Nairobi: Elephant Orphanage & Giraffe Centre Half-Day Tour
Watch Baby Elephants Drink Milk at Kenya's Premier Sanctuary
You're picked up from your hotel and driven to the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust for the 11 am elephant feeding session, where you watch orphaned calves drink milk and bathe in mud while learning about Kenya's conservation efforts. Next is the Giraffe Centre to hand-feed Rothschild Giraffes and hear about endangered species protection. You'll also tour the Kobe Beads factory, a women-run pottery workshop, before returning to your hotel by early afternoon. Entry fees and pickup are included. The elephant orphanage fee is paid online beforehand.
Step-by-step itinerary
Visit elephant orphanage and giraffe centre
- Meet guide and travel to elephant orphanage
- Enjoy guided session with baby elephants
- Watch elephants drink milk and play
- Option to adopt an orphaned elephant
- Drive to Giraffe Centre
- Learn about Rothschild giraffe conservation
- Visit Kobe Beads Centre and see bead making
- Option for lunch and hotel or airport drop-off
- Sheldrick Wildlife Trust Entry included 1h
- Giraffe Centre Entry included 2h
- Maasai Market 30m
- Karen Blixen Museum 2h
What’s included
Your tour includes hotel pickup and drop-off, entry to the Giraffe Centre, a complimentary tour of the Kobe Beads factory (a women-run pottery workshop), and the donation fee for the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust elephant orphanage. The mandatory conservation park fee for the orphanage is paid separately online through Kenya's E-citizen platform before your tour date.
Times
- Every day 08:00 08:30
Before you book
Operated by Rustic Nature Tours
Prices and times updated yesterday
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The experience
"How close can we actually get?" someone always asks before the 11 am session starts at the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, and the answer is closer than you'd expect. The orphanage sits inside Nairobi National Park, and your guide meets you at your hotel to drive straight there. Once you're in the sanctuary, the keepers let the baby elephants out for their midday bottle. You'll watch them drink, play in the sand, and cool off in mud baths while the Nairobi heat sits heavy around you. It's not a zoo setup. These are orphaned calves being raised for eventual release back into the wild, and the whole operation runs on conservation funding. You get to see that work happen in real time, and if you want, you can sponsor one of the elephants before you leave.
After the elephant session ends around noon, your guide drives you to the Giraffe Centre, where the focus shifts to the Rothschild Giraffe: an endangered subspecies that's become the centerpiece of the African Fund for Endangered Wildlife's education work. You'll feed them by hand if you want (they're gentle, and their tongues are longer than you'd think), and the staff there explain what's being done to keep the species alive in Kenya. The whole stop takes about an hour, and it's quieter than the orphanage, which some people prefer. Then comes the optional Kobe Beads Centre, a pottery workshop that employs single mothers from Nairobi's poorer neighborhoods. You see how they hand-make beads from clay, and you can buy pieces directly. The money goes straight to the women who made them. It's not a tourist trap. It's a working factory with a real social mission.
The half-day structure means you're done by early afternoon, which leaves time for lunch or a trip to the airport if you're flying out. Your guide handles all the driving, and pickup from your hotel is included. One thing to know upfront: entry to the elephant orphanage requires a mandatory conservation fee paid through Kenya's E-citizen platform online before your tour. It's a government requirement, not optional, and the tour operator can walk you through it once you book. Cash doesn't work for this fee, so plan ahead.
Is this one for you?Book this if you want to see Kenya's most famous wildlife (baby elephants and giraffes) without arranging transport or navigating entry fees yourself. The fixed schedule gets you to both sanctuaries and back to your hotel by early afternoon.
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Top questions
Can children come?
Yes. Ticket types: Child (under 12).
What time does the elephant orphanage session happen?
The guided session at the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust runs from 11 am to 12 noon daily.
Is the beads factory tour really free?
Yes, the Kobe Beads Centre tour is complimentary. You can buy beads if you want, but there's no pressure to purchase.
How long is the whole tour?
It's a half-day tour, typically finishing by early afternoon, leaving time for lunch or airport travel.
What's included in the price?
Pickup and drop-off at your hotel, entry to the Giraffe Centre, the beads factory tour, and the elephant orphanage donation fee are included. The mandatory conservation park fee for the orphanage is paid separately online.
Do I need to pay the elephant orphanage fee in advance?
Yes. Kenya's government requires a mandatory conservation fee paid through the E-citizen platform online only: cash is not accepted. The tour operator will help you with this once you book.
Can I hand-feed the giraffes?
Yes, you can feed them by hand at the Giraffe Centre if you choose to.
Is there an option to see more wildlife?
Yes, Nairobi National Park access is available as an add-on option, though it's not part of the standard half-day tour.
Can I sponsor an elephant?
Yes, you have the option to adopt and sponsor one of the orphaned baby elephants during your visit.
Nairobi: Elephant Orphanage & Giraffe Centre Half-Day Tour
6h · EN · at your hotel
from US$ 95 per person
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