We made another break from our busy schedule and took a half-day morning visit to Nairobi National Park. We could drive our vehicle there but did not know where to drive inside the park to catch the animals, so we booked a trip with Kenya Bush Expeditions (47 USD / person). Everyone would tell you that you have to pay the entrance fee in advance with M-Pesa via eCitizen, but actually, you can pay by card at the gate (🎟️45 USD).
It is Kenya’s most accessible yet incongruous safari experience. Set on the city’s southern outskirts, Nairobi National Park (at 117 sq km, one of Africa’s smallest) has abundant wildlife that can, in places, be viewed against a backdrop of city skyscrapers and planes coming into land – it’s one of the only national parks on earth bordering a capital city. Remarkably, the animals seem utterly unperturbed by it all.
The park is home to the world’s densest concentration of black rhinos (more than 50). Lions and hyenas are also commonly sighted within the park; rangers at the entrance usually have updates on lion movements. You’ll need a bit of patience and a lot of luck to spot the park’s resident cheetahs and leopards. Other regularly spotted species include gazelles, warthogs, zebras, giraffes, ostriches and buffaloes. The park’s wetland areas sustain approximately 400 bird species.
