Nairobi National Park

A short drive out of Nairobi’s central business district is the Nairobi National Park. Wide open grass plains and backdrop of the city scrapers, scattered acacia bush play host to a wide variety of wildlife.

It’s Kenya’s first national park national park gazetted in Kenya on December 16, 1946 and It’s probably the most unique national park in the world. Where else can you spot lions, rhino, buffalo and giraffe just minutes from a national capital city? Only 7 km (4 mi) from the heart of downtown.

Nairobi National Park
Nairobi National Park
Nairobi National Park

The park also features the highest density of black rhino in Kenya as it functions as a rhino sanctuary. In fact, the park has been nicknamed “Kifaru Ark” – kifaru is Kiswahili for rhinoceros. The park has diverse birdlife with over 400 bird species. At least 20 of which are seasonal European migrants.

This park is 117 kms squared and it is home to over 100 mammal species, four of the Big Five (lion, Buffalo, leopard and rhino) The park has many attraction points like the famous ivory Burning Site Monument where tusks worth millions of dollars were reduced to ashes as a way to discourage ivory trade. Other attraction areas are the Nairobi Orphanage, Safari walk, Hippo pool walking trails and a number of picnic sites.