General Overview
The only city centre national park in the world
The oldest of Kenya’s National Parks, the first National Park to be established in East Africa and the jewel in the crown of Kenya’s wildlife tourism portfolio, Nairobi National Park is unique. No other capital city in the world can boast a natural wilderness park, teeming with wildlife and home to over 400 species of birds – just ten minutes from the city centre.
Lion-gold plains, dappled shade and cool valleys
A long, sloping plain of black cotton soil scored by deep river valleys and gorges, Nairobi National Park is an area of unexpected beauty and diverse habitats, which include rolling grassy plains, riverine woodland, dense thicket, man-made dams and pools, rocky gorges and dry upland forest.
A thriving rhino sanctuary
One of Kenya’s most successful rhino sanctuaries, the Park has the highest density of black rhinos in the country.
A birding paradise
The Park’s exceptional birdlife records a remarkable 400 species; their numbers swelled March-May by a host of European migrants.
Pick of the picnic sites
Minutes from the city centre, easily accessed, and offering a well maintained and clearly signposted road network, the Park makes an ideal day trip wildlife safari venue and abounds in specially created picnic spots. These include:
Impala Observation Point and picnic site (Junction 23B)
High on a hill minutes from the main gate, this site offers a stone-built rondavel with panoramic views and a picnic area (with shaded picnic benches and latrines). It is also an excellent spot from which to scan the park for safari wildlife.
The Ivory Burning Site (Junction 1A)
Immediately inside the main gate, this area marks the spot where, in 1989, former president, Daniel Arap Moi, set fire to 12 tons of stockpiled ivory then worth over USD$ 1 million in a bid to eliminate the mass slaughter of Africa’s elephants. An important icon of wildlife protection, this popular picnic offers a broad area of open grass, picnic tables, shade and latrines.
Kingfisher Picnic Site (Junction 27C )
A cool, green shaded area with picnic tables, this is an ideal site for early morning bush breakfasts, lunchtime relaxation or evening sundowners.
Mokoyeti Picnic Site (Junction 14B)
An open cliff-top site with thatch-roof shaded picnic tables, latrines and extensive parking, this is an ideal site for family picnics at any time of the day.
Leopard Cliff Observation Point (junction 15)
A simple clearing reached by a minor diversion from the main road that leads through the Park to Cheetah Gate, this observation point offers fine panoramas of African wildlife as well as a small lookout with vistas into the rocky gorge below. Note: there are no picnic benches, shaded areas or latrines at this site.
