Kenya is well known for its amazing wildlife. You can barely turn on Animal Planet or any other nature program without seeing the exploits from Kenya’s incredible nature. However, even if you are simply visiting (or living in) the buzzing capital of Nairobi you are by no means cut off from peeking at the wondrous wild life of Kenya.
Lets have a look at some of the interesting places to go within easy reach from Nairobi, where the nature of Kenya, the unique range of Kenyan animals and the beauty of the country can be experienced.
5. Nairobi Mamba Village
Mamba means crocodile in Swahili. As such, mamba village is exactly what it suggests. A village of crocodiles. Kenyan crocodiles are exactly as you expect them to be. Big. Scary. Fascinating. But at mamba village near Nairobi you get to come closer to these outstanding animals than anywhere else.
You can walk around the “village” just meters away from tribes of crocodiles. Mainly local species, but the village does sport a selection of Nile crocodiles and other visiting predators too. Especially exciting of course is to be there for the tumultuously violent feeding times when the crocodiles fight over meaty goodies, swallow raw meat in large quantities and general show their big teethy grins in scary ways.
Aside from the big crocodile enclosures you can meet baby crocodiles and even get to hold one of the vicious little wannabe predators if you dare. These baby crocodiles enjoy life next to a few families of placid old tortoises also residing at Nairobi Mamba Village. Outside the actual crocodile area you will find a large lake which sports boat rides and pleasant opportunities for a stroll around it to see a variety of other animals such as ostriches and camels residing in the mamba village. The visit to Nairobi Mamba village can be concluded with a meal at the combined pub and restaurant which has a stylish indoor bit and lovely outdoor areas which served a large buffet accompanied by live music on the day of our visit. You can read more about Nairobi Mamba Village here.
Mamba Village in Nairobi
Address: Langata North Road, Nairobi, Kenya
Entry Fee: 700 KES or 10 USD
4. Ngong Hills
The Ngong hills are marked as a national park. But it isnt the kind with icecream shops and playgrounds for the kids. In this, as in most cases in Kenya, it simply means the area is protected. And with good reason. The Ngong hills are one of the most beautiful areas for hiking, enjoying nature and looking for wild animals roaming around.
The gentle hills of Ngong gives you an almost perfect view of the valleys ahead and back towards Ngong city and Nairobi beyond. Forests and green bushy wilderness stretches up and down the slopes in this fertile piece of paradise.
Obviously the Ngong hills are packed with wild life. But it is actually wild. As such you wont just march in and see something interesting put in place for you in an enclosure. You have to go looking and exploring. If you do you might meet cheetahs, giraffes, gazelles, exotic Kenyan birds and an almost unlimited number of other creatures blessing these lands.
Whilst visiting these masai dominated parts of the Nairobi area we would highly recommend dining at Ole Polos restaurant near the Ngong Hills. It is a wonderful outdoor BBQ place with fresh meat and incredible views of the area.
3. Nairobi National Park Orphanage
On the road from Nairobi to Rongai you will find the main entrance to the Nairobi National Park (more about that later). However, before entering the park itself it is definitely worth your while to pay a visit to the Nairobi Animal Orphanage.
The animal orphanage of Nairobi National Park is the home of animals rescued from within the park by rangers and from elsewhere in Kenya. You can walk around the small zoo style setup and get acquinted with lion families, Kenyan forest cats, cheetahs, hyenas, jackals, serval cats, Sokoke cats, warthogs, Leopards, monkeys, baboons and much more besides. Of course the exact residents of the orphanage may vary based on what animals have been rescued and which have been released back into the wild.
Apart from supporting the park rangers in their rescue efforts, the orphanage give you a sure chance to see some of the animals that are hard to spot or find out in the wild wilderness of the Nairobi National Park itself. Further, this is a zoo with a purpose. It rescues, preserves and re-releases – and all income goes toward these noble efforts.
Oh and the park does not just get human visitors. Whilst we were there several monkeys resided in the orphanage – but it seemed just as many simply came from inside the wild of the park to visit. It was quite a spectacle seeing the monkey orphans and wild ones greet each other, pass food in and out of the enclosures and generally enjoy the company of one another.
Nairobi National Park Orphanage Info
Entry Fees: 250ksh for citizens, 25usd for tourists
Location: Langata Road, Nairobi
2. Nairobi Safari Walk
Right by the entrance to the Nairobi National Park and the Orphanage you also have the opportunity to experience a safari walk. The beautifully landscaped areas of the safari walk features huge enclosures with a wide range of Kenyan animals living there and walking around freely with plenty of space.
As in the orphanage the main benefit of the safari walk is that you get to see animals rarely seen in the National Park of Nairobi as they are simply too shy, hard to find or few in numbers. This goes for wonderful creatures such as the leopards and lions, some of the monkeys and indeed the magnificently self confident warthogs!
During the safari walk you can enjoy refreshments, take the raised boardwalk trips to the outskirt of the actual national park for some spectacular views or simply adore the Kenyan wildlife on easy display. You can read more about the Nairobi Safari Walk here.
Nairobi Safari Walk Info
Entry Fees: 250ksh for citizens, 25usd for tourists
Location: Langata Road, Nairobi
1 Nairobi National Park
Well of course. The very best place for sighting wildlife near Nairobi is obviously the national park itself. The park is a huge piece of largely undisturbed savanna with streams, swamps, grasslands and forests stretching for kilometer after kilometer. What makes it a “park” simply is that the outskirts are fenced and protected by park rangers – stopping interference with wildlife, poachers and the life.
You can drive into the park in your own car and rent a space with a guide in a safari vehicle. There are plenty round the park entrance. Either way the simple concept is to drive around the park for as long as you like looking for wildlife and enjoying the nature. Obviously, there are no guarantees that you will see anything. This is not a zoo but the real home of wild animals. They might come wandering past, they might not.
It is highly recommended that you plan your visit to the Nairobi National Park for very early in the morning, say 5am. Simply because that is when a lot of the animals get up and venture out for drinks and food. Furthermore, if its a busy day in the park visitor-wise the animals may have withdrawn to more remote parts if you sleep in. See more pictures from Nairobi National Park here.
Nairobi National Park Info
Entry Fees: 500ksh for citizens, 50usd for tourists
Location: Langata Road, Nairobi
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