Typically, most wildlife reserves and national parks are located in remote locations away from the hubbub of cities. However, Nairobi National Park, one of Kenya’s popular safari destinations, bucks the trend being located just 5 miles south of Nairobi, Kenya’s capital city. Its location makes it easily accessible, allowing visitors to witness Kenya’s thrilling wildlife close to the city, ideal if you don’t have time to visit wildlife destinations further afield.
Nairobi National Park holds the honour of being the first National Park to be established in Kenya. Covering an expanse of 117 square kilometres, the park’s ecosystem consists of open grass plains scattered with acacia bushes. The story behind the establishment of Nairobi National Park is embedded within its history – let’s take a look at how it came into existence.
19th century: The region inhabiting Nairobi National Park has a large variety and number of animals.
1880s: The livestock in the region was wiped out by pneumonia and the rinderpest epidemic. The conditions worsened after a smallpox epidemic, causing famine.
1899: The Ugandan Railway opened up new routes. Traders and hunters found their way to Nairobi while the new routes also attracted big game hunters to the region.
1900s: The uncontrolled hunting alarmed the settlers in the region, and they urged the administration to intervene. This led to the idea of establishing a protected area, the Southern Game Reserve, where hunting was prohibited. However,this plan never came to fruition. The administration was distracted by the 1914 World War I war that led to further decimation of the wildlife that was killed to feed the troops.
After the war, the wildlife gradually returned, but there was a noticeable imbalance between the livestock and the wildlife.
1920s: Captain Archie Richie, the first chief Game Warden for Kenya, campaigned for the establishment of a protected area, a national park. The Government of Britain approved his plans.
1930s: Even though the government had approved the plans, no measures were taken to establish a national park in the region. Captain Archie Richie and his friend Colonel Mervyn Cowie called it to the government’s attention, which led to the formation of a game policy committee. Their effort bore fruit, and work on the park started.
1939: The formation of a park was again thwarted by another war, World War II, when the troops needed sustenance which came at the cost of the wildlife.
1944: Fortunately, like before, the wilderness and wildlife both recovered. The work on the national park resumed. Trespassers, both human and livestock, were prohibited and the region was secured with anti-poaching measures.
1946: Nairobi National Park was finally established, decades after the original plans were first discussed.
Nairobi National Park has 100 mammal species, including giraffes, zebras, and wildebeest, which can be some of the easiest wildlife to spot on safaris.
Nairobi National Park is home to four of Africa’s big five animals (there are no elephants). It is considered one of Africa’s most successful wildlife sanctuaries for the endangered black rhinos together with a healthy population of white rhinos. Other animals found in Nairobi National Park include eland, Coke’s hartebeest, oribi, Kirk’s dik-dik, waterbuck, Thomson’s gazelle, Grant’s gazelle and impala.
As well as lion and leopard, Nairobi National Park is also home to predators such as cheetah, hyena, black-backed jackal and Nile crocodile. In addition, Nairobi National Park is one of Africa’s premier destinations for birdwatching.
It has over 500 unique species of birds, including Abyssinian thrush, Fischer’s lovebird, martial eagle, Hartlaub’s bustard, kori bustard, lesser kestrel, sooty falcon and white-headed vulture. Some birds, such as the black-headed heron, common moorhen and ostrich, are much easier to spot than other rare species.
During the wet season, the park’s wildlife disperses over the plains. When the rains subside with the arrival of the dry season, these animals find their way back to Nairobi National Park. As such, the dry season from June to September is a great time to visit Nairobi National Park for wildlife viewing.The drying vegetation together with the wildlife gathering around the remaining water sources in the park, makes it easier to spot animals in the dry season.
Although visitors can plan a trip for the wet season, March to May and October and November, wildlife viewing opportunities are more limited, with the high grass hiding the animals from view.The condition of the roads is also affected, often making them impassable.
Nairobi National Park attracts migrant bird species from Europe and North Africa, which are present in the park from November to April. Since the rains make it difficult to venture on a safari, it is better to plan a visit between December to March, when the weather is more suitable for a bird watching visit.
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