Nairobi is feted as being the only city in the world with a national park within its borders. The sensation of watching lions or rhinos in the wild before a backdrop of skyscrapers is unique to Nairobi and seems implausible yet exciting. 100 species of animals including lion, leopard, hyena, giraffe and wildebeest are found here, as well as 400 bird species of which around 20 are seasonal migrants from Europe. The park has a number of picnic sites and viewpoints, and some walking trails around the hippo pools.
Nairobi National Park made history by being the first park to be gazetted in Kenya, in 1946. It was also the site at which Kenya burned 12 tons of ivory in 1989, sending a strong message to poachers, ivory traffickers and ivory consumers alike.
The Nairobi Safari Walk, at the main entrance to the park, is a raised walkway from which visitors can look down on Kenya’s many species of animal including the rarely seen bongo and albino zebra, as well as around 150 species of indigenous trees. The animal orphanage, also at the main entrance of the park, is a treatment and rehabilitation centre for orphaned or injured animals including serval cat, sokoke cat, leopard and warthog.
