Nairobi National Park

Wildlife & Animals

Expert

Anthony is the author of the Lonely Planet guide to Kenya.

Nairobi National Park has a good variety of wildlife. Apart from elephants, most big safari animals are present. There is a very good chance of seeing lion (the park has a carrying capacity of around 40 lions) and rhino. White rhino are easiest to spot as they graze on the open plains, but the park is one of Kenya’s most successful sanctuaries for the more-plentiful black rhino, which like to keep hidden in the thickets.

ElephantNone

GiraffeCommon

HippoOccasional

BuffaloCommon

ZebraCommon

WildebeestCommon

White RhinoCommon

Black RhinoOccasional

LionOccasional

LeopardVery Rare

CheetahRare

HyenaRare

Wild DogNone

Wildlife Highlights

Lion, Masai giraffe, zebra and buffalo are just some of the animals you can encounter on a half-day trip in Nairobi NP. It’s also an excellent place to see a wide range of antelope species, including oribi, Coke's hartebeest, impala, Grant’s gazelle, Thomson’s gazelle, waterbuck, bohor reedbuck and even bushbuck. If you are lucky, a herd of shy eland or pairs of little Kirk's dik-dik are also possible.

Best Time for Wildlife Viewing

Nairobi NP can be visited year-round, but the best time for wildlife viewing is during the Dry season (June to October) when animals gather around remaining water sources. When the rains arrive (the long rains from March to May, and the short rains from November to December), animal spotting is usually more difficult as the vegetation tends to be very high.