Nairobi Safari Walk: Fees, Animals and Timing

Entry fees by category

The Safari Walk charges the same entry as the Nairobi Animal Orphanage next door. If you want both the main park and the Safari Walk, the Nairobi Package covers all three sites, and the Nairobi Sanctuary Package covers the Animal Orphanage and the Safari Walk without the park. Fees can change through official tariff updates, so confirm the current figure when you pay.

The Nairobi Package, which adds Nairobi National Park, is $105 (USD 105) per non-resident adult and $55 (USD 55) per child. The Nairobi Sanctuary Package, without the main park, is $40 (USD 40) per non-resident adult and $20 (USD 20) per child.

Paying with M-Pesa or Visa

Entry fees are paid through eCitizen using M-Pesa or a Visa card. M-Pesa works for anyone with a Kenyan mobile money account, so visitors without one should plan on the Visa option. Have the payment confirmation on your phone for the gate.

If you book a guided tour that includes the Safari Walk, ask the operator whether your entry fee is inside the price or paid separately, because the tour price usually covers the vehicle and guide only.

What KWS publishes

KWS gates open at 6:00 AM and close at 6:00 PM for Nairobi National Park. A specific daily opening time for the Safari Walk itself is not stated on the KWS Safari Walk page, and Sunday opening is not stated either. Since the site sits beside the park headquarters, plan on the 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM window and go early, when animals are most active before the heat of the day.

If your timing matters, for example on a Sunday afternoon, call KWS or ask your hotel to confirm before you set out.

The species list

KWS lists white rhino, lion, leopard, buffalo, giraffe, zebra, hyena, crocodile, pygmy hippo, antelope and primates as visible along the boardwalk, alongside more than 150 indigenous tree species. The site covers 27 acres of wilderness with animals such as antelopes and gazelles, and reviewers mention lions and a jaguar. Interpretation boards explain each habitat and species, which is why KWS positions the walk as a conservation education hub for schools, higher learning institutions and the general public.

The boardwalk and the three habitats

The walk is built around a raised wooden boardwalk through three simulated habitats: wetland, savannah and forest. The boardwalk overlooks River Mokoyet and the rocky thickets of Nairobi National Park, so you get views of animals and of the park itself as you go.

Getting there

The site is easily accessible from Nyayo National Stadium through Lang'ata Road, slightly past the Langata Army Barracks. A taxi or ride-hailing trip from the city centre covers roughly 8 km. If you use a ride-hailing app, check that the pin leads to Nairobi Safari Walk or KWS headquarters rather than deep into Nairobi National Park, because the two entrances are close but not the same.

The adjacent Gogo river sanctuary also offers a self-guided 1.5 km forest walk with views of Nairobi and the Ngong hills if you want more time on foot.

Timing your visit

The route is not stated in kilometres, but 27 acres with interpretation boards suits a steady 1 to 2 hours at a relaxed pace. Add the Animal Orphanage next door and you have a half-day outing. Add a game drive in Nairobi National Park and you have a full day, which is what the combined Nairobi Package ticket is designed for.

Go in the morning. Animals are most active before the heat of the day, and the light is better for photographs.

What to carry instead

Carry water, sun protection and comfortable shoes. The boardwalk is exposed in the savannah section, and mornings are cooler than midday. Because a written snack policy is not stated, keep any food packed away and ask at the gate before eating, since feeding or provoking animals is against the spirit of a conservation site.

Why families like it

The raised wooden boardwalk keeps children off the ground and safe from the animals, while the enclosures put lions, a jaguar, a pygmy hippo and giraffes at close view. Interpretation boards turn the walk into a lesson without a guide, and school groups are a core audience for KWS here. The child entry price of $15 (USD 15) for non-residents keeps it affordable compared with a full game drive.

The site is small enough that a visit fits inside a morning, even with young children, and the River Mokoyet views give everyone a rest stop with a view.

Walk versus drive

The Safari Walk costs $25 (USD 25) per non-resident adult. The Animal Orphanage, next door, charges the same. The walk gives you guaranteed close views of enclosures and interpretation, the park gives you free-ranging rhino, lions and plains game in open country.

For the full day, the Nairobi Package covering park, orphanage and Safari Walk costs $105 (USD 105) per non-resident adult, which undercuts paying separately. Families might choose the Sanctuary Package at $40 (USD 40) per adult and skip the drive.

Making the clock work

Because the site sits just off Lang'ata Road about 8 km from the city centre, a taxi from central Nairobi is short, and the walk itself takes only 1 to 2 hours. If you are coming from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, a private layover tour is the safer option. The Airport Layover Park Tour collects you on arrival, runs a 6-hour private day through the park and returns you for your flight.

Kenya requires most foreign visitors leaving the airport to hold an eTA applied for online before travel, so sort that before you fly if a walk on the ground is part of your plan.

Choose it when

Choose the Safari Walk when you have limited time, when you travel with children, or when you want interpretation boards and shade alongside your animal viewing. Reviewers who like it describe close sightings of lions and a jaguar on a compact site. Choose a game drive instead when you want free-ranging animals and open plains, and combine both if your budget stretches to the $105 (USD 105) Nairobi Package.

Guided options that cover several sites in one day start from $33 per person for a shared 5-hour park drive, while Nairobi National Park, Elephant Orphanage and Giraffe Centre Shared Day costs $35 per person and adds the orphanage and Giraffe Centre to a full day.

Which one to choose

For a first Nairobi safari, a game drive is the park experience most people picture, and a shared half-day drive is the cheapest way in. A guided visit described as a landscaped zoo at the entrance gate to Nairobi National Park can be booked at $55 per person through some operators, which buys you transport and guiding on top of the walk itself. If your budget is small, buy your own eCitizen ticket and take a taxi.

If you want everything arranged, pick a tour and add the Safari Walk ticket separately at the gate.