Nairobi: Giraffe Center & Elephant Orphanage with Cultural Dance

Feed giraffes at eye level, then meet baby elephants rescued from poaching

You're picked up from your hotel at 8am and spend the day feeding endangered giraffes, learning the stories of rescued baby elephants, watching artisans make traditional beads, and watching tribal performances at a cultural centre. The guide handles entry fees and transport. The only tight window is the 11am–noon elephant visit, which is why the itinerary is fixed. You return to your hotel in the evening.

Step-by-step itinerary

Stops and time spent at each

1. Giraffe Centre1h · entry included
2. Sheldrick Wildlife Trust1h · entry included

Nairobi wildlife and cultural tour

• Pick up from Nairobi hotel at 8AM
• Visit Giraffe Centre and feed giraffes
• Visit Elephant Orphanage from 11AM to 12PM
• Tour Kobe Beads factory
• Optional lunch break
• Attend Bomas Cultural Dance performance

The experience

The Giraffe Centre staff member who handed me the pellets laughed when I hesitated: like I was the hundredth nervous visitor that morning. Within seconds, a Rothschild giraffe's tongue wrapped around my palm from the raised platform, and the whole thing stopped feeling like a tour and started feeling like something I'd remember. The centre exists because these giraffes nearly vanished. The breeding program here is one reason they're still around. You'll spend time learning what that actually means, not just snapping photos.

After the giraffes, the schedule locks tight: the Elephant Orphanage at David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust only opens between 11am and noon, and that's non-negotiable. The babies there (some days old, some teenagers) arrived after poaching killed their mothers, or injury, or they got lost in the wild. Your guide walks you through each elephant's story, how they got their names, what the plan is to eventually release them back. It's heavy in the best way. The whole operation sits just outside Nairobi National Park, and Daphne Sheldrick's team has been doing this for decades.

Then you're driven to Kobe Beads, a pottery factory where artisans make some of the world's most intricate beads. You see the whole process from clay to finish. It's hands-on enough that you understand the craft, but you're not expected to make anything yourself. After lunch (your choice whether to eat), the day ends at Bomas Cultural Dance near Langata. The resident performers do traditional dances and songs from Kenya's different tribal groups: Kalenjin warrior dances, Kikuyu ceremonies, Swahili Taarab music, Embu drumming. Yes, it's set up for tourists, but the performances are real and the energy is there.

The whole day runs on hotel pickup at 8am and a professional guide who handles the timing and the logistics. Small groups keep it from feeling like a bus tour. One thing to know: if you want to add Nairobi National Park (it's nearby, under Kenya Wildlife Service management), that's an extra $85 per person for the conservancy fee. Worth asking your guide about if you're interested, but it's not included in the base tour.

What’s included

• Your day includes hotel pickup at 8am, a professional guide for the full day, entry fees to the Giraffe Centre and David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, beadwork demonstration at Kobe Beads, traditional dance and music performance at Bomas Cultural Dance, and hotel drop-off in the evening.
• Lunch is optional and at your own cost.
• Small group tour ensures a more personal experience.

Options for this experience

2 options

Giraffe Center,Orphanage, BeadsGuide in English · 08:00Nairobi Park fees not included: The Nairobi National Park entrance fee of USD 85 per adult and USD 50 per child is paid on arrival. Pickup is included.

Park Fee IncludedGuide in English · 08:00Park fees included: Entrance fees for the Giraffe Center, Elephant Orphanage and Nairobi National Park are covered. Pickup is included.

You'll see the exact price of each option when you check availability.See dates and prices

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDeparts at 08:00

Book up to4h before

AgesAdult (10 to 80 years) · Child (3 to 9 years) · Infant (under 3)

GroupUp to 100

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Paid on siteUS$ 85

Prices and times updated yesterday

Good to know

Low physical effortInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Gracepatt Safaris

Is this one for you?Book this if you want to see Kenya's wildlife and culture in one full day without arranging separate transport, entry fees, or timing: the fixed schedule around the 11am elephant window is what makes all four stops fit into a single itinerary.

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Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (3 to 9 years); Infant (under 3).

What time does the tour start and end?

Pickup is at 8am from your Nairobi hotel. The tour runs the full day, returning you in the evening.

Can I feed the giraffes?

Yes. You feed them from a raised observation platform under staff supervision, which brings you eye-to-eye with the animals.

Why is the elephant orphanage only open 11am to noon?

That's the official visiting window at David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. The tour is timed around this strict schedule.

Is lunch included?

Lunch is optional. You'll be taken to eat, but it's your choice whether to join and what to order.

What's the extra $85 fee for?

That's the conservancy fee if you want to add Nairobi National Park to your day. It's not included in the base tour price.

How many people are in the group?

Small groups, which keeps the experience more personal than large coach tours.

What's included in the price?

Hotel pickup and drop-off, professional guide, entry to the Giraffe Centre and Elephant Orphanage, and the cultural dance performance.