After three days of conference, meetings and field trips, the idea was to have a safari at Nairobi National Park. We were busy visiting biogas plants in and around Nairobi after which we arrived at the Park at about 1600 hrs. Though the park was open till 1730 hrs, the attendants refused us entry. The whole safari in the park would take a minimum of 2 – 3 hours and it was already getting dark.

Make sure you visit the national park in the morning, latest by 1400 hrs. 

Instead, we visited the animal orphanage, located beside the park. The cost was $25 per person. We went around the park, accompanied by a security guard. The whole trip lasted 1.5 hours – many lions, a 8 month old giraffe, hyenas, monkeys etc. It is a good initiative as most of the animals were either rescued from poachers or were abandoned by their mothers. However, the conditions were not good – more animals in less amount of space. Slightly expensive for the short trip, but overall a good alternative if you miss the national park.