Expertly Curated Safari and Landscape Planning Guides for Nairobi National Park, Kenya

Kenya's first national park, a savanna wilderness on the doorstep of a major city

Nairobi National Park

Nairobi National Park represents a unique conservation achievement as a functioning wilderness area that exists in close proximity to a rapidly growing metropolitan population of over one million people. The park forms the core protected area of the Athi-Kapiti ecosystem, though it comprises less than ten percent of this larger ecological system. Its landscape consists primarily of open grass plains dotted with Acacia trees, transitioning to western uplands where highland dry forest contains species such as Olea africana, Croton dichogamus, Brachylaena hutchinsii, and Calodendrum. The southern boundary follows the Mbagathi River, which provides crucial water resources that sustain wildlife during the dry season. Small dams constructed along the river create additional wetland habitat that supports diverse bird populations and aquatic species. The park's location on the Athi plains historically formed part of a migration corridor stretching from Mount Kilimanjaro to Mount Kenya, comparable in scale to the famous Serengeti migration. While urban expansion has reduced this corridor, the park still maintains its role as the northern terminus for seasonal wildlife movements, with animals utilizing the Kitengela area to reach southern grazing grounds.