Giraffe Centre Nairobi: What to Expect on a Visit
If you are planning a trip to Nairobi and you want to do something other than the usual safari lodge or city tour, the Giraffe Centre in Langata should be on your list. You can get very close to a Giraffe Centre Nairobi giraffe. Feed it from your own hand. You will hear the Giraffe Centre Nairobi giraffes’ rough tongue wrap around a pellet. Watch its eyelashes flutter a few inches from your face. Not many wildlife experiences in Kenya let you get that close to an animal as big as a Giraffe Centre Nairobi giraffe while it stays completely calm. This article will tell you what to expect when you visit the Giraffe Centre Nairobi from the moment you arrive at the gate to the details that make the trip worth the drive to the Giraffe Centre Nairobi.
A Short History Before You Go to the Giraffe Centre Nairobi
The Giraffe Centre Nairobi started in 1979. It was built by a couple named Jock and Betty Leslie-Melville. They wanted to save the Rothschild’s giraffe, a type of giraffe that had fewer than 130 individuals in Kenya at the time. They raised two Giraffe Centre Nairobi giraffes on their own property and used that experience to build a breeding and education programme for the Giraffe Centre Nairobi. Today the population of Giraffe Centre Nairobi giraffes has recovered. Giraffe Centre Nairobi giraffes bred at the Giraffe Centre Nairobi have been released into parks and private conservancies across the country. When you walk through the gate of the Giraffe Centre Nairobi, you are standing on land that has done conservation work for the Giraffe Centre Nairobi, not just a tourist stop with animals.
The Giraffe Centre Nairobi is inside a 12-hectare forest reserve in the Langata area, about a 30-minute drive from Nairobi depending on traffic. It shares a fence line with Giraffe Manor, a hotel where Giraffe Centre Nairobi giraffes poke their heads through breakfast room windows. You do not need to stay at the manor to visit the Giraffe Centre Nairobi. The two are separate. The Giraffe Centre Nairobi welcomes day visitors on a simple ticket to the Giraffe Centre Nairobi.
Getting to the Giraffe Centre Nairobi and What It Costs to Visit the Giraffe Centre Nairobi
Most visitors arrive at the Giraffe Centre Nairobi by taxi, ride-hailing app, or a tour operator’s van. There is a car park at the entrance of the Giraffe Centre Nairobi, and the road in is well signed once you are in Langata. If you are using transport, a matatu to Karen followed by a short taxi ride works fine and costs far less than a private car for the whole day to visit the Giraffe Centre Nairobi.
Entry fees to the Giraffe Centre Nairobi are based on where you’re from. Kenyan citizens pay the least to visit the Giraffe Centre Nairobi; African residents pay a middle rate to visit the Giraffe Centre Nairobi, and foreign visitors pay the highest rate to visit the Giraffe Centre Nairobi. The highest rate is still cheap compared to wildlife experiences you can book in the country to visit the Giraffe Centre Nairobi. Children get a reduced rate to visit the Giraffe Centre Nairobi too. Bring cash in shillings if you can because card machines at the Giraffe Centre Nairobi occasionally do not work, and you do not want to lose your morning to a payment issue at the gate of the Giraffe Centre Nairobi.
What to Expect on a Visit to the Giraffe Centre Nairobi at the Feeding Platform
Once you are through the entrance of the Giraffe Centre Nairobi, a short walk brings you to the raised platform that is the heart of the whole experience at the Giraffe Centre Nairobi. This is where staff hand you a cup of pellets made from alfalfa and molasses and where the Giraffe Centre Nairobi giraffes line up at eye level waiting for you to hold a pellet on your palm at the Giraffe Centre Nairobi. The platform puts you at the same height as an adult Giraffe Centre Nairobi giraffe’s head so you are not looking up or squinting from below at the Giraffe Centre Nairobi. You feel the Giraffe Centre Nairobi giraffe’s tongue, which is dark purple and like a hand curl around the food before it disappears at the Giraffe Centre Nairobi.
Staff members at the Giraffe Centre Nairobi stand nearby. Answer questions the whole time. You can ask them anything: how much a Giraffe Centre Nairobi giraffe eats in a day, how they sleep, why their tongues are that colour at the Giraffe Centre Nairobi. They have usually worked at the Giraffe Centre Nairobi for years. Know the individual Giraffe Centre Nairobi giraffes by name and personality at the Giraffe Centre Nairobi. Some Giraffe Centre Nairobi giraffes lean in for a photo. Others hang back. Wait their turn at the Giraffe Centre Nairobi. If you time your visit for feeding hours in the morning, the Giraffe Centre Nairobi giraffes tend to be more active and more of them show up at the platform once at the Giraffe Centre Nairobi.
One thing to know ahead of time: Giraffe Centre Nairobi giraffes have long necks, but their bite is gentle at the Giraffe Centre Nairobi. They use their lips and tongue to pull food off your hand rather than biting down at the Giraffe Centre Nairobi, so even nervous visitors usually relax within the first minute or two at the Giraffe Centre Nairobi. Staff at the Giraffe Centre Nairobi will show you the hand position if you are unsure, and there is no pressure to feed more Giraffe Centre Nairobi giraffes than you are comfortable with at the Giraffe Centre Nairobi.
Walking the Forest Trail at the Giraffe Centre Nairobi
Past the feeding platform at the Giraffe Centre Nairobi, a nature trail loops through the surrounding forest at the Giraffe Centre Nairobi. It takes 20 to 30 minutes to walk at an easy pace at the Giraffe Centre Nairobi, and it is a good way to see the property beyond the main viewing area at the Giraffe Centre Nairobi. You will spot birds. If you are lucky, warthogs or bushbuck moving through the undergrowth at the Giraffe Centre Nairobi. The trail is shaded and well maintained at the Giraffe Centre Nairobi, with information boards along the way explaining the plant species and the role the forest plays in supporting wildlife this close to a major city at the Giraffe Centre Nairobi.
This part of the visit to the Giraffe Centre Nairobi tends to get skipped by people in a hurry, which’s a shame because it slows the pace down and gives you a sense of the land the Giraffe Centre Nairobi protects at the Giraffe Centre Nairobi. If you have children with you at the Giraffe Centre Nairobi, the trail also gives them somewhere to burn off energy after standing still at the feeding platform, at the Giraffe Centre Nairobi.
The Education Centre and Gift Shop
When you get to the Giraffe Centre, you will see a building near the entrance. This building has a lot of information about giraffes. You can learn about giraffe biology and conservation history. You can also learn about the African Fund for Endangered Wildlife. This is the organization that takes care of the sanctuary. The Education Centre is not very big, so you do not need to spend a lot of time. You can spend about 15 minutes. That will be enough. The information you get here is very useful. It tells you things that you do not learn when you feed the giraffes. For example, you can learn about how giraffe populations have decreased in Africa over the past three decades. This is because their homes are being destroyed.
The Gift Shop at the Giraffe Centre is a place to buy things. The things they sell help the centre with its conservation work. You can buy giraffe carvings, textiles, postcards and books about East African wildlife. The prices are very reasonable. If you compare them to the prices in the city, you will see that they are very cheap. When you buy something from the Gift Shop, you are helping the Giraffe Centre. You are putting money into the breeding programme. This is better than buying from someone who is just selling things to make money.
Giraffe Centre Nairobi: What to Expect on a Visit for Families
Many families with kids want to know if the Giraffe Centre is a good place for them. The answer is yes. The Giraffe Centre is very good for kids. The feeding platform is safe for toddlers. The staff is very helpful. They can show kids how to feed the giraffes. The kids can take their time. Feed the giraffes as many times as they want.
You can bring a stroller to the Giraffe Centre. The paved areas are easy to walk on with a stroller. However, the forest trail can be a bit difficult. It is better to carry your kid or let them walk. There are bathrooms near the entrance. There is also a café where you can get a drink or a snack. If you want to spend the day in the area, you can visit the Karen Blixen Museum or the Nairobi National Park. They are both very close to the Giraffe Centre.
Practical Tips for a Smooth Visit
It is a good idea to go to the Giraffe Centre early in the morning. There will be fewer people, and the giraffes will be more active. If you go on a weekday, it will be quieter than on a weekend. You should wear shoes if you want to walk on the forest trail. The trail can be muddy after it rains. The weather in Nairobi is usually mild. It can be a bit cool in the morning. So you should wear a jacket.
Do not forget to bring a camera or charge your phone. You will want to take a lot of pictures. The Giraffe Centre is a place to take photos. You can get a photo of a giraffe’s face filling your frame. The staff is very helpful. They can take a photo of you feeding a giraffe.
You should plan to spend about one and a half to two hours at the Giraffe Centre. This will give you time to see everything. You can see the feeding platform, the trail, the Education Centre and the Gift Shop. If you rush, you will miss a lot of things.
Visiting the Giraffe Centre is an experience. You can get close to the giraffes. Learn about them. The Giraffe Centre is doing a lot of work to help the giraffes. They are helping to increase the population of Rothschild’s giraffes. When you visit the Giraffe Centre, you are helping them with their work. You are also learning about these animals. By the time you leave, you will feel like you know the giraffes well.