Nairobi National Park - a great experience.

A couple of months ago I got to visit the National Park with a friend of mine. He swims at the Hilton Nairobi and they had a raffle where he won a four hour Safari game drive in Nairobi National Park. We decided to go on a Saturday morning so we met outside the hotel. We met James our guide who was going to take us around the park.

I was pretty excited about going to the National Park in a four wheel drive vehicle. The last time I visited the park it was by KWS bus. It is not exactly an exciting journey because the bus is huge and when it is dry it really brings up the dust. Also because it was a big bus it cannot go over areas where there are a lot of holes because it might get stuck. So this was going to be my maiden trip to this particular park in a car.

So we set off. We really hit it off with the guide James. He was knowledgeable and interesting. Sometimes when going on safari you may get somebody who doesn’t like to talk and this can be very boring because I love to ask lots of questions. We got to the park and had to present our IDs. The national parks always ask for ID or Passports so it is always important to carry them.

We had a pleasant surprise soon after entering the park. We saw two lions come in from the bush and then start walking on the road. We turned our van and started following them. The guide told us this was the first time he had ever seen them walking on the road. It was great seeing the lions up close, that is the nearest I had ever seen a lion apart from on TV.

We watched the lions for about 30 minutes then they decided to go back into the bush. That was a great start to our visit. We then turned back and went hunting for other animals. We saw Giraffes, plenty of them. I find them so beautiful. The guide told us about the different giraffes and how to know which is which. We had discussions about the droughts that have affected the parks and the politics of conservation.

I also saw buffaloes. Unfortunately the only Rhinos we saw were sleeping. We also saw some antelopes, gazelles and ostriches. We then spotted some baboons and spend some time watching them in fascination. There were different age sets and it was interesting to see how they interacted. There was one male baboon who was a bully and it was fascinating to watch how the group disciplined him.

We had a picnic lunch from the cooler box as we drove along. There is a picnic spot at the National Park where you can have lunch but we didn’t want to take a break from the drive. We had game viewing binoculars so we could see the animals clearly. It was a great break being so near the Central Business District.

Some important facts about the Nairobi National Park for those who may not be familiar with it. It was the first park established in the country and is very close to the Nairobi City Centre which is our Central Business District. Some of the wildlife there include the lion, cheetahs, black rhinos, buffalo, giraffe and antelope.

I really enjoyed the 4 hour tour of the National Park. I think it is a great idea for a romantic getaway or if you have guests from outside the country who want a tour of the National Park in a four wheel drive. If somebody is coming to Kenya for business or this is also a great opportunity to sample what Kenya has to offer.

I really had a great experience. That is something I would want to try again. I wouldn’t mind my friend winning another such package from the Hilton Nairobi.