as of 2024, part of Nairobi National Park. You have to pay the Nairobi National Park entrance fee to visit (which again is $100 USD). If you want to visit the orphanage, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND you do this on the same day as your visit to the park. You will need advance reservations.

Giraffe Centre: Home to the Rothschild Giraffes, you can get up close and personal with the giraffes here — and feed them! Advance reservations are not required. Roughly $11.45 USD pp. I wrote a whole blog post about visiting the Giraffe Centre.