Nairobi National Park Tour: Half-Day or Full-Day Game Drive

Nairobi National Park Tour: Half-Day or Full-Day Game Drive

Lions, rhinos, and giraffes, with Nairobi’s skyscrapers on the horizon. Nairobi National Park, Kenya’s first national park, opened in 1946, is the only national park bordering a capital city, just 10 kilometers from the city center. Its 117 square kilometers of open plains, acacia woodland, and riverine forest are home to four of the Big Five (lions, leopards, buffalo, and rhinos, though no elephants), along with cheetahs, hyenas, zebras, giraffes, and more than 400 species of birds.

Because the park is so close, a game drive fits easily into a short stay: on your arrival day, before you fly home, or between connecting flights. We pick you up from your Nairobi hotel or from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, and the vehicle is yours alone for the whole tour.

Nairobi National Park Tour Prices – 2027 Rates

Prices depend on the time of year, whether you take a half-day or full-day tour, and how many people are traveling together. The more people sharing the vehicle, the lower the per-person price.

Choose Your Tour

Morning half-day tour: 5:45 AM – 11:00 AM

We pick you up from your Nairobi hotel or the airport at 5:45 AM and drive to the park for sunrise, when the animals are most active and the light is soft. Spend the morning looking for lions, rhinos, giraffes, zebras, buffalo and antelopes, with the Nairobi skyline as a backdrop, before heading out of the park and dropping you at your hotel at about 11:00 AM.

Afternoon half-day tour: 1:30 PM – 6:30 PM

A good choice if you land in the morning or have a free afternoon. We pick you up at 1:30 PM and take you on a game drive as the heat of the day eases and the animals start moving again, returning you to your hotel around 6:30 PM.

Full-day tour: 8:00 AM – 4:30 PM

With a whole day, your guide can take you to every corner of the park, from the open southern plains where lions often hunt to the forest and river gorges. Stop at the Ivory Burning Site Monument, where Kenya burned 12 tonnes of seized ivory in 1989, and at one of the park’s picnic sites, and drive beneath the Standard Gauge Railway bridge that crosses the park. A park lunch can be added for US$ 25 per person. We drop you back at your hotel at about 4:30 PM.

Optional Add-ons

Your tour can be combined with other Nairobi highlights. These are available on request, so let us know which you would like and we will plan your day around them.

• Park lunch on the full-day tour – US$ 25 per person
• David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust elephant orphanage, where you watch the orphaned baby elephants being fed and bathed (it opens to visitors for just one hour a day, so we time your tour around it) – on request – note: This requires advance booking and can get sold out. Therefore, we highly recommend booking early.
• The Giraffe Center, where you can feed endangered Rothschild’s giraffes from a raised platform – on request
• Kazuri Beads, a workshop where local women hand-make ceramic beads and jewelry – on request
• The Nairobi National Museum and Snake Park – on request
• Fairview Coffee Estate, for a coffee farm tour and tasting – on request
• Any other place in Nairobi you would like to visit – on request

Package Includes

• Nairobi National Park entrance fees
• Pick-up and drop-off at your Nairobi hotel or Jomo Kenyatta International Airport
• Services of an English-speaking, experienced driver-guide
• Transport in a 4×4 safari Land Cruiser with a pop-up roof, for your exclusive use throughout the tour
• 1.5 litres of bottled water per person per day in the vehicle
• All government taxes and levies
• Safari accessories (first aid kit, cooler box and fire extinguisher), a 24-hour emergency number and RF radio in all safari vehicles

Package Excludes

• Flying Doctors (AMREF) air ambulance evacuation cover – US$ 10 per person
• Lunch on the full-day tour (a park lunch can be added for US$ 25 per person)
• Optional add-on visits and their entrance fees
• Driver tips
• Drinks, international flights, visas, travel insurance and personal expenses

Nairobi National Park Tour FAQ

Will we see rhinos and lions?

Very likely. The park is a rhino sanctuary, home to both black and white rhinos, and lions are often seen. As with any safari, sightings can never be guaranteed. Elephants do not live in the park, but you can see orphaned baby elephants at the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust nearby.

Is the morning or the afternoon better?

The morning tour usually offers the best game viewing, because the animals are most active and the predators are often still on the move after the night. The afternoon tour is a good choice if you arrive in Nairobi in the morning or prefer not to start before dawn.

Can I do the tour on a layover?

Yes. We can collect you from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and bring you back in time for your next flight, as the park is only a short drive from the airport. You will need to pass through Kenyan immigration, so check that you have the right entry documents, such as Kenya’s electronic travel authorisation (eTA), and allow enough time between flights.

Can children come on the tour?

Yes, the tour is suitable for children, and families travel in their own private vehicle. Please contact us for child rates.

What should I bring?

Early mornings can be cool, so bring a light jacket or fleece, plus a hat, sunscreen and sunglasses for later in the day. Binoculars and a camera with a zoom lens make a big difference for spotting rhinos and lions at a distance.

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