Nairobi National Park

On Sunday, I decided to take a mini safari in Nairobi National Park. Yes, there is a National Park with a safari inside the city limits. It is small as far as Kenyan National Parks go, but it was the first national park in Kenya. It has four of the "big 5" in it. The big 5 are lions, black rhinos, African elephants, leopards, and cape buffalo. The one missing from Nairobi National Park is the elephant because they eat more than the park can sustain.

I arrived at the park around 2:00 with the plan of taking the park shuttle around. It only tours the park on Sunday afternoons. My Lonely Planet said it leaves at 3:00 (but have your name on the reservation list by 2:30) and costs $20. I'm glad I got there early. It took me a while to find where the bus left from and it left at 2:30. There was no reservation list. You get on the bus, they collect your money ($50, not $20), and then it heads out. Luckily, I was able to get a window seat.

A sign I encountered on my search for the park shuttle. Adults better watch out because apparently, they do not have the right of way.

The park shuttle

Entering the park

Zebras!

Giraffes munching on a tree

More zebras and a couple of kudus (I think)

Ostrich

An airplane - not your typical sight on safari, but the airport is just east of the park.

Another ostrich

From a slightly different angle that includes the Nairobi skyline

Impala

Warthog

A bunch of female impalas, there are a couple of males hiding in there

Cape buffalo - the only one of the big 5 I saw

A menagerie of animals - male and female ostriches, zebras, and impalas

All in all, it was a fun way to spend the afternoon. If I had to do it again though, I would just hire a car and make my own mini safari. I think the entry fee to the park is $40, so it would be comparable to the park shuttle. While you would lose the tour guide, who was good, you would gain the ability to stop when and for how long you want. Plus, you'd get a better view of what was out the other side of the vehicle. I definitely missed some photo opportunities because of of those things, but I will have other opportunities. Hopefully my real safari will also include lion and elephant sitings as well.