Saving the Animals at Giraffe Centre and the David Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage
Starting from/returning to Nairobi area hotels. We’ll pick you up from your hotel or from the airport at 8 am. Your tour will be in the comfort of a private pop-top safari minivan.
Get ready to experience two of the most unique animal sanctuaries in the world. This half-day tour will bring you face to face with endangered Rothschild’s giraffes and orphaned baby elephants! What an incredible way to experience Nairobi’s unique animal parks.
Over the 5 – 6 hours of this morning tour we’ll, home to a tower of giraffes and then onto the David Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage. This is a wonderful adventure for visitors of all ages.
Giraffe Centre
Climb the feeding tower here and offer a giraffe a food pellet. Not only may he (or she) accept your offering, you may be rewarded with a kiss! Such occurrences are not uncommon at the Giraffe Centre, a principal sanctuary for the endangered Rothschild’s giraffe.
Started in 1979, the Centre has been responsible for saving and breeding this beautiful subspecies of giraffe. Almost extinct, they are now thriving throughout Africa thanks to the heroic efforts of founders Jock and Betty Leslie-Melville.
You can be part of this effort with your admission and your interest. At the Information Centre here, you can learn how the giraffes are cared for and ultimately released back into Kenya’s parks.
Be ready for plenty of fun company – the Centre is a favorite for Kenya’s schoolchildren who attend with their schools, delighting in the sight of the towering giraffes.
Then, it’s a quick drive to the elephant orphanage.
David Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage
You will arrive at this world-famous animal refuge in time for the daily feeding at 11:00 am. Imagine the sight of dozens of baby elephants running to their handlers and latching on to giant baby bottles! It’s a scene of unforgettable cuteness.
After the babies have had their fill of formula, it’s bath time. Just feet from you, the tiny elephants roll in the mud, playing and spraying each other.
This very special place is a haven for orphaned elephants from Kenya and other countries. Rescued after their mothers or families died from drought, accident or were poached for their ivory, these babies finally have a safe home.
The orphanage is the most successful sanctuary of its kind in the world and has saved over 200 baby elephants as well as young rhinos. Coddled and raised with love, 100 of the young charges have been released back into the wild to date.
A visit here might just be the highlight of your African Holiday. It will certainly be an adventure you’ll long remember.
Tour Highlights
- The feeding platform at the Giraffe Centre
- Possible feeding and kiss from a giraffe
- View feeding of the baby elephants at the Sheldrick Orphanage
- Conservation talk and family-friendly tour
