NAIROBI NATIONAL PARK (5.30 am-10.30 am)
The 117 km2 Nairobi National Park is unique by being the only protected area in the world with a variety of animals and birds close to a capital city. As expected, the park is a principal attraction for visitors to Nairobi. The Park also serves many residents and citizens living in the city and has a diversity of environments with characteristic fauna and flora. Open grass plains with scattered acacia bush are predominant. The western side has a highland dry forest and a permanent river with a riverine forest in the south. In addition, there are stretches of broken bush country and deep, rocky valleys and gorges with scrub and long grass. Man-made dams have also added a further habitat, favorable to certain species of birds and another aquatic biota (life forms). The dams also attract water dependent herbivores during the dry season. Nairobi National Park is one of the most successful of Kenya’s rhino sanctuaries that is already generating a stock for reintroduction in the species former range and other upcoming sanctuaries. Due to this success, it is one of the few parks where a visitor can be certain of seeing a black rhino in its natural habitat. To the south of the park is the Athi-Kapiti Plains and Kitengela Migration and dispersal area. These are vital areas for
herbivores dispersal during the rains and concentrate in the park in the dry season. Roads: Located only about 7 km from the city center, the Park is easily accessible on tarmac roads, mainly through Langata Road. There is an adequate administration and viewing road network with satisfactory signage.
Nairobi National Park major attractions found in the Park
Diverse birdlife
Black rhinoceros
Walking trails at hippo pools
Ivory Burning Site Monument
Nairobi Safari Walk & the Orphanage
Spacious accommodating Picnic Sites
Large predators- lion, leopard, hyena, and cheetah
Annual wildebeest and zebra migration in July/August
DAVID SHELDRICK (11-12 Pm)
The first young elephant orphans of Tsavo were Samson a two-year-old baby bull orphaned during drought conditions in 1952 and Fatuma a two year old baby female orphaned by poachers soon afterward during the same year. There followed many others over the subsequent early years of David Sheldrick 30 years as Warden of Tsavo East National Park, but always *only* those
orphaned either, just below, or at two years old and over, survived. The hand-rearing of a fully milk dependent *infant* elephant (i.e. under two years of age) was something that eluded the Sheldrick for 28 years for an infant elephant is milk dependent for at least the first two years of life, and those that survive in a wild situation without access to milk between the age of 2 and 3, are few. This has been established by the scientific monitoring of the Amboseli population for the past 30 years. The composition of the *fat* content of elephants milk is very different from that of cow’s milk, added to which evidence suggests the actual protein and fat composition of elephants milk varies during different stages of lactation to cater for the growing needs of a baby. This means that two years is a very long time to be reliant on an artificial substance that is not identical to / mother milk, / especially in view of the fact that Nature has made infant African elephants *exceedingly* *fragile;* they can be fine one day and dead the next and one can never be sure that a calf will survive until it is past its second birthday. The hand-rearing of orphaned elephants is an emotional roller-coaster for those involved, for tragedy stalks success and can strike unexpectedly at any moment.
Rehabilitation
All the elephant orphans raised by the Trust are gradually rehabilitated back into the wild elephant community of Tsavo National Park when grown, a transition that is made at their own pace and in their own time, but usually taking approximately eight to ten years. A number of our ex Nursery orphans have now had wild born young which they have brought back to show their erstwhile human family, and others are now pregnant and living free, yet keeping in touch with those who are still Keeper dependent. Amongst these are many orphaned too young to have any recollection of their elephant and Family.
Giraffe Center Nairobi Day Tour (Tour Duration: 2 Hours)
The Giraffe Centre Day Tours! The Giraffe Centre is located at Langata, approximately 20 kilometers from the center of Nairobi,
Kenya. The Giraffe Center is a wonderful and refreshing experience undertaken during African Spice Safaris excursion in Nairobi. Nairobi Giraffe Centre tour gives a completely up close and personal interaction where guests have the opportunity to view giraffes as well as feed them. The center has rescued, hand-reared and released around 500 orphaned giraffes back into the wild since opening in 1979.
Young giraffes born at the Centre were trans-located to; Soy Sambu Ranch near Lake Elementaita, and Kigio Conservancy near Gilgil and Sergoit ranch in Eldoret while recently they trans-located some to Mwea National Game Reserve. Today the Rothschild Giraffe population in Kenya is about 300.
Up Close & Personal at the Giraffe Centre Karen Nairobi
Feeding a Giraffe at the Giraffe Centre Nairobi
A kiss from a giraffe at the Giraffe Centre, Nairobi
Nairobi Mamba Village Leisure Park ( 2 Hours)
The mamba village leisure park provides a great location for relaxation. Outdoor activities such as garden weddings, graduation ceremonies, concerts self-structured games and funfair’s can be held here. A soon-to-be-inaugurated Leisure Park covering about 10 acres is currently under creation. Upon completion, it is expected to transform Nairobi Mamba Village into an environmental conservation center and a botanical garden of a kind in East Africa with more than 90 medicinal trees already planted in the grounds.
Nairobi Mamba Village concentration of indigenous medicinal plants and exotic trees cannot be found anywhere else in Nairobi on a single location. In the long term Nairobi Mamba Village Leisure Park is intended to offer an ideal location for relaxation, outdoor activities such as garden weddings, graduation ceremonies, live music concerts, self-structured games and funfair’s among other activities, which require expansive space. Nairobi Mamba Village Leisure Park in future will have the following features;
Medicinal arboretum
Large open lawns
Amphitheater
Water garden
Palm garden
Mini-Golf
