Nairobi National Park Safari
Right in Nairobi is a 45 square mile national park that is home to many of Kenya’s native animal species. The park is bounded on a few sides by highways but is otherwise not contained. If a predator leaves, they use helicopters to herd the animal back in the park both for their safety and that of its human neighbors.
With a wake up call of 6am we were at the park entrance by 7am to get the best view of animals before the day warmed up. Our driver (another recommendation from friends) had a land cruiser with the pop-up top. The steel sides of our large vehicle wasn’t enough separating Rosie and the animals, but she warmed up to the safari a few hours in. Jordan, on the other hand, enjoyed the first hour and then settled in with his book. For me, I can honestly say, it never gets old!
The thing about safaris is that it’s a lot of time riding in a car and keeping really quiet. During our time in Africa, we probably spent nearly 25 hours total on safari drives. All things considered, the kids did great. This particular morning was about 5 hours before we stopped for lunch. We saw zebra, giraffe, baboons, crocodiles, buffalo, a lion (once word was out, the lion had about 10 cars all lined up watching him, which I found hilarious and part of the safari experience), a male hippo, many different birds, black rhinos, antelope, ostriches, and more. As some of these are predators, you cannot get out of the car. For a short walking tour we had an armed guard leading us.
There is an animal orphanage at the national park as well. Luckily, there weren’t too many animals in residence at the time. What was amazing to see, and I wish I had better pictures of, were the Kenyan school children in their very elaborate school uniforms. Each school has different bright colors - purple and yellow, green and orange, pink and white. Some were in the athletic version of their uniform which is fancier than most Adidas track suits. Some preschoolers were in dresses and tights or suits and ties. There was no navy and khaki to be found! The Kenyan kids found Rosie and Jordan much more interesting than any animals there and a mutual curiosity punctuated our visit, with some boys asking Rosie her name and just smiling as they stared and walked away.
After our five hour tour and the orphanage, we went to lunch at a restaurant aptly named “Carnivore,” known for serving all sorts of exotic meats, Brazilian steakhouse-style. We tried ostrich (tastes like chicken) but passed on the ox balls. Jordan hates chicken but exclaimed, “mmmm! Crocodile is SO GOOD!”
These experiences, so close to home, are part of what makes Nairobi so special.
