Nairobi National Park: safari with the Nairobi skyline in the background

Nairobi National Park was established as early as 1946, making it the oldest national park in Kenya. What makes this park special is its location right next to the metropolis of Nairobi. Over the years, the city has grown steadily towards the park, meaning that nature and urbanization literally exist side by side here.

The landscape consists of open plains, shrubs, tall grass, rocky areas, and marshlands. In some parts of the park, you see the Nairobi skyline appear in the background while you spot giraffes, buffaloes, or rhinos. The railway line running straight through the park also remains a remarkable sight. In the middle of nature, you suddenly see a train crossing a large railway bridge.

Many travelers head almost immediately after arriving in Kenya for the well-known safari areas such as the Masai Mara or Amboseli. That is a shame, because there is also plenty to discover in and around Nairobi. For example, I visited, among other places, the Mathare neighborhood, but I also went on a safari in Nairobi National Park twice.

Despite its location next to the city, the national park feels surprisingly wild. Especially during our first safari, we saw an incredible amount of wildlife.

For a national park located right next to a metropolis of millions, Nairobi National Park has an abundance of wildlife. More than 100 species of mammals and over 500 species of birds live in this area. Especially during our first safari, we saw an incredible number of animals. In fact, all the animals made an impression.

We saw a remarkable number of rhinos, especially white rhinos. Some lay relaxed by the water while birds preened their skin. Others walked literally right past the jeep, so we could almost touch them.

What makes this area extra special is that you can encounter both white and black rhinos here. White rhinos are larger, more broadly built, and live mainly on grass. Black rhinos are somewhat smaller, shyer, and eat leaves and branches from shrubs and trees. We also saw a group of black rhinos. And that is quite special, because you don't often see them during a safari.

Unlike in some other countries, rhinoceros horns in Kenya are usually not sawed off preventively due to poaching. I found it special to see these impressive animals here in their natural form.

There are about 50 lions living in the area. Naturally, we hoped to see them during our safari. For a long time, it didn't look like it, but right at the end of the game drive, on the way to the exit, we were lucky after all. Suddenly, we saw a lion lying in the tall grass. It was a beautiful ending to our safari.

A serval is still high on my wish list. This small wild feline is also found here, but does not show itself easily. For a moment, we thought we were in luck. Through the tall grass, we briefly saw part of its back with the characteristic spots, but before we could get a good look, the serval had already disappeared.

Leopards are present, although the chance of seeing one is incredibly small. According to guides, only a few are said to still live in the park. Cheetahs are sometimes seen, but the chance of spotting them is very small. In any case, we didn't see any during our safaris. The caracal is also present, but is rarely sighted.

There is a good chance you will also see giraffes in Nairobi National Park. Pay special attention to the trees these beautiful animals feed on. The trees they eat take on a cone-like shape because giraffes primarily strip the upper branches bare.

In addition, there are countless other animals you can see. We saw, among others, buffaloes, warthogs, impalas, gazelles, zebras, crocodiles, hippos, ostriches, hyraxes, and various types of monkeys. Furthermore, hyenas, dik-diks, oribis, reedbucks, turtles, and jackals also live there.

One moment you are looking out over the savannah with giraffes in the background, and a moment later warthogs cross in front of the jeep or hippos are lying in the water.

Bird lovers can also feast their eyes in Nairobi National Park. The grey crowned crane, in particular, stands out with the striking golden tuft on its head. In addition, we saw an incredible number of widowbirds. The males, especially, are notable for their extremely long tail feathers. Sometimes, because of this, they barely seem to get off the ground.

Furthermore, we encountered, among others, the guinea fowl, spurfowl, bee-eaters, and the distinctive hammerkop. Birds of prey also showed themselves regularly. For instance, we spotted the martial eagle, long-crested eagle, and various flocks of vultures.

At one of the pools, we saw two different species of vultures up close. They were relaxing along the water's edge, and some vultures even went into the water to wash themselves. I had never seen this before.

Not everyone pays attention to birds during a safari, but if you also have an eye for the smaller animals, there is an incredible amount to discover.

Although Nairobi National Park has abundant wildlife, you will not spot the entire Big Five here. Elephants, for example, do not live in the park. Leopards do live there, but the chance of seeing them is extremely small.

Zebras are also quite seasonal. We visited the park in April, at the end of the rainy season. During this period, many zebras migrate to higher areas outside the park. We did eventually see a few zebras, but clearly fewer than expected.

The weather plays a major role during a safari in any case. During our first game drive, we saw an incredible number of animals in dry and clear weather. The second safari was much quieter in terms of wildlife. It was cloudier then, and it rained occasionally.

To be honest, I didn't really know what to expect beforehand. Because of its location right next to the city, I had expected there wouldn't be much wildlife to see. Quite a few jeeps were lined up at the entrance to Nairobi National Park, which made me briefly afraid it would become too touristy. That feeling actually disappeared immediately as soon as we drove further into the park.

Nairobi National Park is large enough for the jeeps to spread out quickly. You don't constantly drive in convoys or traffic jams of safari vehicles here. Of course, the time of year you travel also plays a major role. We visited the park in April, which is a relatively quiet month in Kenya.

We saw a lot of wildlife without large groups of jeeps immediately surrounding them. Sometimes, however, you would see several jeeps parked together in the distance. To be honest, that did create a bit of excitement, because you are immediately curious to see which animal has been spotted there.

In terms of crowds, I ultimately found Nairobi National Park to be much less crowded than expected.

The time of year you visit Nairobi National Park has quite an influence on what you see. We were there in April, at the end of the rainy season. As a result, the landscape was beautifully green, and in some places, flowers were even in bloom. That really gave the park a lot of color.

One downside of this period is that the grass can be quite high. As a result, smaller animals, in particular, disappear from view quickly. You sometimes have to look really closely to spot wildlife. But I actually found the landscape looked very beautiful during this time. Everything looked much greener than some other safari areas in Kenya. And how often do you get to take photos of wildlife among the colorful flowers?

In dry and sunny weather, you get a completely different experience. During our first safari, it was quite dusty. Because the roads are unpaved, our bags and cameras ended up completely covered in dust. A good camera bag or protection for your equipment is therefore not an unnecessary luxury.

To be honest, I found Nairobi National Park much more impressive than expected. Beforehand, I had the idea that a national park next to a city of millions might feel less wild, but that turned out not to be the case at all.

Our first safari, in particular, was incredibly good. We saw a lot of wildlife and many different animals. The rhinos made a particularly strong impression because they were so close. The contrast between the Nairobi skyline and the animals on the savannah really gives this park a unique character.

Of course, this is no Masai Mara. You don't come here for massive migrations or endless plains full of wildlife. Still, I think Nairobi National Park is absolutely worth visiting if you are traveling through Kenya. Especially as the first safari of your trip, this is a fantastic introduction to wildlife in Africa.

I visited Nairobi National Park during a tour of Kenya with Kipanga AdventuresIn two weeks, we traveled through various national parks, lakes, and coastal areas in Kenya. Among others, we visited Ol Pejeta Conservancy, Lake Naivasha, Hell's Gate National Park, the Masai Mara, and Diani Beach.

The trip consisted of a combination of safaris, nature, local culture, and special encounters. From rhinos in Nairobi National Park to cycling among zebras in Hell's Gate and a hot air balloon ride over the Masai Mara.