Lang'ata · Karen · Nairobi National Park
Feed the Rothschild giraffes eye to eye, meet the baby elephants at 11am and add a game drive with Nairobi's skyline behind the rhinos, all in one morning with hotel pickup.
Giraffe Centre tours
In the centre, the most-booked trio: park, baby elephants and giraffes. On the left, the giraffes on their own in three hours; on the right, the elephants and giraffes with both entrance fees included.
Giraffes only
★ 4.63 hoursFree cancellationJust the giraffes: a guide takes you to the Giraffe Centre in Lang'ata to feed the Rothschild giraffes from the raised platform, with time for the nature trail and hotel pickup.
Most booked
★ 4.75 hoursFree cancellationThe classic Nairobi morning: a game drive in Nairobi National Park, the baby elephants at the orphanage and hand-feeding the Rothschild giraffes, in an open-roof safari vehicle with hotel pickup.
Fees included
★ 4.84 hoursFree cancellationThe baby elephants at the 11am public visit, with your slot reserved for you, then the Giraffe Centre, with both entrance fees included and hotel pickup.
Full morning
★ 4.66 hours
Low price
★ 4.54 hours
Fees included
★ 4.76 hours
All fees included
★ 4.64 hours
Culture
★ 4.94 hours
Private
★ 5.08 hours
Half day
★ 5.06 hoursCompare
Three things sort most of it: whether you want the game drive, how long you have, and whether the entrance fees are in the price or paid on the day.
| Tour | Starts from | Fees on the day | Best for | Length | From | Book |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| National Park, Baby Elephants & Giraffe Centre | Hotel pickup in Nairobi | Park, orphanage and centre fees on the day | A first visit: park, elephants and giraffes | 5 hours | $35 | Book |
| Guided Giraffe Centre Feeding Experience | Hotel pickup in Nairobi | Giraffe Centre fee on the day | Just the giraffes, in three hours | 3 hours | $38 | Book |
| Elephant Orphanage & Giraffe Centre Tour | Hotel pickup in Nairobi | Centre and orphanage included, park fee online | Elephants and giraffes, fees included | 4 hours | $90 | Book |
| Nairobi National Park, Orphanage & Giraffe Centre | Pickup in Nairobi | Park, orphanage and centre fees on the day | A longer game drive before the elephants and giraffes | 6 hours | $40 | Book |
| Budget Park, Orphanage & Giraffe Tour | Pickup in Nairobi | Park, orphanage and centre fees on the day | The three highlights in an open-roof minivan | 4 hours | $38 | Book |
| Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage & Giraffe Centre | Hotel pickup in Nairobi | Centre and orphanage included, park fee online | Elephants and giraffes with the bookings made for you | 6 hours | $90 | Book |
| Giraffe Centre & Karen Blixen Museum | Pickup in Nairobi | All entry fees included | Giraffes and the Out of Africa house in one price | 4 hours | $99 | Book |
| Giraffe Centre, Karen Blixen & Bead Factory | Hotel pickup in Nairobi | Centre and museum fees on the day | A Karen afternoon with crafts and history | 4 hours | $50 | Book |
| Private Nairobi Safari, Elephants & Giraffe Centre | Hotel, residence or Airbnb pickup | Park, orphanage and centre fees on the day | Your own Land Cruiser and guide for the whole day | 8 hours | $105 | Book |
| Nairobi National Park & Giraffe Centre Half-Day | Hotel pickup in Nairobi | Park and centre fees on the day | A game drive and the giraffes, without the orphanage | 6 hours | $39 | Book |
Every tour booked here cancels free up to 24 hours before. Where fees are paid on the day, the Giraffe Centre takes KSh 1,500 per adult by M-Pesa or card, the elephant nursery asks US$20 in cash, and the national park fee is paid online through eCitizen.
The centre
In 1979 Jock and Betty Leslie-Melville brought two young giraffes, Daisy and Marlon, to their home in Lang'ata, after the Rothschild giraffe's last stronghold in western Kenya, a ranch with only 130 left, was being subdivided. Their charity, the African Fund for Endangered Wildlife, still runs the Giraffe Centre on a 60-acre sanctuary at the edge of the city.
You climb a raised wooden platform, take a handful of pellets and hold them out. A long grey tongue does the rest. A short talk at the Information Centre explains the giraffes, and a 1.5 km nature trail runs down to the Gogo River.
The year Daisy became the centre's first giraffe.
Shared trips with hotel pickup across Nairobi.
The Giraffe Centre fee for non-resident adults, unless your tour includes it.
Open every day of the year, holidays included.
The one daily hour the elephant nursery opens to visitors.
Your morning
The classic order on the trio tours. The elephant hour sets the clock for everything else.
An early start for a game drive in Nairobi National Park, with the city skyline behind the plains.
From about 6amThe keepers care for the orphans while you hear each calf's rescue story.
11am to noonOn to Lang'ata for the feeding platform, the talk and a handful of pellets.
Early afternoonLunch in Karen if your tour stops, then the drop-off at your hotel.
Mid-afternoonPlan your trip
A first visit, on a budget, with family, or short on time: one tab each.
Where it is
About 15 km south-west of the city centre, next to Karen.
Every tour on this site picks up at your hotel, so the drive is the operator's job. On your own, the centre says the trip takes about 40 minutes from the city centre by taxi or ride-hailing car, traffic allowing.
Around your trip
When to go, what guests wish they had known, what is nearby and the fine print.
Nairobi
The orphans, the giraffes and the park, with someone else at the wheel.
Check availabilityGuest reviews
★★★★★Our tour guide Lachy & driver Ben were amazing! Lachy is incredibly knowledgeable and also cracks a few jokes. We saw so many animals and learnt so much.
★★★★★Monica was an excellent guide, she was attentive knew the giraffes well and took amazing photos.
★★★★★Our driver Titus was very good. No rush and friendly. At the giraffe center, Felipe, was an amazing guide and guy! [...] We loved both activities!
★★★★★A recommended full day tour balanced with a Safari park, Elephant sanctuary, Rothschild Giraffe rehab center, a lunch stop and more.
★★★★★I really liked the tour, seeing the young elephants, the rhinoand zebra was amazing. The feeding of the giraffes was very funny.
★★★★★The combination of all three attractions was absolutely perfect for our family. It was the ideal mix of wildlife, culture, and local craftsmanship.
★★★★★Really excellent way to spend our pre flight day on this private tour; we saw lots of interesting things including rhino in Nairobi National Park, and the Sheldrick Orphanage was wonderful [...]
★★★★★Amazing tour, pergect for my one day layover in Nairobi. I saw so much wildlife jn a few hours, and the guide, Edward, knew all about the animals [...]
★★★★★Had a wonderful tour with Edwin who was so knowledgeable. It was comfortable, the center was an amazing experience and it was a great way to spend a half day in Nairobi.
At first light
Before the giraffes, spend the early hours in Nairobi National Park in a proper 4x4.
A 6am pickup and a game drive at first light in a proper 4x4 Land Cruiser with a pop-up roof, when rhinos and lions are most active, with the elephant orphanage as an option. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
Land CruiserPop-up roof6am start
The guide
One platform, a dozen giraffes and a bag of pellets. Here is how a visit works, and how the tours fit around it.
The Giraffe Centre is easy on its own, but the two sights people pair it with are not. The elephant nursery opens for one hour a day, takes no same-day bookings and wants a confirmed slot. Nairobi National Park needs a vehicle and an online ticket. A tour links the three with a driver who knows the gates, and the order is already worked out.
Guests talk about the guides most. One wrote that their guide "knew the giraffes well and took amazing photos". The most-booked tour covers all three in about five hours.
On most shared tours the entrance fees are extra. The Giraffe Centre charges non-resident adults KSh 1,500 and children KSh 750, payable by M-Pesa, Visa or Mastercard. The elephant nursery asks a US$20 donation per adult in cash. The national park fee for non-resident adults is US$80 under the 2025 Kenya Wildlife Service rates, paid online through eCitizen; check KWS before you travel, as the new rates were challenged in court.
Prefer one number? The elephants and giraffes tour includes both entrance fees, and the Karen Blixen tour includes every fee.
The centre cares for 10 Rothschild's giraffes, now usually classified as Nubian giraffes. The Giraffe Conservation Foundation estimated about 1,281 of them in Kenya in 2025, and lists the Nubian giraffe as Critically Endangered. Breeding herds from here went to Lake Nakuru National Park, Ruma and other reserves.
The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust's nursery, reached through a KWS gate of the national park, raises orphaned elephants for a later return to the wild. It opens to visitors from 11am to noon only, and you should arrive by 10:30. The Trust takes bookings by email, with no same-day visits, so ask your operator for the Trust's confirmation email before the day.
Guides
In-depth guides to the questions people ask most before booking. See all guides.
Giraffe Centre ticketsThe 2026 fees, how to pay, the hours, the quiet times and the tours that include entryGiraffe ManorWhat the hotel is, how far ahead it books, and how to feed the giraffes without stayingSheldrick elephant orphanageThe 11am visit, how booking works, the fees and how to add the giraffes
Nairobi National ParkRhinos with the skyline behind them: the 2026 park fee, eCitizen, ID, game drives and what a Nairobi safari costs.
Nairobi in one dayGame drive at dawn, elephants at 11, giraffes after lunch: the one-day plan, a second day, costs and what to wear.
Is Nairobi safe?The 2026 travel advisories with dates, taxis and walking, the eTA, the plastic bag ban and the best time of year.From the blog
The 2026 park and museum fees, the rainy seasons and what changed at the Giraffe Centre. All posts.
Nairobi park fees 2026The 2025 KWS rates, the court challenge, paying on eCitizen, the museum fees and which tours include what.
New giraffes 2026The three young giraffes from Soysambu, why KWS moved them, the centre's breeding work and the 2025 numbers.
Rainy season 2026The long and short rains, the KMD forecast for late 2026, what stays open, cancellation and a packing list.FAQ
Straight answers to what people ask most about the centre, the fees and the tours.
Non-resident adults pay KSh 1,500 and children aged 3 to 12 KSh 750, per the Giraffe Centre; Kenya residents pay KSh 400 and KSh 200, and under-3s go free. Students under 23 with a valid student card pay the children's rate. Most tours on this site list the fee as about $15, paid on the day. See the tickets guide.
The centre takes M-Pesa, Visa and Mastercard. Carry a card that works abroad, or let a tour with fees included handle it.
Every day from 9am to 5pm, weekends and public holidays included. Weekdays between 11am and 1pm are the busiest, and weekends are busy all day, per the centre.
For most visitors, yes: you feed endangered Rothschild giraffes eye to eye from a raised platform, hear a short talk and walk a 1.5 km nature trail, and the centre says 90% of its income goes to conservation and education. Plan 1.5 to 2 hours.
There is a Tea House for drinks and snacks with a view of the giraffes. There are no refreshments at the elephant nursery, so plan snacks on a combined tour.
Giraffe Manor is a small private hotel next to the Giraffe Centre, run by The Safari Collection. Its rooms and breakfast with the giraffes are for hotel guests; the public way to meet the same Rothschild giraffes is the Giraffe Centre next door.
The centre is on Nyumbi Road off Duma Road in Lang'ata, about 15 km and roughly 40 minutes from the city centre. Most people come with a tour that includes hotel pickup, or by taxi or ride-hailing app. More in getting there.
Yes, both are in the Lang'ata area of south-west Nairobi. The elephant nursery opens to the public only from 11am to noon, so tours visit it first and the giraffes after. Ask your operator for the Sheldrick Trust's own booking confirmation email.
Shared tours with the Giraffe Centre start from about $35 per person on this site, plus the entrance fees on the day: KSh 1,500 for the giraffes, US$20 for the elephant nursery and US$80 for the national park. Tours with fees included start at about $90.
One full day covers the classic trio: a morning game drive in Nairobi National Park, the baby elephants at 11am and the giraffes in the afternoon. Two days add Karen Blixen's house, the National Museum and a relaxed pace.
Yes. Under the 2025 Kenya Wildlife Service fee rules, non-residents show a valid passport and students a student ID. The park fee itself is paid online through eCitizen.
The centre is in leafy Lang'ata and most visitors arrive with a tour or a booked car. Travel advisories for Kenya ask for extra care in Nairobi; read our safety guide before you go.
Ready to book
Free cancellation on every tour booked on this site.
More: elephants and giraffes, fees included · the private safari · the Karen Blixen tour
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