Famously known as the Kifaru Ark, the Nairobi National Park hosts 50 black rhinoceros among other wildlife.
By providing a safe haven for the black rhino, the park is revered for its anti-poaching strategies to conserve wildlife in East Africa.
If you are a Wildlife enthusiast seeking the best wildlife experience in Kenya, you must visit the Nairobi National Park.
The park is beautiful and serene. It hosts several establishments that are all geared towards wildlife and nature conservation.
Within the park, visitors are treated to an impressive tour at the Nairobi Safari Walk.
On the boardwalk, you can view different mammals, insects, reptiles, and birds.
You will also learn about the forestry, wetlands, and savanna ecosystems that thrive in the park.
We offer day trips and excursions to this amazing park and welcome you to talk to our experts and book your slot today.
Kindly read through and see what the park has in store for you…
History of the Nairobi National Park
The Nairobi National Park was gazetted in the year 1946 and was initially a section of the Southern Game Reserve.
The formalization of the park was a result of the unrelenting efforts by Mervyn Hugh Cowie, a Kenyan-born wildlife conservationist.
The local communities threatened to encroach on land where the wild animals grazed.
Additionally, poachers had marked the area as a resourceful spot for hunting down rhinos to retrieve the rhino horns.
But with the increasing human activities in the park’s area, Cowie pushed legislation to limit human activities and to protect the flora and fauna in the park.
Human activities that interfered with the free movement of animals included grazing of domesticated animals, farming, and military expeditions.
Mervyn Cowie was appointed as a director of the newly gazetted Park with his tenure running from 1946 to 1966.
To show solidarity with Cowie’s initiative to preserve wildlife, the late President Daniel Moi destroyed a large batch of ivory weighing 12 tonnes in the park environs.
Today, that spot is termed the ivory burning site and poaching proceeds are burnt at that site to discourage poaching activities in Kenya.
Location of the Nairobi National Park
At the heart of Kenya’s capital city lies the phenomenal Nairobi National Park.
The park provides you with a lovely break from the city’s brick-and-mortar setup.
And yes, the park is so proximal to the city and thus you should not have any excuse not to visit and have fun.
Nairobi National Park is rich in wildlife thus making it a suitable place for a wildlife safari.
The park is 7 kilometers South of Nairobi’s central business district and covers an area of 117.21 square kilometers.
Additionally, the park lies at an altitude of 1760 meters above sea level.
Established in the year 1946, the park is owned by the Government of Kenya and managed by the Kenya Wildlife Service.
The park is fenced on three sides to contain the movement of wild animals into the city so as to limit human-wildlife conflict and encroachment.
The southern entrance to the park is not fenced to let in migrating wildlife from Kitengela plains.
The Park forms a critical portion of the Athi-Kapiti ecosystem and the Mbagathi river forms a boundary between the park and the Kitengela Conservation Area in the southern part of the park.
Wildlife Facts
Did you know that Kenya’s capital city is home to the highest number of black rhinoceros in the world?
The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust has a dedicated nursery at the Nairobi National Park to tender to orphaned and wounded baby elephants and rhinos.
That way, the country’s elephant and rhinoceros population gets protected for posterity.
Furthermore, the park is home to other wild animals such as:
- Grant Zebra
- Common Eland
- Coke’s Hartebeest
- The African Buffalo
- Gazelles
- Masai Girrafes
- Warthogs
- Impalas
- Other birds
- Baboons
- Hyenas
- Bongo Antelopes
- Cheetahs
- Lions
- Leopards
- Wildebeests
- Vultures
- Kingfishers
In addition, the park is affluent in resources with over 400 species of birds – both native and migrant species and an average of 100 mammal species.
The country’s focal point in animal rehabilitation is the Nairobi Animal Orphanage that is located within the park’s environs.
The orphanage is currently hosting and treating a diverse set of mammals and birds.
Expect to find animals such as the rare Sokoke Cats, other endangered species, and the others named above.
During the dry season, herbivores move to the park to feed on the extensive grass coverage and shrubs.
The acacia trees provide much-needed shade from the scorching sun.
The man-made dams along River Mbagathi provide sufficient water sources for the wild animals.
Carnivores such as lions, leopards, and cheetahs are more visible during the dry season as they come to prey on the herbivores while they are feeding or drinking water.
Hyenas and vultures lurk nearby to take advantage of the meat remnants left by their superior hunting rivals.
Furthermore, during the wet season, the herbivores move to the neighboring plains.
Activities
As alluded to above, there are several activities that you can indulge in while on a visit to this breathtaking park.
Below we share with you a few others that we have not mentioned above…
Camping
While at the park, you can enjoy the services of the Nairobi Tented Camp which is a self-contained lodge at the heart of the park.
They offer nine tents that can host two patrons per tent and So far, the camp is the only comfortable lodge in the park.
The tents are luxurious and do provide you with a comfortable bush safari.
However, the city is extremely close to the park hence accommodation options are widely varied.
The other common activities at the park that you can enjoy include:
- Bird watching
- Photography
- Video and Film Production
- Team Building Activities
- Weddings
- Picnics
- Romantic getaways, and the
- Geographical study of Flora and Fauna.
Getting the best wildlife experience in Kenya is most certainly a reality in the dry season.
Not only do you get to enjoy the unlimited view of the park’s rich wildlife, but also wallow in the beauty of the park’s surroundings such as the city’s skyline.
Nairobi National Park gives every visitor the best wildlife experience in Kenya.
Kindly talk to our safari experts and get your slot today…
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