Nairobi National Park: Safari in the City
KenyaDestination Guide

Nairobi National Park: Safari in the City

Amina Hassan 5 min readMay 10, 2026

Nairobi National Park sits a 20-minute drive from the city centre and from the international airport, which makes it the obvious answer to "can I do a safari on a short layover in Kenya." Lions, rhino, giraffe, and buffalo all live within sight of the city's skyscrapers.

It's small enough to cover properly in a half-day game drive, which is exactly why so many itineraries use it as a first-morning warm-up before flying on to the Mara, or as the last stop before a late flight home.

Good to know

  • The park hosts one of Kenya's most successful black rhino sanctuaries
  • Combine it with the Giraffe Centre or the Sheldrick elephant orphanage nearby
  • Best light, and best odds for cats, is the first two hours after gate opening