Nairobi Day Trip from $90pp
Nairobi to Amboseli, Masai Mara, Nakuru, Mt Kenya Parks: (232km: 3.5 hours)
Some fantastic 1 day adventure trip to Kenya’s Nairobi, Masai Mara, Amboseli, Nakuru, Mt Kenya, best national parks for Ugandans, Tanzanians, Ghanaians, Somalis, Nigerians, Congolese, Ethiopians. This 1-day nairobi trips to masai mara, amboseli, nakuru include transport in a van, lunch and water. The Nairobi day trip will also include a 6hr game drive and pick up and drop off from your hotel in the city.
Book Nairobi day trip: Top 6 places to visit in and around Nairobi city tours if you have a 1-day trip or on layover. These Nairobi day-trip attractions include national parks, museums, nature forests, mountain hiking, and bird watching among other places. Nairobi is the only capital city in the world with a national park within its boundaries among other exciting places to see near it. This makes Nairobi city the wildlife capital of the world. Below are the best 6 places to while in a Nairobi day trip or airport stopover.
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- Nairobi National Park Half Day Trip
- Nairobi elephant orphanage day trip
- Nairobi to Masai Mara day trip
- Lake Nakuru national park
- Nairobi to Amboseli national park 1 day trip
- Mt Kenya national park day hike
1. Nairobi National Park Half Day Trip
You can opt to go to Nairobi national park for a morning game drive or an afternoon game drive depending on your availability. To visit the park in the morning, you need to wake up early to avoid the morning traffic and to get there before the sun becomes too hot.
Timings and Opening Hours: The best time to leave your hotel for the park is 0600hrs or earlier. You will be in much luck if you are the first on the queue for gate fees as that can also be a drag and waste of your valuable time. Park fees to Nairobi national park are only paid by either card or Mpesa (local mobile money).
Nairobi Park entrance fees: You can expect to pay Usd 43 for a non-resident and Kshs 430 for a citizen or resident. Children rates are Usd 26 and Kshs 250 respectively.
Game Drive Experience: It takes you about 4hours to do a game drive in the park since it’s small by Kenyan standards at 117 sqkm in size. Nairobi national park will offer you a relief from the city bustle where you can escape for a morning or afternoon peace and quiet. Be sure to take pictures of the wildlife with the Nairobi city skyscrapers forming your background. This is the best Nairobi day trip if you fancy game watching drives.
Game Drive Animals: Animals to see in this park include lions, rhinos, buffalos, hippos, crocodiles, hyenas, leopards, zebras, elands, giraffes, wildebeests, baboons, jackals and many more.
How to get there: You can take the public buses no 125/126 for Rongai or Kiserian from the Railway Matatu terminus. Alight at the KWS Headquarters bus stage and walk to the park gate. From here you can hire the KWS 4×4 Landcruiser for a game drive. Prior booking is advised as spaces are limited on the KWS 4×4 vehicle.
You may also opt to book a full package tour from one of the good Nairobi safari companies. The advantage is that they will pick you up from your hotel and do the game drive. Later you will be dropped back to your hotel after the tour.
How to book your tour: I have always used Sojourn safaris to book my clients for a Nairobi national park safari. Robert is a very experienced and informative tour consultant for Nairobi day trip tours. He has very experienced and great safari guides who are fun to be around. Robert makes the whole booking experience a breeze as you can request and book a tour via his whatsapp no. +254722661827 or email him personally at info@sojournsafaris.co.ke
He takes last minute bookings including short JKIA – NBO airport layover/stopover tours to Nairobi national park day trip.
***Request for special reduced East African residents rates for Nairobi national park, amboseli, masai mara, nakuru via whatsapp +254722661827***
2. Nairobi Elephant Orphanage Day Trip
The Nairobi elephant orphanage is also known as the Sheldrick elephant orphanage. This elephant rescue center is located inside the Nairobi national park on the western corner. You can access the orphanage from the Mbagathi gate.
Nairobi elephant orphanage is a very exciting place to go to for the 1hr public viewing and lecture. The orphanage is now open after a long closure due to Covid pandemic. The Nairobi elephant sanctuary is a simple place where you will meet the orphaned baby elephants in an open area. The elephants are feet away from you and restrained by a single strand of rope. You can actually touch the baby elephants as they pass along the rope.
Timings and Opening Hours: Every day at 1100hrs, the baby elephants are brought in from their grazing fields inside the park. They come in for a drink of milk from plastic bottles. These hand reared baby elephants have been abandoned by their mothers in other places and are brought here to increase their chances at life. At reaching 7 years, they are released back into the wild in a gradual process that involves integration into adoptee elephant families in Tsavo national park.
You will listen to the public lecture as you watch them being fed from milk bottles by hand. Each of these babies have different personalities just like humans. Some are naughty, others are gluttons and yet others are moody as hell. And then there are the bullies that bully everyone else including the people around.
How to get there: Take the public transport to Rongai or Kiserian route 125/1
26 and alight at the Mbagathi gate opposite the Mbagathi University of Mass Communication. From the gate, it’s about a 20 minute walk to the orphanage.
You can also hire a taxi or a tour van to take you there at your own convenience. This way you avoid the hassle of public transport. This is one of the short Nairobi day trip to see baby elephants.
Elephant Orphanage Entrance fee: The Nairobi elephant orphanage entrance fee is Usd 5 per person for both adult and child rate. It’s quite a steal. You can also decide to adopt a baby elephant for Usd 50 per year and they will send you monthly newsletter with stories of your adopted baby elephant progress.
Highlight of tour: You will enjoy hearing the stories of each of these baby elephants. Each of them is specifically named depending on where they were rescued from or the person that picked them up or even his or her temperament. Though their stories make for one sad episode, the fact that they are now bustling with life and vigor makes you forget their bleak pasts. Watching them being fed milk from bottles is also fun as they jostle and rampage for the delicious drink.
How to Book your tour: You can book this short 1hour tour to the orphanage from Robert as indicated above. They will pick you up from your hotel and drop you back. You can also combine this tour with a visit to the giraffe cen
ter as well as a shopping trip to a Masai market for African trinkets and gift items.
You can book this tour from him if you have a free 3 hours on NBO airport layover / stopover from JKIA on whatsapp no. +254722661827 or email him personally at info@sojournsafaris.co.ke
3. Nairobi to Masai Mara Day Trip
Masai Mara day trip is by far the most popular 1 day tour from Nairobi in the amazing Masai Mara game reserve 1 day excursion. This one day trip to Maasai Mara from Nairobi, despite being long is one of the most rewarding experiences.
The Mara lies some 280km northwest of Nairobi but fortunately the roads are now paved all the way to the main Mara park gate.
Timings and Opening Hours: Your Masai Mara day trip departs from Nairobi at 0500hrs and traverses the floor of the Great Rift Valley. You arrive at this 1500sqkm vast savannah at around 0900hrs and immediately start your game drive.
Animals to see in Mara: Marvel at the more than 3 million animals that call this park home. The vast expanse of Masai Mara plains will leave you breathless with their undulating shape and golden colours.
Wildlife to see at the Masai Mara national park include the big five of lions, elephants, buffalos, rhino and leopards. Others include the hippos, crocodiles, giraffes, elands, wildebeests, zebras, cheetahs, hyenas, jackals, giant pythons, baboons, gazelles and many others.
Masai Mara day trip will guarantee you see the big five animals. No other park in Kenya can give you that guarantee even for 2 or 3 days stay. The over 4hrs ride one way is compensated by the most rich game drive anywhere in Africa.
The Masai People: You can opt to go for a Masai village tour and see how the Masai people live. These warrior tribe will be glad to show you traditional archery, the Ajuma jumping dance and the art of making fire using sticks and dry elephant dung. You can also buy some gift items from their women who make amazing African jewelry using beads.
Mara Gate Entrance Fees: Masai Mara park fees are some of the highest in Kenya. A 24hr ticket costs Usd 80 for a non-resident and Kshs 1,000 for a Kenyan citizen or resident. You will feel the pinch of the cost but on the other hand you will be well rewarded by one of the most abundant wildlife scenes in Africa.
The Masai Mara is especially a delight during the annual wildebeest migration every July to October. Over 1.5million wildebeests cross a distance of over 3,000km in search of fresh pasture. Over a quarter of a million calves are born each year in February and in 1 month, these young calves have to be ready to undertake this arduous journey full of risks.
Where to take Lunch: To make your Masai Mara day trip even more exciting, the safari includes a buffet lunch in one of the best Mara lodges like Sarova Mara, Keekorok or Mara Simba or Mara Sopa Lodges. The food is fresh and the view from the restaurants a must see.
How to get there: Masai Mara is 5 hours from Nairobi due North West. A day trip usually takes 4 hours one way as there are less stops along the way. The road to Mara is very scenic and you will see the Great Rift Valley and Mt Suswa and Mt Longonot. The great eastern escarpment of the rift valley provides a very panoramic vantage point into the valley floor as your meander down its sides.
You will drive through the green central kikuyu highlands dropping into the rift valley and ascend onto the western escarpment. The Ntulele area is the high point of the Western escarpment of the rift valley and this is a very rich and green agricultural area known for wheat farming.
Pass Narok town and start driving through the great Loita plains that are continuous with the Mara ecosystem. You will arrive in Mara by 0900hrs in great time for a 6-7 hour game drive including a packed lunch at one of the lodges.
How to book a Masai Mara day trip: While it is absolutely cheaper to use public transport to go to the Mara, it introduces the problem of logistics and timings. Public transport is absolutely out of the question if you want to do a 1 day trip to Masai Mara from Nairobi. Time is of essence when doing a day trip and it’s usually a dash in and out so public transport would not be feasible.
I have always recommended Robert from Sojourn safaris who has done these Masai Mara day trips many times over. He is very knowledgeable and efficient in making the arrangements. They will pick you up from your hotel in Nairobi very early and return you back in the evening after the tour.
Robert’s safari company has very good and friendly driver guides who take their time to explain everything and are eternally patient.
You can book a Masai Mara day trip with Robert even at last minute on his whatsapp or call +254722661827 or email him personally at info@sojournsafaris.co.ke
4. Lake Nakuru National Park
A day trip to lake Nakuru is famous for bird watching and watching some of the big five animals. You will love this park for its proximity to Nairobi and its beautiful lake. Located only 160km from Nairobi city, Lake Nakuru is one of the most alluring 1 day trips near Nairobi. A Nakuru day trip is ideal if you want do some game drive outside of Nairobi and still catch your evening flight from JKIA –NBO airport.
Timings and Opening Hours: It will take you about 2.5hrs to get to Nakuru, so if you leave early, you will have lots of time for a game drive in this park. I would recommend a 0500 departure or 0600 at the latest. One thing to note is that you may get stuck in traffic especially on the way back and more so on Sundays when everyone else is returning to the city from their rural homes.
Flamingos, Lake Bogoria, Kenya, East Africa, Africa
Nakuru national park day trip game drive takes about 4hrs to 6hrs in the park. It’s relatively small by Kenyan standards at 177sqkm. Nakuru Park is fully fenced off with electric fence and this makes it easy for wildlife viewing. The park opens at 0630hrs and closes at 1830hrs so you have plenty of time in a day trip to get there and do atleast 6hrs game drive.
Game Drive Animals: There are several of the big five animals in lake Nakuru national park. The main attraction wildlife here include lions, buffalos, rhinos, leopards which are part of the big five.
Others include the hippos, giraffes, gazelles, baboons, wildebeests, elands, hyenas, jackals among others. Don’t expect to see elephants in a Nakuru day trip as this park is too small for them.
Watch out for the tree climbing lions, the huge rock pythons curled up in the acacia trees or the sleeping leopards in the trees above your head. If you are lucky, you might stumble upon a very rare stripped hyena in your Nakuru day trip game drive.
Birds to See in Nakuru: Lake Nakuru is popular for its more than 450 species of birds including water birds, savannah birds and forest birds. Some of the popular species here include flamingos, Kori bustard, secretary bird, blacksmith plover, giant pelican, herons, egrets, African fish eagle, and martial eagle among others.
In the peak season, over 2 million greater and lesser flamingos line the shores of the lake forming a pink ribbon that you can see from miles away. You can alight from your vehicle at some places near the lake to see the flamingo’s up-close.
Nakuru Park Entrance fee: You will need to plan to pay the park entry fee of Usd 60 for a non-resident adult and Usd 30 for child. Residents and citizens pay Kshs 860 adult and Kshs 400 child respectively. Nakuru is managed by the Kenya Wildlife Service and is considered one of the premium parks hence the park fees are the highest among their stable of parks.
How to get to Nakuru National Park: You will drive along the A109 North westwards of Nairobi city. Pass through kikuyu highlands and the eastern escarpment of the rift valley. Arrive at Naivasha and you will see one of the other amazing rift valley lakes called Lake Naivasha. To your right you can see the vapor plumes of Hellsgate geothermal wells.
Further on, you will see another lake on the rift valley floor, the lake Elementaita which is another popular place with flamingos. There are some great lodges here too, that you can escape to from the noise of Nairobi.
The road from Naivasha to Lake Nakuru is littered with hundreds of zebras, baboons, and gazelles in the several private wildlife ranches on each side of the highway. Feel free to make a stop and click away some photos.
Nakuru is nestled on the floor of the Great Rift Valley and the park and lake is the lowest part of the Nakuru city. The soothing acacia shade and the twinkling waters of Lake Nakuru will welcome you to one of the best game drive day trips from Nairobi.
It’s advisable to book a package Nakuru day trip from a known tour company from Nairobi. They will make the whole experience seamless as they pick you from your hotel, complete a very detailed game drive and drop you back. A buffet lunch is in most cases included in their packages.
How to Book a Nakuru day trip from Nairobi: You only need to contact a Nairobi tour operator and have everything arranged even at last minute. You can use Robert from Sojourn safaris as he is an excellent planner and his company has very knowledgeable driver guides.
Get him on his whatsapp or call +254722661827 or email him personally at info@sojournsafaris.co.ke
5. Nairobi to Amboseli National Park 1 Day Trip
Explore Amboseli national park in an Amboseli day trip from Nairobi. Amboseli is among the top 4 most visited parks in Kenya. Your biggest attraction here will be the views of Mt Kilimanjaro and the hundreds of elephant herds you will see here. This 1 day Amboseli day trip includes pick up and drop off, park fees, transport in a safari van, 6hrs game drive, a buffet lunch at one of the lodges and drinking water.
For the longest time, Amboseli elephants with the Kilimanjaro backdrop have been the signature picture of an authentic African safari. The mountain also referred to as the roof of Africa, is amazingly beautiful to look at especially early in the morning and late evening.
Your Amboseli day trip is a great way to spend a free day in Nairobi and see some of the big five and other wildlife and the amazing Masai people.
Amboseli park entry fee: Amboseli, just like Nakuru is among the 2 premium parks management by Kenya wildlife service. It will therefore cost you Usd 60 per adult and Usd 30 per child as park entrance fees. Citizens and residents will pay Kshs 860 and Kshs 400 per adult and child respectively as Amboseli gate fees. If you are doing a self-drive, you will pay Kshs 300 for a 6 seater or less and Kshs 1,030 for a car above 6 seats.
How to get to Amboseli day trip: The Amboseli day trip departs from Nairobi at 0500hrs with a pick up from your hotel. Drive down on the A109 Mombasa highway towards south west of Nairobi city. At email, you will branch off right into the Oloitoktok highway.
Drive on for another hour and a half to the junction towards the park on the right. This 18km unpaved stretch will get you to the Erimito gate.
The drive to Amboseli takes you about 3.5hrs from Nairobi. So if you start early at 0500hrs, you will be there at 0830hrs. This is early enough to start your game drive before the sun is too hot for the animals.
The views of the Kapiti plains are breathtaking with scattered Masai homesteads and occasional zebras, giraffes and gazelles. Mt Kilimanjaro ice covered peak Kibo can be seen from miles away. Remember to tell your driver to stop on the highway so you can take some of these amazing photos of the mountain peak.
How do I book my Amboseli Day Trip: Booking an Amboseli national park day tour is easy from Nairobi. Since a day trip does not need you to book accommodation, it can therefore be booked at last minute. Infact, most people book this trip the night before their departure or earlier.
In some cases, the tour agent will process your payment by card or cash. But in most cases, once they have confirmed a pick up, it will happen. No matter what.
I have booked several Amboseli day trips for myself through Sojourn safaris. Robert is the operations head and he is very efficient in organizing these day trips near Nairobi. He has a great team of driver guides who go out of their way to make sure you see as many animals as possible. The drivers are charming and are never out of stories of the busy and humor.
You can reach Robert on his whatsapp +254722661827 or inbox him directly here info@sojournsafaris.co.ke
6. Mt Kenya National Park Day Hike
Mt Kenya day hike from Nairobi is a full day hiking in Mt Kenya National Park North of Nairobi. The Mt Kenya day trip is a 1 day climbing adventure and includes transport, park fees, mountain guide services, packed lunch, water and drop off in Nairobi. This is the best 1 day hiking place near Nairobi and you will be spoilt with nice scenery and magical views of Mt Kenya ice covered peaks. The silence on the mountain forests is golden.
Mt Kenya Operating Hours: Your Mt Kenya day trip departs at 0500hrs from Nairobi and drives 138km due north through some green tea and coffee estates of central Kenya. You will arrive at the gate at 0900hrs and finalize the park fee formalities at the Naro Moru gate. Opening times for the park is between 0630hrs and 0600hrs and so you have plenty of time to do a 6hr trek on the Mt Kenya.
Mt Kenya Day Hike Route: The best and closest route to Nairobi for a 1 day hike on Mt Kenya is the Naro Moru route on the North West side of the mountain. You will connect with your Mt Kenya hiking guide at the gate and drive the tarmacked road up to the meteorological station (Met Station) located at 3,300m above sea level.
From the met station, your mountain guide will guide your 3hr trek through the rain forest with exciting views of the nature and occasional buffalos, elephants and giant forest hogs. You will then approach the bamboo forest which opens up to the moorland grassland and alpine desert and rock.
On reaching the observation point at 3700m, you will have the greatest view of the peak Batian with its snow top. You can have your packed lunch here and take pictures of the peak. Start your descent down for another 1.5hrs towards the met station. You will reconnect with your driver here and drive back to the gate and exit the park at around 1500hrs.
How to get to Mt Kenya National Park: If you are going for a longer than 1 day hike, you can use the public transport called Matatu. There are some Toyota Hiace public service vans that go to Nanyuki town and they can drop you off at Naro Moru town. From here, you can hire a taxi to drop you at the park gate for a little less than Usd 20 some 13km away. You would have to take their number so that they can take you back to Naro Moru or Nanyuki for your trip back.
For day trips and to save time, I would not recommend to use public transport as it takes too much time on the road. Contact a tour operator in Nairobi for your Mt Kenya day hike and they will pick you and drop you off at your Nairobi hotel after the tour. You also don’t have to hop from one vehicle to the next thus saving time.
How can you book a Mt Kenya day trip: Again you can contact Robert from Sojourn safaris as he has operated these tours for more than 10 years now. He has professional mountain guides stationed in Naro Moru town and who are trained in guiding and rescue.
Get in touch with Robert to plan your Mt Kenya day trip hike on his whatsapp +254722661827 or email him directly on his email info@sojournsafaris.co.ke
