“What can I do in Kenya with kids?” my friend asks. I put the question to my 5 year old twins “Eat frozen yoghurt” they scream.
“Anything else?”
“The animals!” they cried.
They were right you know. The animals are the greatest thing about Kenya, and the singularly best thing to do in Kenya with kids. Yes, you have staggering landscapes, a booming technological space, centuries of tribal traditions but it’s the proximity to wildlife that leaves visitors with a lifetime of unforgettable memories. Living in Nairobi with children offers you a wealth of opportunities to teach children about wildlife and environmental conservation.
Kenya with kids – meet our awe inspiring wildlife
As Africans and residents of Africa, it’s easy for us to become ambivalent about the animals as they are so much a part of everyday life. The wildlife that surrounds us is the most wonderful, exciting, educational and inspiring part of living in this magnificent country.
The chance to meet and interact with truly wild animals is a gift that our children will carry with them for life. For some children, our Kenyan animals are part myth, creatures from a storybook. Kenyan children are raised with the an intrinsic understanding of how fragile the continued existence of some of Kenya’s animals is. The naked reality of these animals highlights the importance of loving and protecting them. If we can teach our kids to love animals, we are one step closer to teaching them to love each other, to love our world and our environment. Big up the next generation of conservationists.
In Nairobi, you can see a baboon on the way to school and a giraffe on your weekend drive upcountry, but to truly get close to animals visit these places.
Teaching Kids in Kenya about Animal Conservation
David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust
DSWT is the home of rescued, orphaned elephants and is the best place in Kenya to interact with these amazing beasts. The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust uses highly trained pilots and drones to scour the plains and mountains of Kenya in search of injured or orphaned elephants. If they spot a young elephant in need and that cannot remain in the wild, they will airlift the calf to their foster home in Langata. Here at the DSWT the elephants will be rehabilitated and raised until they can be released back home.
If you are travelling in Kenya with kids then this means a chance to engage first hand with the babies that live there. Not only will they be able to meet and touch the elephants they will be able to learn about their backgrounds, the struggles they have endured and their hopes for the future. If you wish you can adopt an elephant, which allows special visits to your orphan and various other gifts and inclusions.
The Giraffe Centre
The Giraffe Centre is another opportunity to physically meet and touch wild animals. Nearly 40 years ago Betty and Jock Melville were so distressed at the decline of the (still) endangered Rothschild Giraffes that they selected two and brought them to their house with the intention of breeding them. The project has been fantastically successful and the number of Rothschild giraffes has now increased from 120 to 300. At the Giraffe Centre, you are able to meet, feed and take a photograph with the current residents. There is an educational centre which tells you all about the giraffes and a curio shop and café.
Nairobi National Park
You cannot mention Nairobi and animals without mentioning the park. 115 sq metres of glorious natural park perched within this capital city. The various different types of habitat means that Nairobi National Park is home to over 100 types of mammal. There is 4 of the big 5; lion, leopard, buffalo and rhino (elephants were here but were providing too disruptive and were relocated). In addition, you’ll find warthog, cheetah, baboon, giraffes, gazelle, dik-dik – the list goes on. The best thing about the park is its right here in the city. Children don’t have to put up with hours driving to a safari destination and parents don’t have to fork out huge fees for accommodation. Nairobi National park isn’t a zoo, this is raw nature, stay in your car and be careful. It’s as thrilling and hair-raising experience as you can get in a city in the entire world., and there is no better way to educate your children about animals than to see them in their natural habitat.
Nairobi Animal Orphanage and Safari Walk
Occasionally animals are injured and/or unable to continue on in the wild. They are then sometimes taken to the Safari Walk and Orphanage which is situated at the entrance to Nairobi National Park. A more zoo-like approach is taken here with all the animals held in captivity. The main advantage to a visit here is a guarantee of seeing animals.. as you’ll find those big cats can be particularly evasive on a safari. There is a children’s museum where the kids can learn about the animals they have seen. Old lion skins, elephant foot chairs, tortoise shells and giraffes skulls and much more are there to be touched and viewed.
A walk in Nairobi’s forests
Nairobi is filled with chances to view animals. A walk in Ololua, Ngong or Karura forest is always an adventure. The forests are filled with monkeys and exotic birds and insects. Karura Forest has a lovely restaurant for lunch.
A day trip to Lake Naivasha
If you have a spare day then make the 90 minute drive out to Lake Naivasha and take a boat trip on a lake filled with hippos. The lake is serenely beautiful, has lots of great restaurants and packed full of hungry hippos. These are very wild and very dangerous so be warned.
You cannot visit Nairobi without spending some time in the company of its wild animals. The animals are what makes Nairobi and Kenya so very special. Trust me your kids will remember their first encounter with a lion or hippos for the rest of their lives. It’s an experience not to be missed and a destination to be considered.
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