Nairobi National Park
Nairobi National Park
Kenya's first national park, gazetted in 1946 — 117 km² of open savannah, black rhino and big cats with the city skyline as a backdrop.
Nairobi National Park sits just 7km south of Nairobi's city centre, making it one of the only capital cities on earth with a fully wild national park on its doorstep. Gazetted in 1946, it was Kenya's very first national park and remains one of its most photographed, thanks to images of lion and giraffe with office towers rising behind them.
A fenced park with an open door south
The park is fenced along its northern, eastern and western edges, where it meets the city, Nairobi's suburbs and the road to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA). To the south, it is open into the Kitengela–Athi-Kaputiei dispersal area, a wildlife corridor that lets herbivores move seasonally between the park and the wider Athi-Kaputiei plains, following rain and grazing.
That openness explains a lot about what you will and will not see. Elephants, which need far larger unfenced ranges, are absent from Nairobi National Park. In their place, the park is famous for one of Kenya's densest populations of black rhino, protected within reach of the capital's rangers and veterinary services, alongside healthy numbers of lion, leopard, cheetah, buffalo, Maasai giraffe and hippo.
Official name
Nairobi National Park
Gazetted
1946 — Kenya's first national park
Size
117 km²
County
Nairobi County, Kenya
Managed by
Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS)
Boundary
Fenced north, east & west; open south to Kitengela
Distance from city centre
≈ 7 km / 20–40 minutes by road
Nearby
Wilson Airport, JKIA, Nairobi Safari Walk, Animal Orphanage
What makes the park worth visiting
Nairobi National Park is ideal for travellers with limited time — a half-day game drive fits easily around a flight connection at Wilson Airport or JKIA, and there is genuinely no other capital city safari like it. Over 500 bird species have been recorded here, and the open plains, rocky gorges and riverine forest pack a surprising variety of habitat into a small area.
The park also sits alongside a cluster of conservation attractions that make a full day easy to fill: the Nairobi Safari Walk and the Animal Orphanage at the Main Gate, the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust elephant nursery and the Giraffe Centre nearby, and the sobering Ivory Burning Site Monument, which marks where Kenya has publicly destroyed its confiscated ivory stockpiles.
Why it matters
A park within the city
Because the park is so compact and so close to town, sightings are efficient: a well-timed half-day drive can take in rhino, lion and giraffe along with a backdrop found nowhere else in Africa. See our wildlife guide for what to expect on each circuit.
For visitors on a layover, a business trip or a short stopover between coastal and northern Kenya itineraries, Nairobi National Park turns dead time into a genuine safari. See our month-by-month guide for when to travel and park fees for current entry costs.
Questions
Nairobi National Park FAQs
Is Nairobi National Park a real national park?
Yes. Nairobi National Park was gazetted in 1946 as Kenya's first national park and is managed centrally by the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), unlike the county-run national reserves elsewhere in the country.
How big is Nairobi National Park?
The park covers roughly 117 square kilometres. It is fenced along its northern, eastern and western boundaries against the city, and open to the south into the Kitengela–Athi-Kaputiei dispersal area, which allows wildlife to migrate seasonally.
How close is the park to Nairobi city centre?
Extraordinarily close — the Main Gate on Langata Road is about 7km from the city centre, roughly a 20 to 40 minute drive depending on traffic. It is one of the very few capital cities in the world with a full game park on its doorstep.
Are there elephants in Nairobi National Park?
No. Because the park is fenced on three sides, it does not support elephants. It does, however, hold one of Kenya's densest black rhino populations, alongside lion, leopard, cheetah, buffalo, Maasai giraffe and hippo.
Where should I stay near Nairobi National Park?
A handful of properties sit inside or immediately alongside the park boundary, offering a genuine bush experience minutes from the airport — see our camps and lodges guide for the full comparison.
Keep reading
Plan your park visit
Where to stay near Nairobi National Park
Compare every camp and lodge in and around the park, then send one enquiry and we will do the rest.